HRC has partnered with pastry chef extraordinaire Sarah Hartnett to create a cake to celebrate the show's 90th birthday, we caught up with her to learn more about her love for all things sweet and for a sneak preview of the indulgent cake being constructed for this special occasion. 

Can you tell us briefly about your current role?

I’m Executive Pastry Chef at Smart Group, Moving Venue and along with my pastry team, we look after all things sweet for the group - anything from conferences, bespoke events, private parties, and weddings. It’s such an exciting company to work for because we cater in some very exclusive venues. To name just a few- we are often at the V&A, NHM, Science Museum, Hampton Court Palace, The Orangery in Kensington Palace, 60 Great Queen Street, Roundhouse Camden. Sporting events are also a key feature in what we do- Royal Ascot, BGP, Lord’s Cricket, Twickenham Kneller Hall- there’s a very long list!

How did you first enter the pastry world?

Like most pastry chefs will tell you, my mum was a great home baker and cook- and with a big family to feed, there were always delicious smells coming from the kitchen. From a young age, I was very keen to be in the middle of it, helping her and more importantly, tasting! Learning how to bake cakes and pastry seemed the natural thing to pursue when I was choosing my career.

What do you love about creating pastries/desserts?

My favourite part of creating is usually when watching someone taste a dish for the first time, when they realise it’s delicious- feeding people food they enjoy has always given me the most job satisfaction.

Do you have a favourite technique or ingredient to use at the moment?

Currently I think we are really focused on collaborating with suppliers to use the best ingredients to make delectable desserts. And a lot of our customers have a focus on sustainable and UK grown products, so we like to integrate these into our menus where we can.

Do you have any top tips for chefs competing in the Dessert of the Year competition at International Salon Culinaire this year?

Make sure you practice and time yourself, remember that you’ll be in a new kitchen with different equipment, so things might take a bit longer than they do at work. Also, don’t make things overly complicated and remember taste is often what will make the difference- at times some of the simple things done extremely well are hard to fault.

You’re creating a cake to celebrate HRC’s 90th birthday this year, do you have any hints at what we can expect?

It has to be chocolate! I’m a chocolate Ambassador for Barry Callebaut UK and Ireland, and with a variety of chocolates to choose from, the plan is to make something very indulgent and celebratory (and maybe a little boozy) for the 90th celebrations!

Is there anything exciting you’re working on at the moment that you’d like to share with our audience?

 It’s one of my favourite times during the year when we’re working on menu development for upcoming summer events- we have the potential for creating lots of exciting new dishes to delight our customers, and then look forward to when we will make and serve to all of our customers in the months ahead.

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