Military chefs win Bake Off: Creme de la Creme

A team of military chefs have triumphed in the final of the BBC’s Bake Off: Crème de la Crème, broadcast last night (31 May).

Team captain corporal Liam Grime, corporal Ian Mark and corporal Chris Morrell took the title after an eight-hour challenge which saw them assemble a military-themed showpiece and individual desserts.

The trio are part of RAF Oldham and members of the Combined Services Culinary Arts Team (CSCAT).

Their creation included a chocolate bust of one of the Dambusters squadron, and desserts based on ration books, Churchill’s cigars and chocolate barbed wire.

They fought off competition from the ‘French Dragons’, led by Laurian Veaudor from Cocorico Patisserie, who created a Christmas-themed display.

The competition was judged by top pastry chefs Benoit Blin, chef patissier at the two-Michelin-starred Belmond Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, and Cherish Finden, former executive pastry chef at the Langham, London.

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The winning showpiece

Blin told BigHospitality last year that he hoped the series would help raise the profile of professional patisserie in the UK.

“It might encourage pastry chefs, who might otherwise be hidden away in the kitchen, to push themselves further and to raise the bar,” he said.

“To be on such a trusted channel as the BBC can only really help the industry.”