Synonymous with fanfare and fantastic food, Christmas is the time to let your culinary imagination run riot. As consumers, we are often drawn to extravagant desserts to end a special meal and the festive season is no exception, so while the diners are out and ready to spend on memorable experiences, we ask our panel of experts for their recommendations for tempting diners to indulge early.
Dean Parker – Head Chef & Co-owner, Celentano’s
Our affogato is our signature dessert, both at Christmas and all year round. Although it may not be your typical ‘luxurious’ dessert, we combine chocolate and malt to really up the indulgence, using a fruity chocolate so the dish doesn’t taste too intensely rich.
I find texture to be super important when creating an indulgent dessert and tend to add something crunchy such as a rye crumb or toasted buckwheat. When it comes to making a dessert extraordinary, you really do just have to focus on flavour. Some people focus too much on how something looks or the technique when it comes to pastry and end up overcomplicating the dish. We tend to focus on showcasing each individual ingredient, as opposed to visual theatrics.
Dean Harper – Chef and director, Harper Fine Dining
My favourite indulgent dessert is the “Golden Chocolate Symphony.”
This luxurious chocolate mousse, layered with edible gold leaf and a hint of cognac, is incredibly rich and opulent, with its top-notch ingredients, elaborate presentation and exceptional flavours distinguishing this signature dish from other lavish desserts. In my opinion, restaurateurs can enhance their regular desserts by adding premium elements in the form of exotic fruits or rare spices.
This Christmas, spiced gingerbread, caramelised chestnuts and boozy eggnog are likely to be common festive favourites. To craft a more memorable dining experience, I suggest incorporating flaming desserts, with surprising additions like popping candy for that extra sensory delight. Through interactive plating, restaurateurs can provide a choice of at least four varied desserts, encompassing a chocolate-based selection, a fruity option, a light alternative, and a seasonal special. In my experience, an extravagant dessert is usually priced anywhere between £15 to £50, based on the ingredients and the complexity of the presentation.
Dan McGeorge – Owner, Vetch
My favourite dessert has to be anything chocolate with salted caramel, it just hits all the right buttons such as chocolate namelaka with miso salted caramel, aero, chocolate tuile and a really good ice cream.
I think getting the right balance is everything, not to mention using good quality ingredients is a must to transform a dessert from ordinary to indulgent, and adding a little theatre to the occasion makes everyone feel special. One thing I like to do is to use liquid nitrogen, it just provides a total sense of drama.
There shouldn’t be too many desserts on offer, quality is far better than quantity. Perhaps three desserts and a cheese option would be about right, usually in the following formats – something chocolate, something fruity and something warming or cooling depending on the time of year.
The price could be astronomical, as some really good ingredients can set you back a lot of money but for me, it should be about balance, and we always aim for less than £15.
Francesco Mannino – Executive Pastry Chef, Pan Pacific London
My favourite indulgent dessert is a Millefeuille. I like the contrast of textures and the fact that it needs to be prepared fresh, but I am also a fan of our very own Pan Pacific Guanacoa Chocolate Mousse with Brownies.
I think using rich ingredients like a good high-quality chocolate or a rich caramel can make a dessert indulgent, and the chef can make it extraordinary by adding a final touch of theatre at the table.
Citrus and spices are trendy Christmas ingredients that can be added to a sticky toffee pudding for a delicious Christmas twist, or for a new take on a classic Christmas cake.
Danielle Mapertuis – Executive Vegan Pastry Chef, Author, Presenter & Trainer
My favourite Christmas dessert is the luxurious Rose and Lychee Yule Log that I created. It’s a delightful departure from the traditional chocolate log, prized for its lightness and the subtle marriage of flavours and textures. With an exotic touch, it offers a refreshing twist, embodying lightness, elegance, and originality for a truly successful dessert.
Best of all, it can be prepared in advance and stored in the freezer, needing only the decorations added on the day of serving. So, no worries about waking up at 2 a.m. to prepare your Christmas dessert! A surprise for Stir it up readers as well…. this dessert is also vegan!
