Jane Beedle, runner-up in the 2016 series of Great British Bake Off, will showcase her skills at this year’s Bishop Auckland Food Festival, which takes place from Saturday 21 to Sunday 22 April.
Originally from Kent, Jane wowed audiences with her home style baking and will now join winner of the same series Candice Brown at this year’s two-day celebration of food and drink.
Jane will be hosting a demonstration at 1pm in the Cookery Theatre on Saturday 21 April, with tickets at just £5, as well as running two bread making workshops that all amateur bakers are welcome to join.
The 10.30am workshop will welcome bakers aged six years and older where they will learn to make sweet chocolate bread, followed by an 11.45am workshop open to bakers aged 16 years plus to make savoury focaccia bread. Each workshop costs £5 per person, with limited places available.
A former garden designer of 15 years, Jane swapped her gardening rake for her rolling pin and followed her family’s passion for baking into the famous GBBO tent. Since the show she has appeared on ITV’s Lorraine and at numerous food festivals as well as hosting her first supper clubs and cookery classes.
Jane said: “I can’t wait to join the fun in Bishop Auckland, I’m just sorry I can only be there for one day as on the Sunday I am running the London Marathon with 12 other GBBO bakers in the ‘Bakers Dozen’ team.
“As part of my training I’ve been exploring sugar-free baking, which I’ll be sharing tips on, so like me, you can have your cake and eat it!”
As well as Jane’s workshops, the School of Artisan Food will also be bringing their expert tutors to Bishop Auckland to host a series of sessions for both adults and children.
The adult workshops cover a range of topics including sausage making, cheese tasting, pizza making, steak cuts and tasting, and cheese and butter making.
These sessions each last around an hour and cost just £5, with a maximum of ten people per session. Sessions need to be booked in advance via the food festival website.
Children can also join in the action with classes including cheese making, pizza making, ice-cream making, dough ball making and sausage making. Kids sessions are priced at only £1 – visit the festival’s marquee to book on the day. Places are available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Renowned for providing high-quality training, the School of Artisan Food was founded in 2009 by Alison Swan Parente, who is set to appear in a new BBC Two series alongside chef and presenter Tom Kerridge.
The festival will also see around 130 traders offering a diverse range of sumptuous food and drink, from across County Durham as well as further afield, showcasing their produce across the town’s historic market place.
For more information, timetables and to book tickets for the Cookery Theatre and workshops, visit www.bishopaucklandfoodfestival.co.uk