A trio of seductive desserts called Asian Temptation won Claridge's pastry chef Anna Poliviyou this year's Dessert of the Year award.
The award is organised by the Association of Pastry Chefs (APC) and was dreamed up by co-sponsor Michael Nadell, whose Nadell Pƒtisserie in Islington, north London, has hosted the competition since it began 10 years ago.
This year's competition attracted 30 entries, whittled down to 10 finalists for the showdown on 27 September. Competitors had to produce four plated portions of their submitted dessert within two-and-a-half hours.
APC chairman Claire Clark, who last month left her role as head pastry chef at the Hilton London Metropole to join Jeremy King and Chris Corbin's new restaurant venture in Piccadilly, said standards had been excellent and the ranking of the winners had been very close.
Poliviyou won the Michael Nadell Trophy, plus a trip to co-sponsor Duval-Leroy's Champagne house in Reims and a day working with renowned French pastry chef Pierre Herm‚ at his pastry shop in Paris.
Her Asian Temptation comprised a rich chocolate mousse with a sago centre encased in fine chocolate; a lemon won ton in a tropical sauce, and an iced parfait.
Clark said Poliviyou's well-balanced creations had scored highly in all key categories and that her desserts "looked good and tasted good - the taste of each of the components came through very well".
Second place went to Neil Thornton, from the Hilton Metropole London, for his Tropical Heat dessert. Two desserts tied for third place - a Pineapple Trilogy from Claridge's Gwendal Hamon and a Banana Chocolate Fantasy dreamed up by Tim Fisher from the London Capital Club.
Fourth was Joao Carlos Goncalves from the Compass Group's outside catering divison Circadia, who was awarded a certificate of merit for his trio of desserts themed as Elements of Lemon.