Daniel Pearse – Executive Pastry Chef, Rhubarb Hospitality Collection
My favourite indulgent dessert is a Dark Chocolate and Salted Caramel Tart, featuring rich ganache, buttery caramel, and homemade vanilla ice cream. An indulgent dessert combines premium ingredients, stunning presentation, and layered textures.
This Christmas, trending flavours include gingerbread spice in cheesecakes, peppermint and chocolate in brownies, cranberry and orange in tarts, and eggnog with nutmeg in mousses. To elevate the ordinary, RHC uses high-quality ingredients, artistic plating, and a mix of textures. These elements transform simple desserts into memorable indulgences, ensuring every sweet moment is extraordinary.
“Enhance regular desserts by adding premium elements in the form of exotic fruits or rare spices.”
“Light desserts are particularly welcomed by diners over the festive season, when heavy starters and mains tend to dominate”
Gordon Lauder – MD, Central Foods
Allow the freezer to be your friend – it’ll make things easier during the festive season. There are some tremendous frozen ready-made desserts available. Our Menuserve Black Forest Roulade is indulgent – containing real dairy cream flavoured with real Kirsch liqueur and dark chocolate shavings – and maintains its visual appeal on defrosting. With impressive plate coverage, it’s gluten-free and vegetarian to appeal to even more customers and is easy to prepare and simple to serve.
Choose desserts like this which can be cut into portions while frozen to avoid unnecessary waste. Serve as is or decorate with more whipped cream, cherries soaked in liqueur and more chocolate shavings to ramp up the indulgence for the festive season.
Michelle Younger – Head of Marketing, Aimia Foods
In order to truly get into the spirit with sweet-treats this Christmas, and send orders soaring, why not whip up an array of festive classics with a twist? At Horlicks, we have developed a malted twist on a Gingerbread Trifle, and it proves to be a real-crowd pleaser – especially when served in aesthetic, individual pots. For further warmth and appeal, why not serve your mini–Malted Gingerbread Trifle with a cup of Horlicks? It’s a perfectly toasty, flavoursome and wintery combination.
Samantha Rain – Head of Innovation and Training, Henley Bridge
Light but appealing desserts are particularly welcomed by diners over the festive season, when heavy starters and mains tend to dominate the proceedings. It’s important to offer the traditional Christmas pudding but a more delicate, and perhaps less sweet alternative is advised too.
I’ve been developing a range of recipes for Christmas 2024 aimed specifically at foodservice, which includes a deliciously light lemon and olive oil dessert. Called An Olive Branch, it features an olive oil and lemon sponge, olive oil and vanilla ganache, lemon curd, and cocoa tuille. All of the components can be made in advance for ease of service.
Manoj Prasad – Head of Food Development, The Heartwood Collections
My favourite indulgent dessert is a Winter Spiced Christmas Bread & Butter Pudding – It is a wonderful representation of a great British Classic but is also synonymous with everything about Christmas.
An indulgent dessert must have contrast whether it is in the form of flavour (sweet /acid/salt) or texture (crisp / soft) and must evoke a memory. The fact that a dessert is made at the table in front of a customer makes it more personal or theatrical depending on the dessert or the occasion.
This Christmas I think there will be an increase in international flavours – think rose, pistachio, cardamom and using more seasonal berries and nuts as well as spices.
Zareen Deboo – Foodservice Channel Operations Manager, Ferrero UK & Ireland
Consumers are more likely to want to treat themselves over the festive period. Nostalgia remains a top trend influencing desserts – and with the addition of Nutella®, operators can give their offerings a refresh. Why not give classic Christmas desserts, like Yule Log or profiteroles, a twist, and top with a drizzle of Nutella®?
There should always be a variety of dessert options for customers to choose from, as well as the flexibility to have these offerings meet different needs, for example, by offering sharing plates and catering to those on alternative diets.
