BAKE OFF NUMBER 3

With Bake Offs 1 and 2 both drawn, it was inevitable there would be a third bake off!  And so it was that the two teams (Aisha and William v Bernard and Simon) gathered in the kitchen at Number 10 (Shakespeare Gardens!) to pit their skills.

The bake off was to provide a definitive result, so rules had been agreed to in advance:

• independent judges to score out of 10 for both presentation and taste
• baking in advance of the judges' arrival
• judges not to be made aware of who had baked what until after voting

A picture of concentration.

Once Bernard and Simon arrived, work areas were defined and the baking began.  Concentration levels were high with time of the essence and judges arriving just an hour or so later. Aisha and William worked collaboratively on their lemon polenta syrup cake while Bernard and Simon created their banana macadamia honey cake.  Coincidentally both cakes went into the oven at exactly the same time so all could take a break before the judges arrived. 

Will has honey envy.

The great bakers.

The cakes!

Finishing touches are added.

Our judges had been carefully selected for the task - talented, articulate, analytical and great company was what we required and got in friends Michelle Wood, Nicole Leddicoat and Matt Black!  Before they set to their task though, we shared a yummy Indian dinner Mark had prepared around the bakers!  

Indian dinner by Mark - yum!

Taking their role very seriously, the judges then vacated to wait in the reception room while cakes were decorated and finishing touches made. The judges and competitors swapped places with the nervous competitors (well, actually rather self-assured) to wait while the judging took place. Sally, behind the video, impartially captured a methodical process of careful 'plating up', tasting, smelling, discussing, more tasting and finally scoring. Below are some edited highlights of the night.

    

 With everyone gathered, the judges delivered their individual feedback with positive comments and recommendations.

They then declared their favourite cakes - Matt and Michelle going with the lemon polenta cake and Nicole with the banana macadamia cake!!  But....when the scores were in, the final results were .......

Look at the body language !

Michelle gives her judgement.

Is Will happy with the results ?

Yes he is.

.....you'll have to look on the last video sequence, the one on its own.

Thereafter followed some discussion about the 2000 US elections when Al Gore won the popular vote but George W Bush won the election!  While Bernard came up with this observation, he then decided he was not entirely sure he liked the Bush moniker and ended up by commenting that if Mark's dinner had been judged, "he would have pulled an Obama on us all"!

As for Bake Off # 4....... it seems that there will be a rejig of the teams - Aisha and Simon have joined forces (she 'friended' him on FaceBook on the spot so they can hatch their plans), and William teams up with Bernard!!

Stay tuned...

Many thanks to bakers and judges - a great evening of fun, food and friendship!