In Celebration of the Bake Off
Aldiss.com – Norfolk’s largest range of home furnishings
Thank you Pixie Hall Cakes for diverting from your monthly recipe blog to enlighten us all in the ways of the bake off and inviting us to take part in one!
I can’t believe it’s been a year already. You’ve had 12 months of tasty recipes and hopefully useful tips and techniques and I’ve loved sharing them with you. Things are slightly different this month but rest assured, a new recipe will be on its way next month.
This month I want to talk about Bake Offs (I’m not sure if that’s the correct pluralisation but I’m sticking with it).
The Great British Bake Off is back on our screens which is a sure sign that summer is in full swing. The nation collectively despairs at soggy bottoms, basks in the glory of perfectly risen cakes and swoons over beautiful and creative decoration. I do too. People assume that I must roll my eyes at the silly mistakes that contestants make (remember that bloke who used salt instead of sugar in his cake?) or huff and sigh at the way some things are put together. Honestly though, I feel for them. I’ve made stupid mistakes (I forgot the sugar in a cake quite recently) and I’m always keen to learn new skills so I will always have a nosey at the way in which people work. I love it.
While we watch these 12 lucky people strut their baking skills on TV, how do the rest of us get involved? Baking competitions have been around a lot longer than the TV show has. Country shows, village fetes and town halls have been venues for local people to show off their perfect cakes between tables of identical onions, giant marrows and perfect flowers. People have long been entering their cakes in the hope of winning a sought after rosette. There’s something special about being able to show people what you can do and cake is such a universally loved medium that I think there’s no better way!
And so, I segue into some information for you. I am hosting a Bake Off at this year’s Fakenham Food Festival to be held at Fakenham Fair on 23rd August 2014 at the Millennium park.
I’m inviting you to put on your pinny, whip out your whisk and get baking! There are 3 age ranges for contestants; under 10, 11-16 and 17+ (adults!) so you can get your kids baking in the summer holidays or even enter yourself. We’ve also got some fantastic prizes for the winning cakes. Aldiss have really kindly donated some of these prizes including some gorgeous Emma Bridgewater cake tins and really cute baking kits complete with a tin to store your finished treats in.
To enter; bring your entry (either 6 cupcakes or 1 whole cake) to the Bake Off Tent by 1pm on 23rd August and fill in the entry card you’re given. A panel of judges (including me!) will taste each entry and choose the winners! It’s as simple as that!
So, dust off your mixing bowls and bring out the wooden spoons. It’s time to get Fakenham baking!
Linds Hall runs Pixie Hall Cakes in Fakenham and can be found selling her delicious baking at Fakenham Farmers’ Market on the 4th Saturday of each month.
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19th August 2014