A bakery in Kensington is selling a super-sized pain au chocolat for £28 but critics say bigger is not always better.
The Philippe Conticini, in South Kensington, went viral last year when it began offering an XXL croissant that weighs 1.5kg, feeds up to eight and costs £25.
But another huge buttery treat can also be ordered in a super-sized £28 pain au chocolat.
Described as offering ‘a maximum level of pleasure’ the giant version of the much-loved French breakfast food is understood to contain around 3,000 calories – 1,000 more than women are advised to eat in a day and 500 more than men.
It is made from just two ingredients – croissant dough with chocolate bars packed inside.
Another huge buttery treat can also be ordered from The Philippe Conticini, in a super-sized £28 pain au chocolat
The Philippe Conticini, in South Kensington, went viral last year when it began offering an XXL croissant that weighs 1.5kg, feeds up to eight and costs £25. Pictured: Alina Moisiuc trying the giant croissant
There is no nutritional information but at roughly the same size as its non-chocolate counterpart, it would give 3,000 calories and be around 50% fat.
However, some critics have claimed pastry chefs are making giant bakes to attract attention on social media because of the ‘novelty’, the Times reported.
A French pastry chef, Christophe Felder, told Le Figaro: ‘… Some of the new generation pastry chefs and bakers come up with creations with the foremost obsession being the impact of novelty of social media.’
The marketing director at Conticini, Tom Palmieri Rambaud, agreed that social media is influencing pastry making.
He added that customers were attracted to bakes that looked appealing however, ‘it’s now become a diktat that you have to create an event for Instagram or TikTok. Alas, that often takes precedence over taste although we are here above all to procure emotions by tasting.’
Conticini’s large pastries have attracted foodies and some have posted their experiences on social media.
Both the XXL croissants must be pre-ordered, presumably as it would take up so much space to stock them daily.
Model and musician Mary Charteris posted herself enjoying one of the XXL pain au chocolats recently as she celebrated her 37th birthday.
Conticini’s large pastries have attracted foodies and some have posted their experiences on social media. Pictured: Callum Ryan trying the giant croissant
Food blogger Erika was visiting London from Vancouver, Canada, and rushed to try one, filming her pal Quin Diep scoffing it.
‘It was decent,’ she said.
Philippe Conticini, 60, is a French pastry chef and has worked in a string of top-rated outlets across the world, as well as in Michelin-starred restaurants.
He now has three self-titled bakeries in the UK, in Kensington, Camden and Islington.
His normal-sized croissants come in at £2.75 for a plain one and £2.90 for a pain au chocolat.
The chef is also responsible for another viral trend – le crookie, a cross between a croissant and a cookie that is filled with cookie dough.
