World Pastry Cup 2015: UK team announced

Johnson will be joined by Javier Mercado and Nicholas Belorgey, pâtisserie teaching chefs at Le Cordon Bleu, who represented the UK at the 2013 World Pastry Cup. Andrew Blas, executive pastry chef at Café Royal Hotel, will act as the reserve candidate.

International consultant pâtissier and chocolatier, Martin Chiffers, will once again act as the UK team coach and president.

“I am confident that the selected team will work hard to represent the UK at the world's most prestigious and recognised pastry competition Coupe du Monde de la Pâtisserie 2015 and I am looking forward to the amazing challenge ahead,” said Chiffers.

“It’s great to have Javier Mercado back on the team and with Javier and Nicolas having already experienced this challenge together in 2013 it only adds to our strength.

“Barry Johnson will now assist in organising the team and training schedules over the next 10 months and with the support of Andrew Blas as a reserve candidate, who had already given an immense amount of support for Geneva, we are looking very strong contenders.”

European winners​

Johnson was the winner of the 2013 UK Pastry Cup​, and he and Belorgey represented the UK at the European Pastry Cup in Geneva, Switzerland earlier this year, storming to victory​ with an entry based on The Lion King theatre production.

“We have built a strong team over the last few years with Martin Chiffers as president and coaching us,” said Belorgey.

“I’m delighted to have Javier back on the team and with his and Nicolas’s experience and a lot of hard work ahead of us I feel confident we will do our country proud."

Mercado, who competed at the last two World Pastry Cups, said he was proud to be representing the UK at the competition for one last time.

Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie ​

The Coupe du Monde de la Patisserie will take place on 25-26 January, at the Sirha - World Hospitality & Food Service Event at Eurexpo.

The biannual event, which is the only contest that is organised by professionals in the pastry trade for professionals in this trade, features 22 teams of pâtissiers from five continents.

Cooking in 12 contest kitchens, the teams – made up of a patissier, a chocolatier and an ice-cream specialist – are tasked with creating a variety of desserts which are scored for taste, work method, time keeping, organisation, skill and presentation.

The 2013 World Pastry Cup team, which consisted of Mercado,  Belorgey and Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons pastry sous chef Nicholas Bouhelier, came in ninth​, which Chiffers said was ‘disappointing’​ given the high quality of their entry.

Team Captain / Candidate Chocolate: Barry Johnson - Principal Chocolatier Rococo Chocolates Ltd

Candidate Sugar: Javier Mercado - Pâtisserie Teaching Chef – Le Cordon Bleu London

Candidate Ice: Nicolas Belorgey -Pâtisserie Teaching Chef – Le Cordon Bleu London

Candidate Reserve: Andrew Blas - Executive Pastry Chef Café Royal Hotel