Pure Ionic Water In The Kitchen
Hosted in May at West London College's Taste Restaurant, The Student Pastry Chef Of The Year Awards 2025 showcased the talents emerging from UK students. This year the students had a new indredient to elevate their recipies - Pure Ionic Water.
The Annual Student Pastry Chef of the Year awards, hosted by The Chefs’ Forum, is a prestigious competition that celebrates emerging talent in the world of patisserie. Open to student pastry chefs from culinary institutions across the UK, the event offers a platform for young professionals to showcase their creativity, technical skill, and passion for pastry arts. Contestants compete in a series of challenges judged by leading industry experts, with a focus on innovation, presentation, and flavor. The awards not only recognize excellence but also provide valuable networking opportunities, mentorship, and career advancement for the next generation of pastry chefs.
Cornwall College’s Phoebe Mortimer Crowned Student Pastry Chef of the Year 2025 in Landmark Competition Featuring Pure Ionic Water
Phoebe Mortimer of Cornwall College was named the winner of the fifth annual Student Pastry Chef of the Year competition, held on 13th May at West London College’s Taste Restaurant and state-of-the-art training kitchens. Hosted by The Chefs’ Forum, the event brought together the very best in emerging pastry talent from across the UK and delivered what the judges unanimously agreed was the most impressive cohort to date.
Now firmly established as a highlight of the UK’s culinary calendar, the competition attracted elite student pastry chefs from top catering colleges nationwide. Each finalist arrived ready to push the boundaries of flavour, artistry, and technical execution. Among the innovations this year was the introduction of Pure Ionic Water, a premium, ultra-purified water used in professional kitchens to elevate ingredient performance and flavour precision. The chefs incorporated Pure Ionic Water into their recipes for the first time, experiencing firsthand the benefits of enhanced hydration in their sponges, purées, and pastry work.
Phoebe Mortimer stood out from the outset and creatively constructed her plated dessert, Tropical Arctic, accompanied by her petit fours: Lychee Lime Fizz and Nutty-Nana. Her ability to balance bold flavours with elegant presentation earned her the top spot in a closely fought final. Judges were moved by Phoebe’s generosity, professionalism and her culinary talent, making her a clear and deserving winner.
“I am so excited to win, I cannot believe it,” Phoebe said tearfully. “I’m crying happy tears—don’t worry! I’ve had such a wonderful day, and this has been a fantastic experience. I’m so grateful to my mum Lucy and my lecturers Clyde Conollon and Ashley Carkeet for all of their wonderful support.”
Second place was awarded to Jessica Sale of Loughborough College, who impressed with her Blueberry Delice plated dessert and a vibrant petit fours selection featuring Chocolate Orange Bonbons and White Chocolate & Passion Fruit Macarons.
Third place went to Lucy Hammett, also from Cornwall College (St Austell campus), whose elegant and refined presentation solidified the college’s strong showing.
The level of competiton and the results speak for themselves here - an amazing showing from the students and we're blown away by how they all managed to encorporate our water into their recpies seamlessly. Using the finest ingredients to assemble pastries and present them under immense pressure is impressive. Congratulations to all the participats and especially Phoebe for winning the event.
The Chefs’ Forum extends heartfelt thanks to all sponsors, whose support made the event possible: Matfer Bourgeat, First Choice Produce, Andros Chef, Bragard, MCS Technical Products, Wedgwood, Xoco, Terra Firma, Ritter Courivaud, Pastry Gelato Equipment, and Pure Ionic Water, whose product added a new layer of excellence to this year’s competition.
Do you want to serve the finest ingredients in your Hotel, Restaurant or Bar?
Often overlooked, the water you use, daily, is a revelation Michelin Star chefs and 5 Star Hotels who have the foresight to move to Pure Ionic Water have been praising for almost a decade. Installation is easy and using our water is profitable - contact us now for a visit to assess your location - Francesca.walters(at)wet-environmentals.com