Mövenpick ice cream crowns Louise Rigden Gourmet Dessert Chef of the Year 2014

Following an exhilarating live cook-off, Mövenpick ice cream announced the winner of its annual Gourmet Dessert Chef of the Year competition as Louise Rigden from the Royal Opera House. Louise battled it out against five other finalists during the final in London on Sunday, September 28.

She impressed the panel of esteemed judges with her textured manjari chocolate dessert, brought to life with Mövenpick raspberry sorbet. Judges included Ruth Hinks, UK World Chocolate Master, Cherish Finden, head pastry chef at The Langham and Tim Futter, Mövenpick ice cream consultant development chef. They all praised Louise for her artistic merit and innovative use of Mövenpick ice cream, which led to her victory as this year’s champion. Louise will receive a luxury two-day spa break in Edinburgh, along with an exclusive, one-on-one chocolate showpiece course with Ruth Hinks at her Cocoa Black Chocolate and Pastry School in Peebles.

Louise said: “I feel so proud to have won this year’s Mövenpick Gourmet Dessert Chef of the Year competition. I worked hard to make sure my dish incorporated well-balanced flavours and textures, so am delighted the judges felt I achieved this. The Mövenpick raspberry sorbet was a perfect accompaniment to the dish, due to its strong consistency and intense flavour that paired wonderfully with the chocolate.”

Runners up Biju Joshwa from London Marriott Country Hall and Zac Dearden from the Design House Restaurant in Halifax were also praised for the taste and presentation of their creations – raspberry and fennel, using Mövenpick raspberry sorbet, and carrot cake with white chocolate and Mövenpick cinnamon ice cream. Both chefs will also head to Ruth’s acclaimed school.

Ruth explained: “Today’s competition was all about flavour. The standard was incredibly high and everyone did a fantastic job, but for me chocolate and raspberry is always a winner! I can’t wait to welcome Louise, Biju and Zac at Cocoa Black soon – it will be a joy to have such talented chefs at the school”.

Cherish Finden added: “The standard this year was higher than ever before, so judging the competition was not only incredibly exciting, it was also very hard! The winning dish was beautiful to look at and displayed so much precision – I could have demolished plate after plate”.