From a chance work experience to a thriving career, Ashridge House Pastry Sous Chef Jessica Rawlins has mastered the art of patisserie with passion and creativity.
Resources
)
In this interview, she shares her love for choux pastry, the inspiration behind her creations, and the lessons learned from her mentors. What sparked your love for baking, and when did you realise it was your calling?
I actually stumbled into being a pastry chef while at catering academy. During my second year, I took a work experience placement in the pastry department at The Grove. By the end of it, they offered me my first pastry position, and from there, I fell in love with the art of patisserie and never looked back.
Do you have a favourite pastry or dessert to make, and what makes it special to you?
I love making any form of choux pastry— éclairs, profiteroles, etc. The recipes are so versatile, and you can experiment with different flavours and decorations. I also enjoy watching the dough rise through the glass (yes, I know it's a little nerdy!).
What’s the most challenging bake you’ve ever attempted, and how did it turn out?
I've made quite a few wedding cakes for friends and family over the last few years. Juggling the baking, decorating, delivering, and setting up can be a real heart-racer, especially in summer. The toughest one was a hand-painted Day of the Dead themed cake. It was quite a journey transporting it to Essex, but we made it!
Are there any baking ingredients or flavours you particularly love working with?
In the kitchen, we joke about my "flavour phases"—I'll get obsessed with a flavour and use it in everything for a month before moving on to a new one. But one flavour I always come back to is passionfruit. When I competed in the Young Pastry Chef of the Year competition in 2019, I based one of my dishes around passionfruit, so it has a special place in my heart. After traveling in Southeast Asia, I found some incredible passionfruit there, which deepened my love for it.
What are your top tips for achieving the perfect bake every time?
Get to know your oven. Every oven is different, so when a recipe says to bake for 20 minutes, one oven might need 15 minutes while another might need 22.
How do you find inspiration for new cake or pastry designs?
These days, social media is a big source of inspiration. My team and I often share TikToks and Instagram reels with the caption, "We should make this.". We also draw from books by our favourite cake shops and develop those ideas to make them our own.
What’s a common mistake people make when baking, and how can they avoid it?
Not weighing ingredients properly. Baking is a science, and even small changes in quantities can affect the result. I'm guilty of adding extra chocolate chips to my cookies, but it's about understanding how different ingredients impact the bake.
Do you have a favourite baking tool or piece of equipment that you swear by?
A KitchenAid or electric mixer—honestly, I can't remember the last time I mixed something by hand. A small offset palette knife is also essential for a pastry chef.
Who is your biggest baking influence, and what have you learned from them?
The first two head pastry chefs I worked under taught me so much. Early on, I was surrounded by young chefs eager to learn and head chefs committed to teaching. I soaked up every bit of knowledge. They also taught me about professionalism, attitude, and how to handle different situations. "Improvise, adapt, and overcome" is a saying I still live by.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to improve their baking skills?
It sounds cliché, but practice really does make perfect. I've been a pastry chef for 10 years, and I'm still learning new things.