For the past week here at apt, we have been busy baking and even busier tasting, all in preparation for the Chelt’n’Jam Bake Off, raising funds for our client, Oxjam.
The Chelt’n’Jam Bake Off, was held at Manor by the Lake on Sunday 17th August and raised over £650 for national charity Oxfam.
The baking event, sponsored by Kitchen Garden Foods and Vanilla Pod Bakery showcased local talent which were then judged by a panel of experts including Cotswold Chef, Rob Rees and former Harrods wedding cake designer and now successful owner of Contemporary Cake Designs, Xavier Pelloux.
The office couldn't resist putting on their aprons and getting involved with the baking frenzy last week. We’ve been tasting trial cupcakes, nipping out to buy icing at lunch and eating left over marshmallows! We’ve managed to munch our way through a selection of cupcakes including, vanilla cupcakes, lemon meringue cupcakes, rainbow cake and black forest gateau cupcakes - and we were lucky to still have some left over after the weekend to enjoy this week!
The judges were wowed at the standard of all the entries at the Chelt’n’Jam Bake Off, but it was Grace West and Fenella Corran both aged 14 who stole the show with their chocolate brownies. Fenella said “We saw the Great British Bake Off and thought that it would be fun to have a go ourselves. We are really happy that we have won, we are really proud of ourselves!” Grace and Fenella received a day’s baking at a local artisan bakery as their prize.
Other winners from the day included: our very own Angie Petkovic for her courgette & lemon cake (gluten free and dairy free), our marketing assistant Rebecca Browning for her iced novelty cakes, Professor Frank Leishman for his scones, Samantha Bailey for her chocolate brownies, Michael Duncan for his walnut whip cupcakes, and India Taylor for the best children's cupcakes.
Winner of the ‘scone’ category, Professor Frank Leishman commented “My daughter is a huge fan of GBBO and I have always been a baker. I was taught by my mother when I was younger and still use many of her traditional recipes today. I think that Oxjam is a great cause to be involved in.”
Fiona Stephens, Oxjam Cheltenham Events Manager said “What a fantastic afternoon! We had a great turn out and everybody enjoyed being in the grounds of the stunning venue Manor by the Lake. All entries were of a very high standard, our judges certainly enjoyed tasting their way through them and everybody was pleased when they were available to buy and enjoy with afternoon tea. The winner’s brownies were absolutely delicious and I hope they enjoy their cooking class. I would like to say thank you to everybody that entered the bake off and to our fantastic sponsors and Manor by the Lake for being such great hosts.”
There are two more fundraising events taking place over the next couple of months including OxFeast, a celebration of food & wines from the countries at Cheltenham Ladies college Saturday 27th September. The 'Takeover' will showcase 120 local music acts at venues all over Cheltenham on 18th October.