how to host a bake off!

I've organised fourteen Bake Off competitions, so here I share everything I've learnt, as well as lots of handy tips! Ready, steady...

1. Find the right space: I was able to rent a marquee and get it set up close to a cooking classroom, so contestants could move freely and easily between marquee and the ovens. It would have been prohibitively expensive (not to mention logistically tricky) to rent lots of ovens, so this was my compromise. Depending on your space, you might be able to host inside a building or, depending on the weather, outside in a garden. Wherever you choose, make sure it's close to electricity and water supplies, as well as hand washing facilities. 

​2. Get some suitable workbenches: standard table height is too low so I hired extra tall tables, the same height as kitchen counters. This was a budget option: they obviously don't look like the colourful and well-appointed Bake Off workbenches, but I bought a range of different oilcloth tablecloths (from Dunelm Mill) to dress them. I also purchased a craft trolley (from Hobbycraft) for each workstation, as a place to store equipment, ingredients and recipe cards. I set up a 'gingham altar' at the front, from which the judging could take place and key ingredients/equipment could be sourced. 

3. Decorate the space: I initially planned on installing a series of bookcases at one end of the marquee, to decorate with antique scales, beautiful bowls, and cake stands etc. This was impractical and would have taken up too much space so, instead, I commissioned some 2D artwork to look like the real Bake Off tent and got it blown up onto a huge piece of canvas, which I attached to the marquee with plastic tags (having checked with the marquee company about the feasibility of this, and the size). I also ordered some fresh flowers to bring some three dimensionality into the decor; the marquee company supplied fairy lights; and I purchased huge quantities of floral bunting from Amazon. I commissioned tea towels which also helped to brighten the space, and featured the charity for which we were raising money. 

4. Order prizes: I found Star Baker wooden spoons on Etsy that I could personalise with the name of the competition and year. I tied each with ribbon and placed them in a basket, to be displayed at the front of the marquee. Unlike the real competition, in mine contestants were competing in small teams, meaning that I needed to order enough spoons for each winning team member. 

​5. Organise judges: I was fortunate to be able to find, through colleagues/contestants, some big names who were willing to come to judge. I also contacted local cookery schools and top hotels/restaurants, to invite their chefs. I ordered some appropriately themed gifts (cake stands, teapots, mixing bowls...) from Cornishware and Yvonne Ellen, which I wrapped up, accompanied by a grateful thank you card. I made sure to tag the judges on social media after the event. Amanda Holden ended up talking about it on Heart Radio the following day (she told Jamie Theakston that the tent was 'fantastically set up') and William Sitwell wrote about it in his Sunday Telegraph column! Make sure someone is in charge of getting refreshments for the judges. 

​6. Get a team of helpers on board: in the first year, I organised, set up and hosted the competitions with a colleague. We made a great team but it was full on! We definitely needed helpers to assist with clean up (and, as our contestants were children, we also needed lots of people on hand for safety and additional support). I made sure the bins were emptied regularly and that we had a ready supply of anti-bacterial spray, tea towels, dishcloths etc. After the final competition, I gifted the flowers to the helpers and had a few bottles of wine to hand out to those who had been Star Helpers. 

​7. Write the challenges and recipes: for each competition, I wrote a different challenge and recipe. For simplicity, I stuck to one challenge per competition per team - there were about 60 children competing in the tent at any one time, so we couldn't replicate the Bake Off format of three challenges. Instead, I provided a basic recipe for either a Victoria sandwich cake, a chocolate cake, cupcakes, or biscuits. These could be personalised and creatively interpreted by the teams, who had to use their design to celebrate various aspects of school life such as their favourite moment/event in the school year; their favourite aspect of the school campus; our community outreach programmes; and, for an anniversary special, an aspect of the school's history. I got the challenges and recipes printed (with a few pictures for inspiration) onto wipe-clean card so they could be reused between competitions: in the first year, I laminated them but in the second year I got them done professionally. I also made judging forms with a simple judging criteria (taste, appearance, creativity, team work), to provide a bit of guidance to the judges. 

8. Sort out the team names: I chose famous names from the Bake Off and got these professionally printed onto stable card, which stood on mini art easels at each workstation so that contestants and judges alike could easily find and identify the different teams. 

