Professional Cookery students rustle up sweet treats with Michelin star chef

A group of 10 Level 2 Professional Cookery students have been rewarded for outstanding hard work with a masterclass on patisserie with celebrated pastry chef Anthony Audebard.

Working on behalf of Ponthier, a recognised single-origin fruit grower based in the south of France, Anthony gave the students a masterclass in classical and contemporary patisserie techniques. Split up into teams, students set about assembling three complex pastries, including a modern take on the seventies’ classic black forest gateau, a Bergeron apricot Saint Honoré and a Victoria pineapple, coconut, chocolate and ginger tart.

“I have never really done pastries this complex before,” said student Darnell Barrett. “I love every area of cooking, but it’s especially good to have extra training on desserts as it’s not something we do as often.”

Students worked tirelessly over the course of a whole day to produce the three show-stopping desserts using Ponthier’s top quality, single origin fruit purées. In a segue from the original brief, they also aced two of Anthony’s signature ice cream desserts, one flavoured with mango and one with cherry, which were decorated with meringues and tropical glaze.

“Ponthier recognise the work UCB has done in training the industry’s best,” said Paul Brotherton, Ponthier’s representative for the UK and Ireland. “While we started off simply doing presentations and tastings of Ponthier products at the University, we have since progressed to hands-on demonstrations and workshops with Michelin-star chefs like Anthony.

“This is because we have an ambition, like UCB, to be leaders of our industry – and we believe that’s best achieved by working together.”