Historical accounts indicate that ancient Egyptians and Romans used an early form of filo pastry. However, the title of the first true pastry chef is often attributed to the French master Marie-Antoine Carême, who elevated pastry to grand cuisine in the early 19th century. Modern pastry chefs specialise in creating desserts, pastries, breads, and other baked goods for cafes and restaurants, including the country house hotel, Ansty Hall.
The four-star Coventry hotel is known for its afternoon tea offering, which pastry chef Iulia Esaian caters. Pastry chefs craft baked goods unlike those you’ll find in classic British bakeries, of which there are more than 27,910 in the UK. Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk, Iulia revealed secrets of the trade, including her two “favourite” recipes.
One of Iulia’s biggest revelations was that she has to make bread, cakes and scones from scratch each day. She said, “Every morning at Ansty Hall, I start with mixing, proving, and baking different types of bread—the smell is amazing!
“After that, I’m jumping on special afternoon tea scones and cakes.”
It’s not just bread and cakes that Iulia has to make. Ansty Hall serves a range of different “beautifully crafted desserts and pastry dishes”, starting from signature biscuits to fine desserts on an à la carte menu in the Twine restaurant.
Iulia added, “The most joyful treat is our afternoon tea, which starts with savoury goods before round two of fresh scones, homemade seasonal jam, and elegant sweet treats.”
The pastry chef noted that “everything is prepared fresh each day on site [at Ansty’s Hall], so it’s the freshest it can be for all our guests”.
However, it has drawbacks. Everything made in-house must be stored correctly until it is served later in the day.
Pastries and biscuits are prone to turning soft and flavourless in the wrong tin, so Iulia calls upon a simple ingredient.
“I use silica gel to keep our biscuits fresh and crunchy. I place it at the bottom of the container and separate it with a paper towel—it works so well”, she said.
Among the pastry chef’s other kitchen “favourites” are two fruity recipes, including an unlikely pastry-based delight.
The Ansty Hall employee said: “I know a ton of recipes by heart—it comes with a job! But there’s something really special to me: the homemade strawberry jam I used to make with my grandmother, with freshly picked strawberries from her garden.
“Every time I make it, I try to bring back that childhood feeling. It’s more than just a recipe—it’s a memory. It makes me proud to bring our family recipe to afternoon tea at Ansty Hall.”
Iulia “loves everything about pastry” and revealed that a fig roll is her favourite thing to make. “It’s my signature recipe with 10 types of dry fruits and no sugar added, just honey,” she said.
Bread is another core item in Iulia’s repertoire, and is “one of life’s simple pleasures”. She advised anyone who’s yet to make it from scratch to “follow her one rule: use the freshest and good quality local ingredients”.
