It’s official – the best croissants au beurre in the country are produced at a family bakery in south-west France.
The results are in for the 2025 contest to find the best croissants au beurre, run by the Confédération nationale de la boulangerie-pâtisserie française (national confederation of French bakers and pâtissiers).
The winner is 21-year-old Lilian Pensuet, who produces croissants at his family’s bakery in Villeneuve-de-la-Raho, close to Perpignan in south-west France.
He secured the title at the three-day contest held in Drôme, where bakers from across France displayed their skills at making the traditional breakfast pastries.
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Runners-up in the competition were Samuel Dejonghe of the Boulangerie Dejonghe in Pas-de-Calais and Dylan Da Silva of Des Racines et du Pain in Clamart in the greater Paris region.
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Although Lilian is currently doing an apprenticeship in Rouen with the Institut national de la boulangerie-pâtisserie, he also works part-time in the family bakery La Petite Catalane, where he makes croissants to the traditional recipe.
Describing the competition judges as ‘well curved, beautifully flaky and with an attractive colour’, his croissants won on both taste and appearance.
He told French media that the secret of a perfect croissant is: “First, work with good raw ingredients, then pay attention to every step, from kneading to sale. Every day, you have to know how to question yourself.”
The Pensuet family says that the phone has been ringing “off the hook” as people call to congratulate them – and order bread and pastries.
Village mayor Jacqueline Irles added her congratulations, saying that Lilian is “the darling of the village. He is a great example of success to our young people”.