Raymond Blanc staff win Wines of Roussillon Dessert Trophy

The assistant chef sommelier and first commis pastry chef at Raymond Blanc's two-Michelin-starred Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons in Oxfordshire, have won this year's Wines of Roussillon Dessert Trophy.

Thibaut Panas and Anne Coquelin beat off three other finalists to gain the title including teams from London's Michelin-starred Maze and Tom Aikens restaurants and Compass Group's Restaurant Associates.

The challenge was to serve an original dessert creation paired with a Roussillon Vin Doux Naturel from AOC Banyuls, Maury, Muscat de Rivesaltes or Rivesaltes.

Panas and Coquelin served a Manjari chocolate "Sable Breton" with black Provençal fig dessert matched with a Rivesaltes, Domaine Gérard Gauby, Caricia, 2005.

Eric Aracil, export manager at the Conseil Interprofessionel des Vins du Roussillon and judge of the competition, said the standard of the competition was getting higher every year.

"We look forward to hosting our winners in Perpignan in February next year where they will be competing against their Dutch, Belgium, Danish, French and German counterparts in the European final of The Wines of Roussillon Dessert Trophy," he said.

This year's judging panel included chocolatier William Curley, food and wine writer Sarah Jane Evans, and Sara Jayne Stanes, chief executive of the Academy of Culinary Arts.

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By Kerstin Kühn

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