Where did it all start? How did you fall in love with cooking, pastry and chocolate?
It all started at a young age, baking cakes with my grandma when I was in primary school. Getting shown the basics and from there, the progress of my cooking just grew bigger into high school. I really fell in love with pastry and chocolate when I got to college and did 3 years of learning how professional this industry can be. Experiencing work in Michelin star restaurants was a real eye opener for me to realise how much I love what I do.

What or who is your greatest source of inspiration?
Travelling across the world to see different bakeries is one of my biggest inspirations. Copenhagen has a special place in my heart. My grandparents taught me such British classic desserts. Ariano Zumbo and his crazy dessert creations. Also, Amaury Guichon is unbelievable with chocolate and such an inspiration for how creative our minds can be.

What has been your favourite culinary creation so far?
I created an entremet with white chocolate mousse, apricot gel insert, apricot glaze, and a pistachio crumb on a feuilletine base. I loved the flavour profile of this and the different textures.
 

What motivated you to enter the Junior Chocolate Masters competition?
I’ve always wanted to enter a competition and give myself a challenge to see how I handle the pressure and see how much I learn about myself from doing so. So when my Head Baker told me the applications are open and he believes that I can do well, I felt motivated to give it a shot!
 

What does the theme best of british evoke to you?
It makes me think straight away about my childhood, my grandparents and overall the best things I've known growing up in Britain.
 

How are you preparing for the competition?
I am practising at my workplace and my home whenever I can, testing as many things as possible to give my colleagues and family to try and get as much inspiration as possible.

What is your favourite chocolate? Why?
My favourite chocolate right now is the Dark Excellence 55% as it pairs beautifully with certain fruits and spices. Also, when I'm using this chocolate it feels great to know I'm contributing to a sustainable cocoa industry.
 

Any ambitions for the future you’d like to share with us?
I would love to work at a bakery/ restaurant abroad in the future. Somewhere in Europe like Copenhagen or Paris or Australia to see the different cultures, meet new people and to push myself out of my comfort zone.