Cake and Bake Show Manchester 2014

Sugar shakes. Feet like trotters. Dining room still full of bags. Fridge packed with pie. This can mean only one thing... It was a pretty awesome Cake and Bake Show weekend! Three days of oohs, ahhs, greediness, giddiness and general sugar shaped misdemeanours - the 2014 show was even better than last year!

We arrived early on Friday morning and had the chance to have a look around before the show opened, which also gave us ample opportunity to have a chat to some of the stall holders, sample some of their wares, and spend a small fortune.

There were marvellous chocolate creations, shiny glazed buns, mountains of pastry, the most stunning cakes you have ever seen in your entire life, a lovely man handing out samples of sausages (they were like crack) and an arena filled with a pungent cloud of freshly baked yeasted goods.

The doors opened and the crowds came. Within minutes they were filtering through, and the ability to walk between the stalls became quite a mission! I won't go on too much about the individual stalls, but I did take lots of pictures of some of the goods that caught my little eye...

What sort of show would it be without our very own Clandestine Cake Club? We were there every day to spread the word of the wonder of cake club. People seemed to find it hard to believe that we really do just bake a cake and eat them all whilst having a natter! It's that simple folks. Peter Sidwell returned to be our Taste on the Table judge (tough gig), and even had a few glamourous guest judges... 

I was helping out on the stall on Sunday, because the day was dedicated to bundt. I have a whale of a time chatting to prospective members, telling folk what bundts are and why they are so amazing. The highlight of the day had to be when some of the novice bundt bakers from our first Annual Organisers Gathering appeared with their own polished bundt entries. It was like seeing my chicks fly the nest! Oh yeah, and I judged the cakes with that Peter Sidwell chap. That was pretty good too... 

The winner was Lynn Anderson's Walnut and Caramel Cake. We both agreed that this one had great flavour, the topping was rich yet light in texture, and we loved the addition of the spun sugar on top. We even had a cheeky visit from the Bake Off's Kimberley, who popped in for a bit of bundt action...

On Sunday evening, I sat in the car outside the Chinese (sweet/savoury balance needed to be addressed) reflecting on what a wonderful three days I'd had. My back was killing, my head throbbing and I was unsure whether there was blood in my shoes or not. I'd caught up with old friends, made some new ones, laughed until I nearly weed and helped to spread some love. Happiness is... good times with great people. Mission accomplished. Here's to 2015...

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Thank you... Lynn for asking me to be a part of your team, Marcus for your constant support of my crazy bundt antics, Michelle for looking after me in my hour of need, Mike for finding a sympathetic angle, Sarah for answering emails with the speed of a demon, Helena and Emma for making me laugh, Golden Harvest for restoring the balance...