Designed by Catherine Frere-Smith
So many people loved the Great British Bake Off and I have had so many conversations with people saying they’d love to be on the show.
There are any number of reasons why someone may not get to be on the show and many would be too daunted with the prospect of being on TV so, leveraging the brand of Croydon Dinner Club, I decided to create an event to celebrate peoples love of food and cooking in Croydon.
In The Croydon Advertiser, Croydon Guardian, East London Lines, Hot Minute Magazine…
About the events
The Great Croydon Bake Off will be a 4 part event happening throughout the year, starting in Winter. Each event will showcase 4 different bakers and the finale will showcase the finalists from each bake off.
If you’re between 12 and 18 years old, get in contact by clicking here to be a Junior Bake Off contender! If you’re 18+ get in contact by clicking here to be an Adult Bake Off contender!
WinterSpring- Summer
- Autumn
Where will it be held?
The Great Croydon Bake Off will be held in Exchange Square (where the green arrow is), just off Surrey Street Market. There is ample parking in the NCP car park directly behind Exchange Square. Otherwise there are lots of public transport options:
Tram nearest stop is Church Street or George Street
Bus nearest stop is Croydon Flyover or Croydon Library stops
What is a bake off?
Four amateur bakers take part in a light hearted competition to be crowned the best baker in Croydon. It will showcase live baking in Exchange Square in Croydon and loosely follow the format of the TV show. It will consist of 2 challenge bakes:
- Savoury bake
- Sweet bake
It will be judged by a small panel of Croydon restaurateurs and foodies. Attendees to the event will get to try the food cooked by the bakers as part of a celebration once the results are in.
Will there be anything else happening throughout the day?
Oh yes… There will be interviews with the bakers and judges, small baking workshops teaching you how to make quick and easy but delicious bakes and much more to be announced!
Ambition
To inject the emerging, bustling foodie culture in Croydon with creativity and provide a chance for Croydon bakers to show off their skills.
Croydon has proved it has a love of food – it even has a whole quarter named for it! That quarter of Croydon houses some fantastic restaurants serving a wide variety of cuisines.
Croydon also loves celebrating what it has. We’ve had food festivals, art festivals, historic festivals, music festivals… This is another opportunity for Croydon to show how much it cares about its community.
Challenges
I have 3 main challenges:
- Finding equipment to facilitate the event – hopefully through sponsorship
- Finding great bakers
- Spreading the word
If you can help by sponsoring this event, the first of it’s kind in Croydon, please get in contact with me by sending an email to contact@christopm.com.
A full list of sponsorship options can be found by clicking here.
Summer Bakers:
Apply to be a baker by sending an e-mail to this address: contact@christopm.com
Judges:
Joby Wells
Joby Wells of Alberts Table
Despite studying for a degree in engineering, Joby knew it was not what he wanted to do with his life, and set about pursuing another career path.
After graduating in 1999 Joby has worked at some of London’s best Michelin starred restaurants including The Square, The Orrery, Zafferano’s and La Trompette.
“For me good food is all about the ingredients, and I don’t mean the truffles and the foie gras. If you spend a little time and effort getting good quality meat, fish and veg then even the lowliest ingredients have the potential to produce a great dish at a sensible budget.”
Joby is the owner and head chef in Croydon’s only Michelin starred restaurant, Alberts Table.
He’ll be lending his eagle eye to The Great Croydon Bake Off. Prepare your questions for him!
Tim Fisher
Tim Fisher will judge the Great Croydon Bake Off Winter 2013
Tim has worked as a Pastry Chef, Baker and Chocolatier for over 25 years. In his career he has worked at Selfridges, The BBC, was the Pastry Chef for Jean Christophe Novelli for 2 years and has created delicious items for the worlds top banks and many blue chip companies as a resident pastry chef.
He studied and honed his craft at some of the best, specialist bakery institutions in the world and received his first baking qualification from Croydon College.
Tim has won over 40 competitions including the UK Dessert of the Year. 25 awards for pastry at The British Open Cookery Championships including 4 Golds and 9 Best In Class awards.
Tim’s speciality is now in making chocolate, formerly having an outlet in Alders before it was closed down.
Sponsors:
Portas Pilot Croydon
Portas Pilot Scheme supports The Great Croydon Bake Off
Portas Pilot, the scheme lead by Mary Portas and our current government will be sponsoring The Great Croydon Bake Off by providing a cover for the event in Exchange Square and also the ovens. Click here to find out more about what the Portas Pilot scheme is doing to make Croydon a fun place to be.
Art and Design:
Catherine Frere-Smith produces beautiful bird related art
Catherine Frere-Smith is an exceptionally talented, multi-media artist based in South London. Her speciality, as you can tell from website, is bird art.
But exploring her website reveals her incredible breadth of work, from hand crafting life-size birds made from various fabrics to creating beautiful, individual and highly stylised clothing.
Looking through Catherine’s works, you can clearly see a deep love and appreciation of Britains natural world.
This made Catherine the perfect choice to be the designer for The Great Croydon Bake Off.
Presented by…
Rebecca Perfect will present the Great Croydon Bake Off
Croydon local Rebecca Perfect is an experienced presenter who has recently featured on Channel 5 News as a Film Critic discussing the Twilight phenomenon. She has also become a regular face on the red carpet for movie premieres, working for Red Carpet News TV, Shoreditch Radio and Ridge Radio. Rebecca has interviewed some of the biggest names in film, music and entertainment.
Most recently Rebecca has become the face of the new studio based online television show for Millie’s Cookies – Freshly Baked, covering music, movies and fashion.
Promotion:
Hot Minute Magazine will be sponsoring the event
Croydon based events company and magEzine Hot Minute will be providing a professional photographer for the day as well as some sound equipment. Their main sponsorship will come in the form of promotion for the event.
Prizes:
Alberts Table, located in South Croydon.
Albert’s Table are offering the winning baker for each Bake Off a free dinner for 2 at their Michelin starred restaurant!
Baking Masterclasses:
Baking Masterclasses will be given throughout the day by local businesses Lazzaris Cafe, PMT and Coughlan’s Bakers.
More info to follow…
The After Party:
Matthews Yard will host the after party of The Great Croydon Bake Off
Matthews Yard will be the host of the first Great Croydon Bake Off 2013. This large cafe is tucked behind Surrey Street Market at the base of the water pumping station in Exchange Square. They serve fantastic coffee and gourmet food to delight your savory or sweet taste buds. It’s a perfect little relaxation spot too after a long shop in the centre.