‘We couldn’t have Great British Bake Off stars Mary, Paul, Mel and Sue chat to Yours about the new series, food, family and friendship... By Katherine Hassell
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hen it comes to the reason for The Great British Bake Off’s recordbreaking success, Mary Berry sums it up in one simple, yet important, word: family. It’s a rarity these days, but as the muchloved judge and baking icon points out, the nation’s favourite reality show really can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of age or gender. “When people watch the show, they know they can sit with their five-year-old, their ten-year-old, their grandmother, their neighbours and everybody will find something that’s going to make them laugh,” explains Mary. “It’s a very happy occasion. Whereas, with other things, you think: ‘Oh, they shouldn’t be watching...’ With Bake Off, there’ll be no bad language and they’ll learn. Our aim is we make it interesting enough so they can actually set to and bake.”
It’s one big family…
Presenters Sue, Paul, Mary and Mel are the icing on the cake! YOURS
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a nicer job…’
to the show. There are also a lot of jokes flying about and good-natured joshing. Take, for instance, when they mention a new development in the world of The Great British Bake Off... Victorian Week. The foursome keep details close to their chests, but the challenges faced in that episode of the series will only allow the bakers to use ingredients available during the reign of Queen Victoria – modern-day advances such as freeze-dried raspberries will be off the menu. “Mary was born during the Victorian period...” says Paul cheekily. Mary is, of course, only 80. “You see what I have to put up with?” she sighs, rolling her eyes before breaking out into a broad smile. “He doesn’t improve!” That’s the kind of exchange fans of the show love. Mary’s wardrobe is another draw and she looks set to create a stampede
Did you know? 10lb is the average amount of weight the presenters put on during the series! to the shops once again. “There are some good jackets this year and all of them are nice and cosy. I always buy my clothes a bit big,” she admits, “Then I can wear layers underneath. That tent, when it’s open up the sides, is the most freezing place!” she reveals. This year, the heat was turned up – metaphorically at least – during the competition and the team were impressed with the competitors. “The bakers were very, very good,” praises Paul. “And very confident.” “They are a lovely bunch and they all get on very well,” adds Sue. YOURS
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PICs: bbc, masterfile, bruce adams/ daily mail/solo syndication
And, boy, are we baking! Apparently, 80 per cent of the nation now do so for stress Did you know? relief. Cake sales have dropped The first ever as everyone is making their episode aired on own. “Have they?” exclaims BBC2 in August presenter Mel Geidroyc in 2010 with ten surprise. “That says a lot!” nods contestants fellow judge Paul Hollywood, who admits, 12 years ago, when he wanted to get a baking show partner in puns for the last 27 years off the ground, he was told it was ‘too – agrees. “We are probably the most niche – nobody would be interested’. expendable crew members. Certainly, “You’ve got to remember, a lot of if either Paul or Mary don’t do it, it the country are, for some reason, wouldn’t be the same.” not working,” says Mary. “They’re at Have you made a pact? “In blood!” home, they haven’t a lot of money and laughs Mel. “In caramel!” grins Sue. it’s a wonderful way of entertaining Caramel’s a rude word where Mel is children and educating them. Most concerned. Inspired by the show, she people have a bit of flour in the recently made choux pastry for the cupboard and it’s much cheaper very first time. She fashioned 75 than going to a themepark and profiteroles into “a much more rewarding.” wizard’s hat” – aka Sharing the screen with the a croquembouche. trio sitting next to her is clearly “I couldn’t do the an enormous joy. Paul, Mel and caramel; that went Sue Perkins – Bake Off’s other badly wrong, but famous faces – are such good it was Lent and I’d friends, different projects pale given up chocolate,” in comparison. “I can honestly she laughs. “They say the thing I love most is were good though. Bake Off. That comes first,” I’m being a bit smug, Mary smiles. “You couldn’t but I was pleased.” have a nicer job than working with Mel and Sue admit the series can these three? We’re family. The whole take its toll on their waistlines. “I’m Bake Off is a family. We love it.” really good for the first three episodes, The four are so close, in fact, they then everything goes,” grins Mel. admit that, if one of them decided “I get heavier each year,” nods Sue. to leave the show, it’s likely they Surely, that’s more pleasurable than all would. “I think that’s probably trying to make up new baking jokes, true,” says Mel, who calls the group though? “It gets harder to wrest puns ‘The Musketeers’. Sue Perkins – her from baked goods, we won’t lie,” Sue grins. But they manage. “I was in tears half the time, Did you know? laughing,” says Paul. Before the show The quartet’s easy friendship starts, 12 Victoria is part of show’s appeal. There’s sponges are cooked a lot of love in the room here in each oven to make at Welford Park – the private sure they work. residence and estate in Newbury, Berkshire which plays host
Style notes
Blue scarf, £10, F&F at Tesco
Floppy hat, £15, Bhs
Ring, £17, Accessorize Aztec bag, £29, La Redoute
BRILLIANT BUY!
