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HELEN ROSCOE FROM BLACKBURN WINS FINALS OF PRESTIGIOUS JANE ASHER HOME BAKER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION 2009
9 October 2009. Keen home baker Helen Roscoe (49) from Blackburn, Lancashire beat off off competition from four other finalists to win the finals of the prestigious Jane Asher Home Baker of the Year Competition 2009, and take the title home to Blackburn.
Helen won a first prize worth £25,000 at the final bake-off of the competition which took place at the Poggenpohl Showrooms, Deansgate, Manchester on the 8th October 2009. There she battled it out with four other finalists, overseen by a panel of high profile judges, including Jane Asher herself, celebrity chef, Andrew Nutter, and TV personality Lucy Meacock, as she re-created her winning entry ‘Lancashire Belles’ in front of a live audience.
For good luck Helen sported her father's flat cap for the duration of the competition, and, while it obviously had the desired effect, she also felt that it definitely helped her "keep her head" under intense pressure as she prepared her dish!
Helen’s delicious recipe, based on Lancashire Parkin Cake, is a wickedly modern twist on a classic recipe. “I love baking choux pastry, traditional puddings and combining different elements to create an unusual dish” says Helen, and her winning recipe, which did all three, absolutely hit the spot with the judges.
Helen is no stranger to the art of baking, and started working in her early teens in a huge baking factory in Blackburn. Her first job was working on the ‘pie belt’ putting the lids on the pies. She then moved on to the chocolate éclair department, and later still moved to Marks & Spencer where she worked for many years on the food side of the business. Eight years ago Helen moved to Spain to run a 9 bedroom Hostel with her partner Paul, where she developed additional baking and cooking skills by cooking for the hostel clients and people in their own homes. In June 2009 they returned to Blackburn to set up this concept in the UK.
Helen was up against finalists including Toni Perry-Thomas from Walthamstow, London, Hester Duffy from Plymouth, Jodie Arksey from North Yorkshire and Magda Allan from Finsbury Park in London.
Organised by Leigh-based Victoria Foods, The Jane Asher Home Baker of the Year Competition is all about putting the fun back into home baking, and reaping the benefits of creating something delicious for family and friends. Open to anyone over the age of 16, the Competition focuses on finding the most interesting and creative recipes from entries submitted online via www.homebake.co.uk.
“The standard of the recipes entered for this year’s competition was higher than ever, and we picked five really interesting cakes for the bake-off in Manchester", says Jane. “What was also great is that we had entries from so many younger home bakers this year. Helen's winning Lancashire Belles was such a creative pudding that it was a clear winner for us. I wish her all the best in her future baking career!"
First prize is a stunning new kitchen from Poggen pohl worth €25,000. Runner-up prizes included a weekend cookery course for two at Lucy Cooks in the Lake District with an overnight stay at the 4* Lakeside Hotel in Windermere, and Chocolate Wedding and Celebration Cake courses at Manchester’s famed Slattery’s School of Excellence.
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For further press information please contact: Sue James at James PR on 00 353 857336981 or
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Helen is contactable on 01254 51474,
Editor’s Notes:
• Victoria Foods Ltd is a UK company, based in Leigh, Lancashire, and has been producing a wide range of high quality home baking products for over two decades. The company has been working with Jane since 1999 when she launched her Home Baking Collection, and continue to have a successful business relationship.
• Since the age of 5, Jane Asher has been working professionally in film, theatre, television and radio. She is well known in the UK for her acting, writing and business ventures, and has appeared in many feature films and high profile 20 television and theatre productions, including numerous plays in London’s West End and the National Theatre.
• Jane Asher products use only the finest quality ingredients and the easy to follow instruction s make baking fun and simple. Her latest range of baking mixes is the brand new Jane Asher Creations Range, which features a variety of products under iconic Nestle brands including Smarties, Rolo, Yorkie and Milkybar.
• This year’s Home Baker of the Year competition is in proud association with Food Northwest the strategic body representing the Northwest Food & Drink Industry www.foodnw.co.uk
• Our partners and sponsors for this year’s event also include Alcan Packaging www.alcanpackaging.com, and JS Bow man & Sons Ltd www.jasbowman.co.uk
HOME BAKING IN THE SPOTLIGHT AS JANE ASHER HOME BAKER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION 2009 IS LAUNCHED
It’s that time of year again…..Victoria Foods is once again launching the Jane Asher Home Baker of the Year Competition. Now in our 6th year, the event charts the triumphant return to the kitchen of home baking. Not only does it make the family pounds stretch further but there is huge pleasure to be derived from baking with and for others in the home.
