The dessert course winner: Lemon mousse

Desserts round off a meal perfectly, giving your taste buds the opportunity to have a little sweet sensation. Much like the dessert, in a banquet the dessert round of our competition has drawn the judging aspect of the competition perfectly to a close. After a very busy week at One Moorgate Place we were ready to let our hair down a little bit and enjoy the company of some of our clients.

In the kitchen however it was less relaxed, four venues were still competing for their dish to be represented in the banquet! First up was our own team with Strawberries & Cream whose description didn’t give much away. What was served however, left our judges in awe, one remarked that ‘It just looks too good to eat’. Next 30 Euston Square created White chocolate and crème fraiche mousse, preserved wild strawberry and fluffy pistachio sponge. The plate looked like it had been created by an impressionist artist.

Exclusive events created an Orange and pistachio glazed mousse, Milk snow and tuile, Scillian lemon and thyme sorbet. The combination of the dark chocolate with the mousse was a winner for the judges but they felt that it didn’t go well with the rest of the banquet.

But the winner came from Petra from Allen & Overy with her Lemon mousse, pistachio praline, strawberry sorbet. She created a near perfect dish which impressed our judges, their only criticism being that there could be slightly less mousse on the plate. The dish was described as the perfect end to a summer meal, not too heavy but the true embodiment of the taste of summer.

So we have a final menu for the banquet! After months of preparations, recipe testing and intense judging rounds we have amazingly come out with a banquet that represents every venue that has taken part in the competition!

So what does the final menu look like?

Starter: Salad Nicoise from 30 Euston Square

Fish course: Slow cooked octopus marinated in dashi, squid and kimchi beignet, shaved lardo from One Moorgate Place

Main Course: Stuffed and pancetta wrapped rabbit saddle, summer garden peas, pea puree, liquorice liver napage from Exclusive Events

Dessert course: Lemon mousse, pistachio praline, strawberry sorbet from Allen & Overy