26 INTERVIEW The Great Croydon Bake Off
Excitement is brewing in the city of Croydon as self confessed Idea Cauldron, Social Entrepreneur, Croydonite and Event Director Christo Matthews brings it, The Great Croydon Bake Off. Inspired by the BBC ‘British’ version the event is set to be an all out success, Hoping to score ‘brownie’ points (get it :D, best way to get to the front of the tasting queue!) we grilled Christo on the upcoming event.
HM: Hey Christo, so what inspired you to put The Great Croydon Bake Off together? I watched the Great British Bake Off very regularly to get ideas and tips on baking. After speaking with friends and family about it, I realised that a lot of people loved that program and wanted to be a part of it – so I thought, why not do a Croydon version? Croydonites love food and an opportunity to celebrate, so why not?
HM: Exactly how will the Bake Off event work?
First everyone will be introduced to the bakers through a few interviews and then the bake off will begin with the first challenge – a savoury bake. Contestants will have one hour to complete this challenge and then will get an hour break. During the break attendees get an opportunity to try the bakes and there will be live demonstrations and workshops for attendees to get involved
Judges Sean Coughlan of Coughlan Bakery and Pastry Chef/ Chocolatier Tim Fisher came recommended and actually put themselves forward – who could blame them?
in. Following that is the second challenge – a sweet bake. Then the judges decide on the winner followed by the after party.
HM: And what else can attendees expect from the day? The opportunity to talk to the bakers and professionals and learn some new baking tricks. They will also take away new skills and recipes from the bakers and demonstrations.
HM: How did you go about selecting the contestants and the lucky buggers that get to judge? The criteria for contestants is based on the quality of their existing work (photo submissions and descriptions) and also their history of baking. It’s important to find the best bakers out there so being thorough is very important. Judges Sean Coughlan of Coughlan Bakery and Pastry Chef/ Chocolatier Tim Fisher came recommended and actually put themselves forward
– who could blame them? Judges clearly have to be people who are experts in their field and these guys are no exception. Selecting a judge really comes down to their level of success in the professional field. A contestant can’t be judged by anyone other than those who have a great deal of experience in the field.
HM: It’s all well and good setting your fellow Croydonites this challenge but what about you. Can you churn out a perfect bake?
But of course! I’ve never challenged myself to the level that these folk are though. No doubt I will be learning a trick or two on the day!
HM: You also run Croydon Eats Out and its offshoots Croydon Brunch and Dinner Club. Tell us more about these enterprises. Croydon has many restaurants and eateries but organizing a day to go with friends was never possible. Eating out had to be on an occasion
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