Established: 1989

Address: Criterion Buildings, Portsmouth Road, Thames Ditton, Surrey, KT7 0SS; tel: 020 8398 1988

Products: Authentic Swiss patisserie

Innovation: Individual desserts with accompanying tubs of sauces. "The concept is simple," says Ernst. "It allows our customers to dish up the kind of dessert you would normally only get at a top-class restaurant."

Interesting fact: One of Ernst’s protégés at The Dorchester, Claire Clark, is now pastry chef at the French Laundry in California - considered to be one of the top three restaurants in the world