Flower necklace, £12, George at Asda Contrast tote bag, £30, East
Bangle, £3, Primark
Sunglasses, £15, M&S
Last-minute Update your look with summer accessories from just £3 By Jo Winch C omple ment your summe r separate s with a cove r-up
PICS: RUTH JENKINSON, SHUTTERSTOCK; STYLIST: JO WINCH; HAIR AND MAKE UP: SARAH JANE GREEN
Carol Ann wears: Cover-up, £28, top, £14, both 10-20, Bhs; jeans, £29.50, 10-20, M&S; necklace, £22, Next; sunglasses, £6, Peacocks; bracelet, £8, M&Co; sandals, M&S, £19.50
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Gold tote bag, £15.99, New Look
Watch, £29.50, M&S
INSTANT EVENING GLAMOUR
White necklace, £35, M&S
Blue print scarf, £5, Primark
A lightweight scarf will ke ep you fe e ling cool in the sun Carol Ann wears: Scarf, £19.50, M&S; earrings, £6, Yours Clothing; sunglasses, £15, M&S; bracelet, £6, Peacocks
Straw hat with pink detail, £22, Accessorize
holiday buys Blue peeptoe wedges, £15, 3-8, Bhs
Blue ankle strap, £19.50, 3-8, M&S
Strappy sandals, £28, 3-9, Next
UP TO SIZE 9 Pewter with jewels, £49, 3-9, Hotter shoes
Floral peeptoe, £12, 3-8, George at Asda
STOCKISTS Accessorize 0203 372 3052 http://uk.accessorize.com; Bhs 0344 4116000 www.bhs.co.uk; East 0208 877 6543 www.east. co.uk; F&F at Tesco 0800 323 4070 www.clothingattesco.com; George at Asda 0800 952 0101 www.asda.com; Hotter shoes 0800 083 8490 www.hotter.com; La Redoute 0844 842 2222 www.laredoute.co.uk; M&Co 0800 031 7200 www.mandco.com; Marks & Spencer 0845 609 0200 www.marksandspencer.com; New Look 0800 0926 0926 www.newlook.com; Next 0333 777 8739 www. next.co.uk; Peacocks 029 2027 0944 www.peacocks.co.uk; Primark 0207 495 0420 www.primark.com/en/; Yours Clothing 0844 820 4204 www.yoursclothing.co.uk Details correct at time of going to press
Good to KNOW... | IT’S A FACT | Beetroot
sales have sprouted in the last year, spurred on by the salad staple’s new superfood status. The purple favourite has graduated from pickling jars to juices, soups and yogurts. At around 49p for 500g of fresh beetroot, it won’t break the bank!
AROUND
4900pg /5
ENERGYWATCH
Switching to frozen produce saves the average family up to £90 per month. Frozen food not only reduces wastage but is often cheaper, says AppliancesDirect.co.uk. For instance, Sainsbury’s Salmon Fillets (400g) cost £3.75 and will last up to three months in a freezer compared to fresh Sainsbury’s Salmon Fillets (300g) costing £5 which have to be used less than one week after buying. Defrosting your freezer at least once a year will increase efficiency and lower electricity bills.
WATCHING THE
PENNIES
DID YOU KNOW? | BUDGET BEATER |Finding a fiver, using
Wedding guests typically spend £640 per nuptial including £114 on accommodation and £105 on a new outfit. Half of wedding guests use hotel deals or retail sales to make it easier on the wallet. The bride and groom also play their part by picking a local venue, planning an inexpensive hen or stag do or telling guests not to buy gifts, says American Express findings.
a self-service till successfully and winning money on a scratchcard are among the top 50 things that make our day! Source: Interparcel
HOW TO...
