Which chef will be cooking the Great British Menu banquet dessert course?

Adam Handling has been chosen to serve the dessert course at the Great British Menu final banquet this year.

The winners of the regional heats have been competing this week to earn their dish a place on the menu of a banquet celebrating the best of British animation and illustration to mark the 65th birthday of Paddington Bear.

Handling served a deconstructed trifle inspired by the Beano comic's famous food fight, with brown butter cake, strawberry jelly and gel, long pepper set custard, strawberry tuiles, coffee syrup and meadowsweet cream.

Judge Nisha Katona said: “That strawberry jelly has got to define strawberry jellies from now forever more.”

Tom Kerridge described Handling’s burnt butter cake as “just amazing” and said he “loved everything about it”.

Presenter Andi Oliver said it was “one of the best desserts I’ve ever had in the Great British Menu kitchen”.

The dessert final was guest judged by comedy writer Morwenna Banks, the voice of Mummy Pig in Peppa Pig.

The standard of dishes was so high that Handling, and chefs Nick Beardshaw and Tom Shepherd all scored perfect 10s from the judges. Presenter Andi Oliver had the deciding vote and said Handling’s was the “most exceptional”.

Handling, whose restaurants include Michelin-starred Frog by Adam Handling in Covent Garden, said: “I can’t put it into words, I am so excited. I put my heart and soul into that dish.”

Earlier this week, Avinash Shashidhara's Gruffalo-inspired ‘Scrambled Snake by the Lake' was selected as the starter for the banquet, while Nick Beardshaw will be cooking his fish course with his dish ‘A Moon-Shaped Pool', a tribute to the artwork of Radiohead's 2016 album of the same name.

2018 Acorn Award winner and central region finalist Tom Shepherd will be cooking the main course with his version of Desperate Dan's cow pie, based on the Dandy character.

Will Lockwood, from Roots in York, will cook the canapé and pre-dessert dishes at the banquet as the highest scoring runner-up.