Development Land and Planning’s Bake Off Competition Takes Off
December 2024
Our staff love to give their time and energy in support of local charities and community efforts and our Development Land and Planning office have been busy raising money for a good cause by taking part in their own GTH ‘Bake Off’ competition.
This year's event was highly anticipated by the participants, given the success of their previous baking competitions, along with other GTH colleagues who got to enjoy the fruits of the team's labour. The event was well supported by the team, with most of the office bringing in a wide variety of baked goods to be judged. There were numerous cakes, brownies, traybakes and cupcakes of all kinds, certainly something to tickle everyone’s tastebuds.
The icing on the cake is that the baked goodies were then sold off in aid of the Devon Air Ambulance. The charity relies entirely on private donations to fund their vital work and keep their key emergency services running. Any support they receive to raise funds helps keep their crews responding during the busy winter season. There is also a huge team behind the scenes that keeps the charity running, including the patient and family support team, critical care paramedics and doctors, pilots and engineers, IT support and much, much more.
The judging was a serious business and involved some tense moments, as each baker was interviewed and their sweet treats taste tested. Following plenty of deliberation from the judges, the winner was announced along with the two runners up and some extra, special mentions. We’ve featured all the recipes below, so you can choose your own favourites to try at home, or even have your own bake off style competition.
In the end it was Laura Polley who rose to the occasion and was announced the winner, with her scrumptious apple and cinnamon cake. Laura’s winning recipe was from Jo Wheatley’s book ‘Home Baking’.
Jo Wheatley: Home Baking Book
Emily Garland’s tasty treats came in second place. Her delicious sounding Chocolate-Hazelnut Magic Bars were from the ‘Taste of Home’ website.
Taste of Home: Chocolate-Hazelnut Magic Bars
In third place was Lisa Midgley who baked up a storm with her Cinnamon and Ginger Cupcakes, from a group called ‘Grandma’s Recipes’ on Facebook.
Facebook Group: Grandma’s Recipes
There were some additional special mentions, as two other staff members also produced some intriguing and delicious bakes. The first was Mark Chugg’s Avocado and Lime Cake (from Sainsburys Magazine) which looked resplendent with colour and tasted delicious.
Sainsburys: Avocado and Lime Cake
Secondly, the team also thought Ella Jones’ wonderful Apple and Cider Cake deserved a mention. This well loved recipe was found in a magazine over five years ago and has been used regularly ever since. It epitomises the West Country and could also be updated to use pears and Perry for a different fruity twist.
In the afternoon the team's bakes were enjoyed by the Land and Planning office before they went on tour to our local Hammet Street offices in Taunton as well as across to our Yeovil branch. GTH staff filled their bellies and emptied their wallets in aid of this good cause.
The day was a great success with £140 being raised for the Devon Air Ambulance!
GTH are proud to support a number of charities and communities every year with various events taking place throughout our office network. The GTH Charitable Trust also makes regular donations and match-funds pledges to boost donations.
This year's event was highly anticipated by the participants, given the success of their previous baking competitions, along with other GTH colleagues who got to enjoy the fruits of the team's labour. The event was well supported by the team, with most of the office bringing in a wide variety of baked goods to be judged. There were numerous cakes, brownies, traybakes and cupcakes of all kinds, certainly something to tickle everyone’s tastebuds.
The icing on the cake is that the baked goodies were then sold off in aid of the Devon Air Ambulance. The charity relies entirely on private donations to fund their vital work and keep their key emergency services running. Any support they receive to raise funds helps keep their crews responding during the busy winter season. There is also a huge team behind the scenes that keeps the charity running, including the patient and family support team, critical care paramedics and doctors, pilots and engineers, IT support and much, much more.
The judging was a serious business and involved some tense moments, as each baker was interviewed and their sweet treats taste tested. Following plenty of deliberation from the judges, the winner was announced along with the two runners up and some extra, special mentions. We’ve featured all the recipes below, so you can choose your own favourites to try at home, or even have your own bake off style competition.
In the end it was Laura Polley who rose to the occasion and was announced the winner, with her scrumptious apple and cinnamon cake. Laura’s winning recipe was from Jo Wheatley’s book ‘Home Baking’.
Jo Wheatley: Home Baking Book
Emily Garland’s tasty treats came in second place. Her delicious sounding Chocolate-Hazelnut Magic Bars were from the ‘Taste of Home’ website.
Taste of Home: Chocolate-Hazelnut Magic Bars
In third place was Lisa Midgley who baked up a storm with her Cinnamon and Ginger Cupcakes, from a group called ‘Grandma’s Recipes’ on Facebook.
Facebook Group: Grandma’s Recipes There were some additional special mentions, as two other staff members also produced some intriguing and delicious bakes. The first was Mark Chugg’s Avocado and Lime Cake (from Sainsburys Magazine) which looked resplendent with colour and tasted delicious.
Sainsburys: Avocado and Lime CakeSecondly, the team also thought Ella Jones’ wonderful Apple and Cider Cake deserved a mention. This well loved recipe was found in a magazine over five years ago and has been used regularly ever since. It epitomises the West Country and could also be updated to use pears and Perry for a different fruity twist.
In the afternoon the team's bakes were enjoyed by the Land and Planning office before they went on tour to our local Hammet Street offices in Taunton as well as across to our Yeovil branch. GTH staff filled their bellies and emptied their wallets in aid of this good cause.
The day was a great success with £140 being raised for the Devon Air Ambulance!
GTH are proud to support a number of charities and communities every year with various events taking place throughout our office network. The GTH Charitable Trust also makes regular donations and match-funds pledges to boost donations.