GET COMPENSATION FOR A DELAYED OR CANCELLED FLIGHT If you don’t take off, what are your rights? Helen Dewdney (www.thecomplainingcow.co.uk) author of How to Complain: The Essential Consumer Guide to Getting Refunds, Redress & Results! shares her tips: ✢ Compensation under the Denied Boarding Regulations (www. airpassengerrights. eu) is due where flights in/out of the EU are delayed for more than three hours. 58
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✢ Airlines often ask for ‘volunteers’ to not take a flight in return for compensation. If you are forced off due to overbooking, you are also entitled to compensation.
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✢ Travellers have cover under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act when paying for anything over £100.
✢ Recent Supreme Court rulings says ‘Technical difficulties’ are not now accepted as exceptional circumstances so claims should succeed.
✢ Contact the European Consumer Centre Network (01268 886690 or www.ukecc. net) for help with unsatisfactory responses.
Cash in the attic Most Edward VIII memorabilia is not as
AT
£380 - £420
Best Buy
Livwell’s welcome pack contains info on its gluten, wheat and milk-free products, plus advice on following a gluten-free diet. Call 0845 874 4000 or visit www.livwellfoods.co.uk/ register-welcome-pack.php
Fre e FACE MASK
| IT’S A FACT |
iPhone 6 and Apple Watch owners can now pay for items by touching their devices on contactless pads in stores. Many banks and retailers including NatWest, M&S, Costa and Lidl have joined the new scheme called Apple Pay, which is already available in the US. Payments here are expected to be capped at £20.
Fre e FIRST AID GUIDE
Request a free pocketsized guide from St John Ambulance and you’ll learn first-aid advice for five common conditions. Handy to keep at home and take away. Visit http://bit.ly/1HYBJ06
Fre e DIET INFO
Once a phone contract ends, unlocking your handset allows you to take advantage of SIMonly deals, saving around £300 a year. Contrary to popular belief, unlocking it isn’t illegal and some networks do it for free depending on your tariff, although it can take up to 30 days. For a useful guide to unlocking your phone, visit uSwitch.com
Cash Saver
Want to save money and enjoy something for free? Every fortnight we’ll share our top freebies and money-saving offers.
Children’s pocket money has fallen to £6.20 a week, down 2.4 per cent on last year. Boys do better, receiving £6.25 weekly, compared to £6.14 for girls. More than a third (36 per cent) of children get cash from generous grandparents, too
✢ NEXT ISSUE How to complain when something goes wrong with your holiday
Return your black Lush pots to any Lush store near you (01202 668545) for recycling – and they’ll give you a free face mask to say thank you.
Fre e SELFIE STICK Coca Cola is giving away one million selfie sticks for taking photos at more than an arm’s length. Buy a promo pack or bottle and enter the code at https://promotions.cocacola.com/uk/en/happy
✢ This round-up is supplied by our friends at MagicFreebies, the UK’s most popular freebie website. Visit www.magicfreebies.co.uk for all the latest free stuff, offers, competitions, money-saving articles and more.
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WORDS: SARAH JAGGER. BEFORE MAKING ANY FINANCIAL DECISIONS, IT’S ALWAYS WISE TO CONSULT AN AUTHORISED PROFESSIONAL ADVISER PICS: SHUTTERSTOCK; GETTY IMAGES; ALAMY
VALUE D
rare or valuable as people think. The potteries began mass-production of a range of designs months before the Coronation itself. As a result, thousands of pieces were produced and sold before the Abdication was announced. However, this 1936 musical mug, which plays the National Anthem, is an unusually valuable example of Edward VIII memorabilia. Its value comes from cross-market interest as pieces commemorating the Coronation and Abdication are rare, partly as the whole affair was deemed distasteful and embarrassing at the time. Source: millersonline.com
Fre e bie s OF THE FORTNIGHT!
Lovely in
DIFFICULTY RATING
★★
LAVENDER! Bring the beauty of the summer garden indoors with these floral-inspired découpage ideas Compiled by Claire Williams
Lavender Pot Materials:
✢ 1 x stainless steel plant pot ✢ Paintbrush ✢ Chalky-finish paint in white and charcoal ✢ Tissue paper with a black and white design ✢ Découpage glue (outdoor) ✢ Pot of lavender or dried/ fake lavender ✢ Jute string (optional)
Instructions:
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Paint your plant pot inside and out with the charcoal-coloured chalkyfinish paint. Allow to dry thoroughly. Paint the outside of the pot with the white chalky-finish paint. If you want a shabby chic look then one rough coat will do; otherwise give it more than one coat, but let it dry thoroughly between coats. Tear out the desired section from the tissue paper and glue it onto the plant pot using découpage glue and a paintbrush. The tissue will be very delicate and easy to tear when wet, so allow it to dry completely before adding more glue as a sealer. Place a pot of lavender in the finished plant pot. Alternatively, you could put dried or fake lavender in the pot. To add a rustic look, you could tie a piece of jute string around the top of the pot.
