Goodwood Park Hotel marks its 35th year with a splendid ode to the King Of Fruits.
It may be hard to keep a festival built around a singular fruit interesting. But for one such event at Goodwood Park Hotel, which has been running for over three decades, it helps that it celebrates the King of Fruits.
That the hotel’s pastry team are almost never short of ideas helps, but the making of a successful Durian Fiesta, which marks its 35th installment next month, starts with making sure the quality of the fruit remains the star, says a spokesperson for the hotel. It is also why its D24 Durian Mousse Cake has always been very well-received and a must-have every year since it was first introduced at the inaugural event in 1983, she explains.
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The other bestseller is its D24 Durian Puff, offering more proof that those who can’t get enough of the notoriously pungent fruit are always on the lookout for new ways to enjoy it.
“Significant milestones include the launch of our Durian Rainbow Ice Cream Cake in 2015, which was so popular, the hotel brought it back the following year,” the spokesperson adds. “It made waves on social media with its pretty colours and enticed a different demographic to give durian pastries a go.”
The Mini D24 Durian Ice Cream Bars, introduced in 2016, was another significant addition to the line-up, as it was the first time the hotel had made durian ice cream available as a popsicle. But the fruit’s complex and uniquely bittersweet flavours presented the chefs with the opportunity to come up with some exciting flavour pairings.
“We have, over the years, expanded the repertoire significantly, from a one-star creation to a bumper crop of 14 in 2015,” she explains. “In 2011, we launched the Mao Shan Wang Power Puff and it has been a yearly favourite ever since.”
This year, the D24 Durian Strudel is also back by popular demand after a two-year absence. It joins four new D24 treats in the spotlight, bringing the total of featured confections to 12 that feature D24 and Mao Shan Wang durians.
