UK team achieves place in the top 10 at the Pastry World Cup 2011

This was the first time since 2003 that the UK was represented in the final of this prestigious event, and the team was supported by WKC students and staff who travelled to France especially for the event. The UK team included WKC chef lecturers, Javier Mercado and Chris Loder, who competed alongside UK team president Benoit Blin, executive pastry chef at Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Oxfordshire, and team member Johannes Bonin, pastry chef at The Connaught Hotel in London. Now in its 12th year, the Pastry World Cup contest takes place every two years, and this year's first place was awarded to the team from Spain, one of 20 countries competing. These included: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Russia, Singapore, Spain, South Korea, Taiwan, Tunisia, UK, USA and Uruguay. Each team in the competition had nine hours to produce an ice sculpture, sugar sculpture, chocolate sculpture, chocolate cake, frozen dessert and plated dessert. The UK team had put in months of preparation in the college's kitchens where they practised their entries for each category. The team also produced an award winning promotional campaign, particularly its fundraising events, promotional poster and online information for its supporters. Mercado said: "This competition is one that I've always wanted to take part in ever since I first heard about it when I was at culinary school, because it is the most renowned pastry competition in the world – so to have actually taken part has realised that ambition. "I hope that as the students at Westminster Kingsway have been able to follow our progress, from the initial designs to going to watch us at Lyon, that it will inspire them to enter competitions in the future."