He is a rising force in modern pâtisserie, known for combining classical French techniques with impressive flavour pairings and theatrical presentation.
Glen began his career at Pennyhill Park under chef Dennis Dramé. It was there that he started participating - and winning - pastry competitions.
As well as working at a Michelin-starred restaurant in a prestigious hotel, Glen is also highly skilled at ice sculpting.
As the UK's Ice Candidate for the prestigious Pastry World Cup, he took to the stage with time-crunched ice carving performances - turning frozen blocks into edible masterpieces.
Discovering food at home
Glen learnt about hospitality from a young age. He said: “My inspiration to become a chef was probably my parents. They both cooked a lot, everything was made fresh, and there was always something bubbling on the stove or being grilled or baked. I just thought that was normal growing up. It wasn’t until I went to school and had my first school dinner that I realised, ‘Wait… what is this?’
"That was a proper moment. Because for me, weekends meant feasts, big spreads, slow-cooked dishes, proper food. I assumed everyone had the same. But that contrast, between home and school, made me appreciate what I had, and it’s definitely what planted the seed for wanting to cook properly.”
Reworking a classic 'legacy dish'
A great example of his work is the restaurant’s legendary pistachio soufflé, a staple for over 20 years. Glen has helped reinvent the dish with new textures and table-side theatre, preserving its legacy while making it feel fresh.
He added: “One of the staple dishes at Le Manoir is the pistachio soufflé. It’s been on the menu for over 20 years - way longer than I’ve been cooking, actually. So for me, it’s not about reinventing the wheel, but keeping something beautiful alive while adding a few layers of our own. We’ve updated it with new textures inside, served it tableside to add a bit of theatre, brought some interaction into it. That’s how we reinterpret a classic - you respect the core of the dish, but find little moments to modernise it, surprise people, and elevate the experience. We’re not taking it off the menu any time soon. It’s a legacy dish.”
pushing boundaries with flavours
Glen added: “We’ve been experimenting with things that feel a bit more modern, and one that stands out is a dessert where we combined chocolate and tumeric. It’s not something you’d normally find on a pastry section - tumeric isn’t exactly a go-to in classical French pastry. But that’s the fun part. At Le Manoir, which is a house built on classic training and elegance, doing something like this pushes the boundaries a bit. It’s different, definitely. But it works and it shows guests - and even the brigade - that there’s always room to evolve, even in a place so steeped in tradition.”
the ever-growing complexity of a strawberry-themed spring classic
He explained: “Every year, we bring back this celebration-of-spring dish built around strawberries. It’s become a tradition here, guests look forward to it, and the team does too, but with a bit of nervous excitement. It started off quite simple, and over the years it’s evolved and evolved. First, it was just the set custard, then we added a marshmallow element, then a gel, then another texture.
"Before you know it, it’s got 14 elements on the plate. But that’s part of the challenge and the joy, refining something year after year, seeing how far we can take a flavour that everyone knows, and still surprise them. It’s one of those dishes that says: spring is here, and so are we.”
Adapting World Cup-level complexity into a restaurant setting
Glen also spoke to The Staff Canteen about his experience crafting a dish at the Pastry World Cup. He added: “When I competed at the World Cup, I created a dessert with raspberry, sakura and vanilla - it was visually complex, shaped like a butterfly, and it took a lot of time to execute. Stunning for a competition, but not something you can roll out for 70 covers a night without losing your mind. So when I came back to Le Manoir, I wanted to take the essence of those flavours, that delicate, floral sweetness paired with a little acidity, and translate them into a pre-dessert. It’s not the same dish, of course, but it’s got that DNA.
"It’s a nice way of bringing something new to guests, while staying rooted in something personal. Like something new, something old… almost like a wedding.”
the hidden, heartfelt layers within his dishes
Glen explained: “Inside the raspberry and sakura dish, there’s a rice pudding - but it’s not just any rice pudding. It’s Benoit’s mum’s recipe. And we’ve been making that rice pudding for years at the Manoir. It’s familiar, it’s comforting. So that dish becomes this really layered thing - you’ve got this very polished exterior, light and elegant, and then inside is something deeply nostalgic. There’s meaning tucked inside it. That’s what I love - building dishes that taste incredible, but also tell a story or have a personal connection. It’s those little details that make something truly special.”
the discipline of sugar work at a world-class level
He also mentioned the technical difficulty on working with sugar, adding: “I got into sugar work a few years ago, mainly through Jamie Houghton, who’s now head pastry chef at The French Laundry. We worked together here and became good friends. I really started going deep into sugar ahead of the UK Open and then the World Cup, and I mean properly deep. I was training until 4am, every night, doing crazy structures, melting and pulling sugar, trying to get it perfect.
"I trained with some of the top sugar guys in London - the best of the best. But the thing with sugar is, it doesn’t care how tired you are. You burn yourself, you lose skin, you’re there for hours just to get one component right. It’s painful, physically and mentally, but when it works, it’s magic. There’s nothing like it.”
written by Abi Kinsella
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