The area will provide pastry chefs with opportunities to attend technical demonstrations, meet peers and engage directly with suppliers offering specialist ingredients, equipment and solutions for patisserie teams.

HRC has appointed its first pastry ambassador Mark Perkins, executive pastry chef at the Rosewood, whose extensive experience across luxury hotels and high-end patisserie brings valuable industry insight to the initiative.

Pastry HQ will host a full schedule of live demos, technical sessions and industry discussions throughout the show. The content will highlight emerging trends in patisserie, showcase new product applications and provide practical insights for chefs working across hotels, restaurants, bakeries and contract catering.

Perkins said: “If we grow people with the right heart, we can train the skills - passion is what matters. Not enough young chefs are coming into pastry, so we need to shine a light on what it truly is: the first thing you taste in a meal and the last thing you remember.

“Pastry is constantly evolving, and this event is the perfect opportunity to learn from innovative chefs and showcase talent across every level. Salon Culinaire is already a major draw at HRC, especially the afternoon tea and cake competitions, and the new Pastry areas will give visitors even more reason to explore and develop their skills.

“With kitchen brigades getting smaller, there’s often less time to teach the next generation, but if they’re inspired by what they see in the pastry section and at Pastry HQ, there are now fantastic external courses ready to help them grow.”