7th February 2020
Claire Flavin-Jones has reached the final of Baker of the Year for The Cake Professionals Awards.
A gifted former Barking & Dagenham College student, Claire is continuing her winning streak after winning Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas last November. She is one of just four people nationally to be shortlisted by a high profile panel of some of the world’s most prestigious patisserie experts.
Mature student Claire, who lives in Barking, studied Patisserie & Confectionary after deciding on a career change from sales. Since then, she hasn’t looked back, winning a number of competitions and running her own successful business ‘Bombshell Bakes’.
Claire explains: “I decided to enter the Baker of the Year competition which involved baking a cake and sending a piece to the judging headquarters where four of the most well-known pastry chefs, including Kathryn Cuthbertson, the Queen’s former Pastry Chef, judged the entries blind.
“I chose to enter my ‘chocolate overload cake’ filled with decadent chocolate crémeux and decorated with salted caramel.
“I couldn’t believe it when I found out that I won the regional competition and have been placed in the national final with just 3 other bakers.”
The awards will be presented on March 2nd at an awards celebration presented by one of the judges on Channel 4’s Bake Off: The Professionals Cherish Finden.
Claire will have the chance to win a £1000 cash prize, plus the winner gets their recipe published on Tate & Lyle’s ‘We Love Baking’ and a hosted tour of Tate & Lyle’s sugar museum.
