Competitors will have 60 minutes to prepare, cook and present two identical plates of an original dessert, suitable for fine dining. Competitors should give consideration to flavour, texture and the environmental impact of the ingredients used, with an emphasis on promoting sustainable farming practises. 

Judges are looking for a ‘beautiful and intricate plated showstopper’ of a dessert. Chefs should use methods which reflect real-world kitchen practises, and with appropriate mise en place.

All main elements, such as raw pastry, sponges, biscuit bases, cooked yeasted products, doughs, mousses, ganache, creams, boiled sugar or isomalt, custards or coloured cocoa butter can be pre-prepared or made during the competition.

However, any of these which are used as a garnish must be finished onsite during the competition itself. All garnishes must be made during the competition and chefs must include at least one chocolate garnish. Only small handheld equipment and ice cream machines are permitted.

A spokesperson for the Association of Pastry Chefs commented: “For 2025, we welcome two brand-new DOTY competition sponsors.

“These are the French fruit company Ponthier, who has spent the last 70 years crafting the finest ranges of fresh and frozen fruit purees sourced from the best producers from around the world, and Barry Callebaut, the world's leading manufacturer of high-quality chocolate and cocoa products. Each entry, therefore, must include one Barry Callebaut chocolate product and one Ponthier Pure Label Purée.”

Entry is open now and costs £27.50. Please register via the link below by selecting LT13 – The Association of Pastry Chef’s Dessert of the Year 2025. https://internationalsalonculinaire.co.uk/live-theatre.

The first judging round will be based on written entries. Once chefs have registered with HRC then they need to email the following information to Andrew Pantelli on [email protected].

Email entries must include the following:

• A full description of your dish
• The recipe and details of what you will bring to the competition
• A photograph or sketch of the dish
• Information on how you plan to use the sponsors' products
• A list of allergens
• A paragraph explaining the environmental and sustainable considerations of your dish

The closing date is 1st February 2025. The top eight finalists will be announced on 7th February 2025 and will go through to the live final at HRC. Each finalist will receive product samples from the sponsors. For more information here: https://internationalsalonculinaire.co.uk.