London calling, These French pastry chefs who shine across the Channel

Across the Channel, the big hotels speak more and more French... at least on the dessert side. Portraits of four artisans who have established themselves as key talents in the local culinary scene.

Nicolas Rouzaud – Connaught Hotel

Trained at the Bristol Hotel (alongside the late highly respected Laurent Jeannin, who had dazzled the French culinary scene with his lemon trompe-l'œil), Nicolas Rouzaud is not a stranger in London, where he has been based since 2014: first on a mission for the Lanesborough Hotel, before arriving three years later at the Connaught, where works Hélène Darroze. If Nicolas displays an Instagram community of 86,000 followers, it’s also thanks to a cake that has become the star of the hotel: a small dog already emblem of the establishment—composed of a milk chocolate mousse, a hazelnut praline insert and chocolate, hazelnut and milk chocolate glaze.

Thibault Hauchard – Claridge’s Hotel

Normandy's pastry chefs are popular. After Maxime Frédéric (Cheval Blanc Paris), the most talented sugar professional of the moment, it’s time for Thibault Hauchard to shine: the two men know each other well having worked under a certain Cédric Grolet at the Meurice. Thibault gained independence by crossing the Channel, first with desserts on a high-quality plate for Alain Ducasse’s 3-star Michelin table at Dorchester and then, for three years, at the famous Claridge’s Hotel. The success is unanimous: La Liste even awarded the hotel’s pastry shop a world prize («best pastry shop»). To meet the expectations of British sweet lovers, Thibault offers cakes "more greedy, rounder, with cream, butter, and a little more sugar" than in Paris, as he explained to the media L'Hôtellerie-Restauration last September. We find notably the palace coat of arms reinterpreted as a pecan brownie. Discreet as a person, he is not that quiet on Instagram, where nearly 80,000 curious follow his work.

Nicolas Houchet – Savoy Hotel

This is not just any hotel: the icon of French gastronomy, Auguste Escoffier, worked there. A century later, Nicolas Houchet, originally from Nancy, exhibits his sweet talents. His itinerary differs from that of his colleagues: he knows London for having made his home there in the early 2000s, when he opened his pastry Macaron, which quickly seduces the gourmets of the city. Then he becomes one of the figures of Le Cordon Bleu and takes the opportunity to test himself in international competitions — a success, since he wins the European Pastry Cup in 2022 under the colors of the United Kingdom... 'The most English of pastry chefs', headlined in 2021 L'Est Républicain. A real technician, author of gardening scissors, matchbox, suit top, chocolate or sugar movie camera, all edible

Maxence Blondelle – Café Royal Hotel

The former student of the Soissons' Hotel School (Aisne) has a great CV, between experiences with the sugar legend Philippe Conticini (in England) and the restaurant Sketch — which one owes to chef Pierre Gagnaire, that we no longer present — awarded with three stars in the Michelin guide. Since September 2024, Maxence is the pastry chef of the famous Café Royal Hotel, where the writer Oscar Wilde used to receive. Afternoon tea, right in the middle of Regent Street, is also popular thanks to Maxence, who delights gourmands with woven pastries (on a chocolate croissant base, vanilla custard and hazelnut heart) and seasonal creations like this Bakewell pie (a classic from the north of England) with plum and almonds.

The other pastry chefs who shine in London

• Cédric Grolet (The Berkeley Hotel)
• Vincent Zanardi (Birley Bakery shops)
• Mathieu Dias (The Chancery Rosewood Hotel)