This year we have taken inspiration from countries which we selected at random with the task of creating recipes traditional to the nation we drew from a hat. Last year, we were given a set recipe, but this year we mixed it up by allowing all contestants to choose their own creation – sweet or savoury. How radical, no limits!
We put on our Mary Berry caps and decided our scoring needed to be much fairer this year, so we introduced a points system, which included set grades for taste, appearance and difficulty. The baker has to provide the recipe so we could judge for ourselves how much effort was put in! (and to ensure no cheating took place!)
We launched our ‘Countries Bake Off’ in September and so far we have experienced Italian biscotti, which I presented complete with musical accompaniment in the form of the Godfather theme tune while wearing my mafia style hat.
Adam was next up and wearing a fez (he got extra points from me for this), presenting us with an orange Moroccan cake. We had to quiz him on how much help he had from his wife..especially when he couldn’t name all the ingredients used!
This was followed by Emma’s fabulous American Sponge (different to a UK sponge don’t you know) she topped this off with the American flag and even sparklers! No hat though ;)
Today, Stefan, has wowed everyone with a French cake from Mary Berry’s repertoire, he certainly went for complexity points as the recipes had a whopping 34 steps! It was utterly delicious. The only thing missing was his beret – disappointing.
Our bake off continues every Monday until late November and we look forward to seeing what delights will represent Netherlands, Scotland, Spain, Poland, Russia, Jamaica and Australia.
We are holding a coffee morning in aid of MacMillan on Friday 23rd October where some of our bake off treats will be on offer. Please do come and support us if you have time for a coffee and a chat, no hats required.