JAMIE Houghton used to love making a mess whilst baking with his mum in the kitchen.

In those early days, he never imagined he would end up working at a two Michelin-star restaurant and winning a place in one of the most prestigious pastry contests in the world.

Jamie, 26, a former Colchester Institute student, said his love for pastry stemmed from his home kitchen in Greenstead, Colchester.

He went on to take a course in advanced patisserie at the college and worked in restaurants before becoming junior sous chef at the Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxford.

He said: “I used to do a lot of baking with my mum but I never thought I was going to be a pastry chef.

“I wanted to go into fine dining and have been at this restaurant for four years.”

He said the technical desserts he makes now cannot be compared to the sort of bakes he prepared as a child.

He said: “When you are a child you bake because it’s fun and you make lots of mess, and now you are trying to be as neat as possible and the least calorific as possible.

“You want to make something that’s really pleasant to eat and it’s just about refining it.”

His signature dish is the Millionaire’s Shortbread - a classic combination of caramel, biscuit and chocolate. He said they are still his favourite.

He has also attempted a couple of notoriously difficult Croquembouche choux pastry desserts.

“They are very tricky to make because of the irregularity, they can look a bit skew-whiff,” he said.

He has just been crowned a winner in the 2017 UK Pastry Open - a victory which means he can now join the UK team taking part in the 2019 Coupe de Monde de la Patisserie, the World Cup of pastry-making.

In order to qualify for a place in the competition, which will take place in Lyon, Jamie alongside eight other competitors had to create five plated desserts, a sugar sculpture and a sharing dessert.

Jamie showcased a flight theme with a distinctive red sugar biplane.

His interest in the competition was sparked in 2013 whilst helping out with the UK pastry team for the Coupe de Monde.

He said: “It was the first time I had seen this side of pastry, I was absolutely fascinated.

“It’s another world when you have massive sculptures made of pure sugar.”

His other dishes for the Pastry Open included a chocolate and orange sharing dessert and a caramel and apple pudding.

While technically demanding, the work comes naturally to Jamie.

He said: “When you get to a certain level it becomes second nature.”

Now he must prove he has earned his place in the UK team for the 2019 championship where 22 countries will be competing.