Bake Off: The Professionals winner Nathan Rave praises show after racial discrimination

He arrived in the UK with less than £92 in his pocket and barely spoke a word of English.

But French pastry chef Nathan Rave let his baking skills do the talking in the Bake Off: The Professionals final as he and teammate Kevin Marmion were crowned the winners.

Mr Rave, 43, who came to London in 2008, and fellow Frenchman Mr Marmion, 27, triumphed over teams Puddles Bespoke Patisserie and Hotel Cafe Royal in arguably the closest ever final of the Channel 4 show.

Champions: French pastry chef Nathan Rave (left) let his baking skills do the talking in the Bake Off: The Professionals final as he and teammate Kevin Marmion were crowned the winners

Mr Rave, who has faced racial discrimination in the industry, praised the show for judging contestants 'solely on the quality of what you create and not the colour of your skin'.

The pair won the coveted title after impressing judges Benoit Blin and Cherish Finden with their consistency and prowess throughout the competition.

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After winning five of the six weeks they competed in the pair continued in the same fashion in the final.

Their four different flavoured finger tarts were commended for being 'first class' and 'absolutely stunning', with Miss Finden rounding up the tasting saying: 'You have stolen my heart.'

Tough competition: Mr Rave and fellow Frenchman Mr Marmion triumphed over teams Puddles Bespoke Patisserie and Hotel Cafe Royal in arguably the closest ever final

They impressed once again with a spectacular A Day at the Races-themed banquet, which Blin described as a 'piece of masterwork'.

But to win such a popular TV series was not what team captain Mr Rave had in mind when he first moved to the UK.

The father-of-two left his home in Brittany, France, aged 28 to pursue his career as a pastry chef across the Channel.

With just £92 in his pocket and unable to afford the Eurostar he eventually arrived in London with a small bag and only able to speak very little English.

'I decided to quit Brittany in France, I left the country at the time with £92 in my pocket,' Mr Rave told the Daily Mail.

'I was not able to afford the Eurostar so I took the plane. When I landed at Stansted, I was not able to count to ten in English.

Impressed: The pair won the coveted title after impressing judges Benoit Blin and Cherish Finden with their consistency and prowess throughout the competition

'So £92 in my pocket, a small bag with two trousers and a pair of trainers, nothing much.'

After meeting up with a friend, he applied for a role at Harrods where he enjoyed eight years before taking up positions at Rothschild private bank and The Sanderson.

Despite being made redundant during the Covid pandemic, Mr Rave has been completing a Masters degree in food and beverage management.

His love for patisserie and baking came from helping his grandmother as a teenager.

'My first passion for pastry came from my grandmother,' he said. 'She was very passionate with me and she was living in the countryside and when I was going to visit she was always making French pies and puddings and it was always me not the girls who wanted to help her in the kitchen.'

His first experience in a pastry shop was aged 16 but he was sent home for being too slow at cracking the eggs.

Talented duo: After winning five of the six weeks they competed in the pair continued in the same fashion in the final

Mr Rave trained in Brittany before moving to Paris for six years where he worked in a country club.

He and Mr Marmion, who hails from Nantes in France and has also worked at Harrods, decided to enter the competition just a few weeks before the applications closed.

Summing up his Bake Off experience, Mr Rave said: 'I would call it a school of excellence. I have learnt so much about myself, about work I could do, how I could cope with pressure and how I could help Kevin to elevate his game.

'In some parts of my industry, I have come across racial discrimination or preconceptions but the great thing about Bake Off is that you are judged solely on the quality of what you create and not the colour of your skin.

'My aim was to wow the chefs and win the competition but going forwards I want to change the industry and prove you can create delicious vegan desserts and also develop wonderful low-sugar recipes.'

He added: 'Last but not least, the feedback and relationship with judges was excellent. They look very strict on TV but to me they were very friendly, very encouraging and they gave me a lot of motivation and advice to come back stronger. I really loved the experience.'

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