The last two years have also seen an incredible 10% rise in the value of the home baking market, anticipated to reach £491 million in 2008; one of the few market sectors to thrive in the current climate.
Launching the 2009 Competition, actress and queen of home baking Jane Asher says, “There are obviously important social and cultural benefits to be derived from cooking more at home. With the Home Baker of the Year Competition we really want to remind people how much fun baking can be and how quick and easy it is to turn out delicious results which your family and friends will love you for.”
Entry to the competition closes on the 10th August with a Grand Final bake off of the five best entries on Thursday 8th October 2009, shortlisted by Jane herself. The winners will be chosen by Jane and a panel of other high profile judges. First prize is a stunning Poggenpohl Kitchen worth £25,000. Runner-up prizes include a weekend cookery course for two at Lucy Cooks in the Lake District with an overnight stay at the 4* Lakeside Hotel, and Chocolate Wedding and Celebration Cake courses at Manchester’s famed Slattery’s School of Excellence.
Recipes can be brand-new ideas or variations of old classics, whatever you want to enter. “One of the trends we predict for this year’s competition is that there will be more traditional, regional recipes with a modern twist” says Jane “We are really looking forward to re-discovering old favourites such as Bakewell Tarts, Welsh Cakes and Cornish Splits!”
Last year’s Home Baker of the Year winner was Gary Belcher from Hertfordshire with his stunning Apple and Blueberry Crumble Cake (see Previous Years). Gary beat off tough competition from the ladies to become the second man to win the competition, which saw a huge increase in the number of male entries for 2008. His success came on the back of research which shows that two thirds of British men are now baking more often than their fathers!
The competition is open to everyone over the age of 16 who will need to submit their favourite/ most interesting recipes online via www.homebake.co.uk or via post to Victoria Foods Ltd, Bright Street, Leigh, Lancashire WN7 5QH. Entry forms are also included in all of the Jane Asher range of quality baking mixes produced by Victoria Foods. These are available in all major multiples nationwide.
Click on www.homebake.co.uk or www.victoriafoods.co.uk for further about the competition and the Victoria Foods product ranges respectively.
• This year’s Home Baker of the Year competition is in proud association with Food Northwest the strategic body representing the Northwest Food & Drink Industry www.foodnw.co.uk
Our partners and sponsors for this year’s event also include
Alcan Packaging www.alcanpackaging.com, and
JS Bowman & Sons Ltd www.jasbowman.co.uk
For further information and visuals please contact Sue James, James PR
Telephone
00 353 857336981 or Email
Click on www.homebake.co.uk or www.victoriafoods.co.uk for further about the competition and the Victoria Foods product ranges respectively.
2008 Home Baker of the Year Results
Gary Belcher - Winner of a £25,000 Poggenpohl Kitchen with Miele Appliances
Wendy Mann - Runner-up for a weekend cookery course at LucyCooks, plus a stay at the 4 Star Lakeside Hotel.
Finalist Information:
Gary Belcher
Recipe: Apple and Blueberry Crumble Cake
Maite Irigoien
Recipe: Gateau Basque
Hilary Belshaw
Recipe: Summer Fruit Roulade
Wendy Mann
Recipe: Tropical Zingy Chelsea Buns
Cathrin Brynach
Recipe: Chocolate and Lime Satin Cake
See the home page for further information
2008 New Judges
Andrew Nutter celebrity chef and owner of Nutters
(Manchester Restaurant of the Year)
joins Home Baker judging panel for the Final October 9th 2008
Lucy Nicholson says Cooking is the new Quad Biking, in the run up to judging at the Home Baker of the Year Grand Final 9th October..."
Cooking is the new Quad Biking!
LucyCooks is a fabulous cookery school offering fun and fulfilling experiences with a difference for business professionals. A runner-up in the Business Tourism Awards for Cumbria this year, LucyCooks boasts state of the art facilities and programmes which are perfect for team building events, staff rewards and incentives.
‘Extreme’ teambuilding events have just about had their day thanks to the new ‘Corporate Manslaughter Act’. That means quad biking and paintballing are out the window and it’s back to the drawing board for the professional events organisers who are racking their brains for unique ways to reward staff.
For a day out with a difference, trade your crash helmet for a pinny and get fired up in the kitchen with a competitive cook-off! LucyCooks is a custom-built cookery school specialising in providing inspirational cookery experiences for groups of business professionals. ‘Loosen Your Tie’ is a corporate programme created to entertain and educate, requiring focused communication, co-operation and above all trust.
