OXFORD’S French residents have begun their quest to find the city’s best croissant, a year after they tracked down the best baguette.

Bakers are being invited to prove they are at least a match for the French by allowing their pastry to be scrutinised by a panel of hungry taste testers.

Community group French in Oxford has organised the competition following the success of its Best Baguette competition last year, where bread produced in patisserie Gatineau, in Summertown, beat a rival recipe by French chef Raymond Blanc to the title of Oxfordshire’s best baguette.

Organiser Florence Rossignol, who founded the website French in Oxford last year, said: “It is very difficult and fiddly to make a good croissant. I think the most important thing is the texture, it has to be very, very flaky.”

Nominations for this year’s competition will be judged in a blind taste test by a jury of 12, all native to France.

They will be scrutinising the French breakfast staple for its size, shape, how crunchy the crust is, as well as its flavour and how ‘airy’ it is, when they meet next Tuesday.

The croissant must be made by the baker, cafe, deli or supermarket that sells them.

Nominations are open until November 22. To submit a nomination email rossiflo@aol.com