Ten Minutes With Sarah Frankland, Head Pastry Chef at Yauatcha

Sarah Frankland. Photo: Laura Lajh Prijatelj

I’m happy to present you Sarah Frankland, who has at her young age already achieved so much that many older pastry chefs would be envious. She started building her career at age of 16 and gained experiences working first with Angela Hartnett at the Connaught and later with William Curley where she worked her way up to the position of head pastry chef. Now we can enjoy the lovely creations made by her and her team at Yauatcha (part of the Hakkasan Group with the executive pastry chef Graham Hornigold), where she is the head pastry chef.

How would you introduce yourself?

I’m Sarah Frankland, Head Pastry Chef of Yauatcha London. A chocolate addict!

Yauatcha’s mulled wine chocoates. Photo: Laura Lajh Prijatelj

What is your secret desire/ambition?

I don’t have a secret desire, but my ambition is to aim to be the best pastry chef and chocolatier that I can be by working with the best mentors in the industry.

What is your ultimate dream?

My ultimate dream would be to have my own business, I would also like to do the World Chocolate Masters.

Sarah at work. Photo: Laura Lajh Prijatelj

What is your greatest achievement?

There have been many achievements in my career and I cannot pin point the greatest as each one has challenged me and grown and shaped me into the Pastry chef I am today.

What/who is inspiring you?

My team inspires me, their eagerness for knowledge and new skills. When creating menus we brainstorm and discuss ideas together, each of us thinks differently through the vast range of work and culinary experiences we all have had. This leads to the diverse range of desserts, macarons and chocolates that we showcase at Yauatcha.

Yauatcha’s orange and saffron cake. Photo: Laura Lajh Prijatej

What do you love most about your work?

‎It gives me a great pleasure to watch customers in the restaurant who enjoy the dishes we produce.

What are your favourite flavours?

Chocolate – obviously but the rest depends on the season and how I am feeling. Each season produces the best of our ingredients and we use them only at their best.

Yauatcha’s green tea chocolates. Photo: Laura Lajh Prijatelj

How is your relationship to chocolate?

I have had a love affair with chocolate since an early age. At 14 I decided I wanted to be a chocolatier. At this time there was not a direct route to be a chocolatier so I started a pastry apprenticeship. Later working for William Curley I got to learn more in depth about chocolate.

Which chocolate desserts are on your menu, which of them is your favourite and why?

Currently we have Chocolate and toasted rice cake. This was developed by my Sous Chef Christy. It combines flavours and textures used within the Chinese cuisine‎, toasted rice and Soy which are united into this dessert. I also love the orange and saffron cake which was developed by my sous chef Heather.

Yauatcha’s chocolate and toasted rice cake. Photo: Laura Lajh Prijatej

What was the best chocolate dessert that you have eaten and where?

One of the best chocolate desserts I have eaten was created by Alistair Birt, the Head chocolatier for William Curley when he was creating for the World Chocolate Masters. Dark chocolate mousse with prune, apple and fennel with chocolate soil.