Cake and Bake Show Manchester 2013 - Pictures

There was a huge queue outside Manchester Central, all poised for the sugar fuelled stampede into the event space. We sat in the press room waiting for the excitement to start. Cat Dresser and John Whaite were chatting, and Paul Hollywood was having a chill out before his first show.

Eno from North West tonight was trying to explain to someone who she was and Wendi Peters from Corrie was choosing a cake. We sat quietly with a brew taking it all in and generally being on best behaviour! The Cake and Bake Show had finally come to Manchester...

The venue looked fantastic! It was awash with stalls selling wonderful little vintage items, food stands with piles of bread, brownies and pies, the big names like Renshaw and Dr Oetker were there and a sea of excited bakers were trying to decide what to do first. The demo stands were ready for their celebrities and people were starting to flock around the cake catwalk. 

Our first stop was to see Lynn and Helena on the Clandestine Cake Club stand. They were waiting excitedly for the cakes to arrive for their competition which was being judged by Peter Sidwell later that day. 

The cake catwalk was a beautiful display of frills, flowers, pearls and glitz. I particularly liked the one that used crystallised flowers and the amazing creation made out of sugar 'lace'. How they transported these beauties is beyond me! I'm bad enough getting a bundt to a cake club venue!

It had been relatively relaxed for the first half an hour, but after that the crowds were out in force! Although there was plenty of space to walk around, when the shows had just finished you could barely move! Tip - the best time to wander round is when shows have just started. There are plenty of seated areas if you need to take the pressure off your feet for a bit!

We bought some of the home made cakes whilst we were there, but you have to be quick! We missed out on the fabulous bread which had sold out by lunchtime. Martin's Bakery even had to get their bakery to bring more supplies! The visitors were hungry...

We didn't watch many of the demos because the exhibitors stalls were just so good! We spent most of our time oohing and ahhing over the wonderful creations and pretty things for sale!

I even managed to spot a bit of Nordic Ware...

The gingerbread village was a fantastic attraction for the kids. Although a little terrifying for some adults, it seemed to keep a lot of children quiet and entertained for some time! There were little decorating stations where they could get involved and messy!

It was so good we are planning a return trip on Sunday morning. I've learned my lesson from Friday... buy things first thing before it gets busy! There's still time to go if you fancy it...

How to book tickets

Subscribe: Newsfeed
Join me on Facebook
Tweet me @dollybakes
Have a nosy at my pics on Pinterest  

Disclaimer: I was given free press tickets to this event, but had already bought my own.