High-spec kitchens located in the beautiful Lake District offer the perfect backdrop to get hot under the collar with an adrenalin-fuelled cookery session. There are various options available but ultimately the day can be tailored to suit the needs of your group. LucyCooks offers courses to suit everybody’s tastebuds, from ‘Fish Fabulous Fish’ to ‘Glorious Game’ to ‘Puddings Galore’ and many, many more.
LucyCooks has a fresh and vibrant approach to corporate events. The emphasis is on fun, enjoyment and good food. Whatever the menu, you can guarantee that at the end of the session, the teams will be glowing with a sense of achievement. Delegates will leave fired-up and fulfilled having bonded with their fellow colleagues and developed an impressive repertoire of delicious dishes.
Many companies have chosen to host an event at LucyCooks. The Sales Manager from The Outward Bound Trust was delighted with the day.
‘A huge thanks to the LucyCooks team for a great afternoon and evening – it was superb! The chefs were good fun and we all enjoyed the meal tremendously.’
Lucy Nicholson, of LucyCooks takes pride in the bespoke sessions on offer: ‘We have the ideal facilities to cater for corporate events which are not only good fun, but help to strengthen relationships between colleagues. We are thrilled that our efforts to provide something special to the corporate market have been recognised by the Cumbrian Business Tourism Awards.’
For further information or to make a corporate booking, please contact Sarah Ross at LucyCooks on 015394 32288 or visit the LucyCooks Website
Jane Asher welcomes a new judge onto the judging panel for the Home Baker of the Year
Andrew Nutter is one of the most exciting and innovative of the new breed of celebrity chefs to hit the culinary circuit.
He has had a remarkable career, at thirteen he was runner up in the national junior cook of the year award then a finalist in the Daily Mail Cook of the Year which led to him being offered a job by Anton Edelmann at London’s Savoy Hotel as soon as he left school.
After three years intensive and invaluable training at the Savoy, Andrew moved to France for two years working in Michelin starred restaurants all over France. The next move was back to London to the Greenhouse Restaurant under the watchful eye of Gary Rhodes.
At the tender age of 21 with the backing of his family `Nutters` was launched and within a few months was packed every night. Eventually larger premises were needed and Nutters is now housed in the lavish setting of an 18th century manor house, set in 6 ½ acres of groomed parkland with spectacular views across Ashworth moors, Greater Manchester and beyond. All this makes perfect settings for the extravagance of Andrew Nutters cuisine. Nutters recently celebrated it’s Diamond Anniversary with a ‘Star Studded Event!’
Awards soon followed and Andrew clinched The Lancashire Chef Of The Year and then the Young Mancunian Business Man of the Year. Andrew hit the big time when he turned up at the awards dinner with NUTTER shaved into the back of his head. T.V companies took interest and before he knew it he was on Ready Steady Cook! Afternoon Live, Granada cult strand “THE FLYING CHEF” and his own radical channel 5 series “UTTER NUTTER”.
He works alongside all the main supermarkets, endorsing and promoting products and he has filmed two videos and recipe leaflet promoting local and regional produce. He is a great believer in giving back to the local community and in recent years has raised £20,000 for the N.S.P.C.C and CHRISTIES hospital Manchester. Andrew is frequently asked to judge competitions, make guest appearances and works as a presenter. He demonstrates all over the country and leading food festivals and media events.
Andrew was a regular guest on BBC Great Food Live! ITV’s Saturday Cooks & Weekday Cooks. He appears regularly at the Gourmet Food Festivals in South Africa – in Durban, Capetown and Johanesburg. Corporate demonstrations and presentations are one of his specialties. His current book is UTTER NUTTER and his popular cookery master class mornings operate on the first Thursday of each month.
More info about Andrew on his website
Queen of Home Baking, Jane Asher, holds official launch of the 2008 Home Baker of the Year competition at the Manchester Poggenpohl Kitchen Showroom
Jane Asher recently hosted an exclusive afternoon tea party to launch her fifth annual Home Baker of the Year competition.
Jane Asher with Jon Andrews, Neil Bailey and Robert Laurie of Poggenpohl
The event kicked off with a “Ready, Set, Decorate” challenge before Jane officially launches her competition and is available for interview. Surrounded by an amazing array of home-made cakes (all available to sample), Jane talked about how she came to be the “Queen of Home Baking”, the origins of the competition and the current trend for home baking.
Where: Poggenpohl Kitchens, Deansgate, Manchester, M3 4LQ
Date: Thursday 10th April 2008
Poggenpohl Kitchen Showroom, Manchester Deansgate
JANE ASHER HOME BAKER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION