In memory of the greatest, and most tragic French chef, Bernard Loiseau, who took his own life, each year six Michelin starred chefs from Europe pair with a chef from one of the Indian Ocean islands for a week of collaboration and competition.

The Michelin starred chef spends three days with his island partner discovering local ingredients and cooking methods before creating dishes for the culinary competition.

In the past, the UK has been represented by chefs such as Michael Caines, Bruce Poole, Alfred Prasad, William Drabble, Bjorn van der Horst, Angela Hartnett and Mike North; all of whom had the experience of a lifetime.

No pressure then for this year’s competitor, Berwyn Davies from The Glasshouse in Kew. Berwyn was the first Welshman to take part in the festival, and he was amongst some very illustrious company. Not just in regards to his fellow chefs, with the competition jury made up of two Bocuse d’Or winners; Serge Vieira, the holder of two Michelin stars and a reputation as one of the new generation of great French chefs, and Ørjan Johannessen; Norwegian chef of the year and one of the most talked about worldwide culinary talents. Add to that Dominique Loiseau, French super chefs Patrick Bertron and Cyril Lignac and Hong Kong’s most famous foodie, Walter Kei, and you can only imagine the standards expected.

Also attending the festival this year was Mercotte, who hosts the French version of Bake Off along with Cyril Lignac. The show is as big in France as in the UK, making Mercotte and Lignac household names.

As well as Mercotte, there was a good representation of patisserie genius; Frederic Bau, a renowned chocolatier and head of the Valrhona cookery school, and Pierre Herme; the most celebrated patissier in Paris, with shops all over the world, including Covent Garden, London.

Following the completion of the competition element, Berwyn had to create and serve a course at a special dinner along with two of the other starred chefs, Marc de Passorio from France and Yusuke Goto from Japan, making for a truly multi-cultural occasion.

Whilst Berwyn and his team were creating their dinner, the other three chefs were doing a parallel dinner at sister hotel, Le Prince Maurice. In a week of amazing gastronomy, both Bocuse d’Or winning chefs, plus Cyril Lignac and Patrick Bertron all hosted their own special dinners to packed houses.

So what did Berwyn make of his experience in Mauritius? “To see another culture, make friends and be amongst these amazing people has been very special. I wasn’t expecting so much media attention, there are cameras and journalists at every step, but it just adds to the excitement. I have loved the whole experience, but especially the Mauritian people and hotel staff, I have learned a lot about teamwork, politeness and friendship”.

Upon meeting Berwyn, festival patron and culinary ‘Royal’, Dominique Loiseau immediately knew of the young chef: “Ah yes, you are from the Glasshouse, I love Kew Gardens, when I come with my friends we will visit you”. I am not sure Berwyn knew what to say, but this was just the first in a week of quite unique experiences.

Berwyn was a magnificent ambassador for British cooking and culture, and made a hugely positive impact on The Festival Culinaire Bernard Loiseau. Whilst he and his island partner Vickram were not amongst the prize winners, they should be very proud of their achievements.