SWEET TREAT
Masterchef & Great British Menu star Michael O’Hare launches mind-boggling new dessert… using kids’ favourite sweets
A MASTERCHEF star has put a surprise twist on classic desserts – using new Skittles Desserts sweets.
The Great British Menu stalwart and Michelin-starred chef Michael O'Hare is renowned throughout fine dining circles for his distinctive and creative dishes.
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But now Michael, also a Masterchef guest, was asked to take his avant-garde culinary expertise and apply it a range of beloved puddings - but using packs of US confectionery Skittles.
This first resulted in a Choco Orange Ganache formed of deconstructed chocolate orange cake with chocolate ganache.
Next up came Sweet and Smoky Strawberries made using smoked strawberry ice cream with barbecued strawberries, garnished with silver leaf.
Third to be served was the Rainbow Alchemy, made from a selection of Skittles Desserts.
The sweets were each melted and reformed at a different temperature and dipped in a layer of coloured chocolate and cocoa butter casing bursting when bitten.
Last to get Michael's treatment was a Watermelon Tartare – served with a strawberry ice cream sorbet, also made from the sweets.
His surprise handiwork comes after research of 2,000 adults found younger Brits are ditching traditional desserts such as syllabub, figgy pudding and cherries jubilee.
Of the 18-to-34-year-olds polled, 45 per cent say they would rather skip dessert at home in favour of a bag of sweets on the sofa.
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Just 13 per cent have tucked into a Queen of Puddings before, while only 16 per cent have enjoyed a strawberry fool.
It also emerged 43 per cent of millennials would prefer to indulge in a lighter dessert - with 36 per cent opting for a heavier pudding.
And 44 per cent of youngsters admit never making desserts at home.
Ryan Pardo-Roques, chief fruit flavour alchemist at Mars Wrigley, which commissioned the research, said: “We pride ourselves on being innovative with our flavours.
"We loved working with Michelin star chef Michael O’Hare who shares our vision of a more fun-filled world of food experiences and creations."
Michael himself said “Dessert is pleasure, simple as that - however, I wasn’t surprised to learn that dinner table desserts are on the decline.
"I’ve partnered with Skittles Desserts to help make desserts desirable once more through these unique and delicious creations inspired by ordinary flavours experienced in an extraordinary way."
The research also found 69 per cent of all Brits admit they have a sweet tooth.
And 53 per cent would opt for a sweet treat after their main meal when eating out, rather than a starter, if made to pick one.
Yet many believe certain sweet dishes sound old-fashioned by today’s standards – with spotted dick (51 per cent) and jam roly poly (37 per cent) most associated with times gone by.
Some also have no idea what ingredients to use for the likes of syllabub (46 per cent) and Queen of Puddings (42 per cent).
Of the home bakers polled, via OnePoll, apple crumble (66 per cent) is the most popular dish rustled up in kitchens, followed by Victoria sponge (58 per cent) and cheesecake (56 per cent).
However, of those who don’t dare make a dessert at home, a third recognise they haven’t got the skill to pull it off.
It was also found most adults will eat dessert twice in a typical week.
And 58 per cent will just stick to what they know, rather than try something new - with 38 per cent claiming they don’t feel full until they’ve had something sweet after their main course.
Michael, from Eston in North Yorkshire, first appeared on the Great British Menu in 2015 - and returned to the show as a judge for the following three years.
He was back on the show in 2023, mentoring the chefs.
He has also appeared on BBC’s MasterChef and Yes Chef in 2016.
Michael has worked at some of the world’s best restaurants, including Michelin-starred John Burton Race at L’Ortolan in Reading, Berkshire, and Noma in Denmark's capital Copenhagen.
He also worked at Judges in Yarm, also in North Yorkshire, before becoming head chef at The Blind Swine in York.
He opened his own restaurant The Man Behind The Curtain in Leeds in 2014, which has become a one Michelin star restaurant.
And also in 2016 he became creative director for GG Hospitality, a company co-owned by former Manchester United footballers Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville - though quit in 2018.
Top 10 desserts never tried by under-35s
1 Syllabub
2 Queen of Puddings
3 Cherries Jubilee
4 Strawberry Fool
5 Figgy Pudding
6 Curd Tart
7 Spotted Dick
8 Treacle Sponge Pudding
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9 Knickerbocker Glory
10 Treacle Tart
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