World Chocolate Masters – UK Selections

I spent 2 days at the Restaurant Show this week watching the UK selection for the World Chocolate Masters, which will be held in Paris next October.   As I wrote in my interview with Chef Graham Hornigold, it really is serious stuff.  Competitors have just 15 hours to produce:

• A chocolate showpiece between 1 and 2 metres high
• 50 dipped pralines
• 50 moulded pralines
• 2 layered chocolate cakes – each to serve 8
• A “gastronomic” chocolate dessert – to serve 6
• “Mystery Box” assignment

The face of Chocolate - a detail of Graham Hornigold's showpiece

That is a serious amount of work, huge amounts of skill, concentration and knowledge are needed, contestants are on show, people are watching, the judges are constantly closely inspecting their work and there was a continuous commentary to boot.    Contestants also have to keep their work area clean and will be judged on this too.

WCM - Ruth Hinks finishes her centre piece - photo from Wildcard

For me the most exciting and visually interesting part of the competition was the chocolate showpiece, I was stunned by what was created, and gasped in horror when one nearly completed sculpture went crashing to the ground.     These pieces are 100% chocolate, moulded, cast, carved, shaped and held together with chocolate.   No glue, fillers or anything else is allowed.    To make matters even harder the finished pieces had to be moved away from the competitors’ work areas to be judged.     By the end of the afternoon only one of the sculptures was intact.   As a picture tells a thousand words here they are:

WCM - John Costello's showpiece - this was originally twice the height with the dragon on top of the tree!

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WCM - Conor McAlonan's showpiece - sadly his work collapsed just as he was finishing it

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WCM - Graham Hornigold and his finished showpiece

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WCM - Andrew Gregson Brown's showpiece

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WCM - Contestants anxiously waiting for the results

In a very close finish the winner was John Costello with his stunning dragon showpiece, Ruth Hinks was the runner up.

WCM - The winner John Costello - showered with glitter

And some closeups of John’s showpiece:

It was a fantastic event – and I got to sample some chocolates at the end, which were very delicious indeed.   Well done to all the competitors, I am in awe of your talent, skill and dedication.   And a very well done and good luck to John for next year’s final!