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If you ar e using fake or dried Top tip tive lave nde r as an indoor de cora ential oil it e m, ad d so me lave nde r e ss for a touc h of authenticit y
HOME
& craft
Covered Candles Materials:
✢ Paper napkins with lavender or floral design ✢ Scissors ✢ 3 x candles of different sizes ✢ 2 x drawing pins or dressmaker’s pins ✢ Crafter’s heatgun, craft iron or old clothes iron ✢ Length of lavender organza ribbon
Peel the napkin so you have a single-ply sheet with your chosen image on it. Cut it to fit the size of the candle you are covering, with a very slight overlap at the meeting point. Carefully pin the starting edge of the napkin to the candle just to hold it steady at the start. (You can remove the pins once the tissue starts to stick to the candle.) Holding the napkin in place, slowly apply heat, starting at the edge until the wax begins to melt very slightly. You will see the napkin change colour as the wax begins to seep into it. Do not overheat it and keep the heat source moving or
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the wax will melt too much and pool into lumps. The edge will be secure now, so remove the pins and start working your way around the candle with the heat source. We used a crafter’s heatgun, but if you are using an iron keep it on a very low heat setting.
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When the candles have cooled, tie all three together with a length of organza ribbon.
VISIT...
.co.uk
✢ Projects from Modern Découpage by Louise Crosbie, priced £4.99
✢ NEXT ISSUE Make this stylish utensil pot for your kitchen!
PIC:
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secret Ilfracombe Reader Corinne England, 60, brings this North Devon town to life
Ilfracombe was a childhood haunt The promenade has changed a lot since I was a child, with numerous walkways designed to take in the splendour of the coastline. The theatre building, with its two conical towers, is modern and controversial!
Tasty treats
Take a boat trip
One thing to definitely try is the delicious fudge made at Roly’s Fudge Shop on the harbour. You can watch them making many varieties – the smell alone made me put on 3lbs!
There are many wildlife and coastal cruises on offer. You may even spot dolphins and porpoises on a trip to Lundy Island and there are deep-sea fishing trips available, too. Try the S&P Fish Shop which sells the catch straight from the trawlers – you can’t get fresher than that!
✢ 01271 867373, www.rolysfudge.co.uk
Walk the seafront
PICS: SHUTTERSTOCK, GETTY IMAGES, ALAMY
Step back into history ...with a visit to the tunnels beaches. These are private beaches built in the early 1800s and accessible via four separate tunnels. The amount of history you will learn from the information boards is worth the £2.50 admission fee. What were separate men’s and women’s bathing areas are now mixed, but one is adults-only for some peace and quiet. Others are ideal for grandchildren to skim stones and hunt in rock pools for shells. ✢ 01271 879882, www.tunnelsbeaches.co.uk
While the town centre is hilly, the seafront is level and great for people with limited mobility. Start your day by parking at the theatre, where there’s a café bar for enjoying a hot drink or tempting scone. If the weather’s nice you can eat on the patio where there are stunning views over the coastline.
Eat out ...at the Starter Bar – it’s unusual as they only serve starters and desserts, so it’s a little like a tapas bar. It’s absolutely yummy – I recommend the jalapeño and cream cheese bites and the spicy chicken wings!
✢ 01271 865 923, www.sandpfish.co.uk
Don’t miss… Verity – at 66ft tall she’s hard to miss! She’s a fascinating Damien Hurst statue currently on longterm loan to the town, representing truth and justice. You can find her at the harbour’s edge. Stunning! Turn the page for a trip to Berlin
✢ 01271 862 577, www.thestarterbar.com
✢ Tell us about hidden gems of the UK Send a review of a place you know and love (300 words with photos – send one with you in it), with your name, age and address to: Lizzy Dening at the address on page 3 or email lizzy.dening@bauermedia.co.uk. We pay £50 for each story we publish. YOURS
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