​9. Get the equipment together: fortunately, our cookery classroom already had lots of the equipment that we needed, but I had to supplement this due to the number of teams we had competing. I also wanted to make sure we had spare equipment, such as scales and electric hand whisks, as these can easily fail, as well as plenty of spare batteries. Don't forget things like cooling trays and greaseproof paper. I bought cheap cake tins from Asda and labelled them with each team name, so as to avoid any mix-ups. Nisbets is a good place to source catering equipment - they have some great sturdy bowls by Araven. I bought lots of icing nozzles and piping bags on Amazon, where I also found some enamel (unbreakable) cake stands. I ordered cardboard cake boards from Ebay, on which each team could assemble their cake before lifting it on to the stand. Make sure you have a knife, plates and forks for the judging. Most of the equipment was stored in each team's trolley, but I put spare equipment and all the equipment that was to be shared (such as nozzles, piping bags, a box of vinyl gloves) on the gingham table at the front of the marquee. I also had a separate 'staging area' behind the scenes (including a large fridge), where I kept ingredients, the judges' gifts, and spare equipment. 

10. Order the ingredients: I used an Excel spreadsheet to work out the precise quantities required of the ingredients for the basic recipes, but I also had to factor in the unknown: the creative ideas that the teams might have in personalising their bakes. Knowing that the school catering team could use up any leftover ingredients, I preferred to over order a range of jams, sprinkles, chocolate decorations, fondant icing, royal icing, icing sugar, food colouring, sweets, extracts, and fresh fruit... I also ordered a huge sack of flour from Shipton Mill. I decanted the ingredients into disposable bowls, to be placed in each team's trolley (but I made sure to remind them that these were not precisely weighed out - that was part of their challenge). 

11. Know your allergies: after working out the teams, I checked for allergies and made arrangements to ensure no one would be at risk - this sometimes meant putting those with similar allergies into the same group, and giving them alternative ingredients such as non-dairy products. 

12. If possible, support a charity: we used the opportunity to raise money for a local youth education charity. It could also be a great idea to support a Food Bank. I liaised with the charity to acquire a big sign for the marquee, and I set up a Just Giving page so that we didn't have to handle money in the tent. 

13. Sort the electrics: some form of electrical supply will be required. An electrician set up extension cables at each workstation for me, so that every team could use their own electric hand whisk. It was a lot of cables, but we were able to hide these fairly well and secure them safely to avoid any trip hazards. 

​14. Provide instructions: if you've got other people helping you, write a manual with instructions, all the key timings, and troubleshooting. Likewise, contestants will need clear instructions at the start of the competition, not only about the challenge itself, but also about the location of equipment/ingredients/facilities, as well as about hygiene and safety (wash your hands... no licking the spoon... carry knives carefully... wash everything in hot soapy water etc.). First Aid kits and a First Aider should be on hand at all tmes. Make sure everyone knows when the bakes need to be in and out of the oven (allow for cooling time): clear, strict timings are crucial to ensure the competition runs to time. Know when judging should commence (after workstations have been fully cleaned, I suggest) and make sure the judges know by what time you'd like them to arrive. Our competition lasted three hours each - I didn't want to inconvenience the judges by forcing them to be there for the whole time; 1.5 hours sufficed. 

15. Perform checks at the start of each competition: check the electrics, put the ovens on in good time, make sure all equipment and ingredients are in the trolleys/tent, turn the fairy lights on, make sure the butter is at room temperature, to avoid later delays. Make sure the tent is secure overnight (if relevant), to protect it from bad weather and potential rodents. Don't store any food in the tent overnight. 

16. Create a fun atmosphere: amid all the organisation and the countless instructions, there will still be a massive buzz of excitement in the tent. Balance the instructions at the start of each competition with lots of enthusiasm, which can definitely be helped by a huge loud speaker blasting out the Bake Off theme tune as contestants enter the tent. Get someone on hand to take photos/videos: make sure each team's efforts are captured, no matter how disastrous! And don't be tempted to intervene too much in the baking, unless there's a safety issue at stake - the mess and mistakes are part of the fun. Enlist a particularly charismatic host to wander round to chat to the teams as they bake. And, once the judging is over, make sure the teams get to taste their creations (spare plates and napkins are useful!), and take photos of the Star Bakers with the judges so they can feel proud of their achievements.