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Calling all cake decorating fans! 

We’ve teamed up with the organisers of Cake International to offer a pair of tickets to 10 lucky Baking Mad fans for their brand new show at the ExCeL, London Docklands from the 27^th – 29^th April 2012. 

This fantastic show will be bringing the best in cake decorating and baking to the London region for the very first time and visitors to the show will be treated to the latest cutting edge products and techniques from a huge variety of exhibitors from across the UK and abroad.

But that’s not all! Jo Wheatley, winner of the Great Bake Off will also be at the show giving her top tips and advice for baking success. We just can’t wait!

For a chance to get your hands on a pair of tickets become a fan of BakingMadUk on Facebook and upload a picture of your best decorated cake or cupcake between 2nd-6th April. Everyday we’ll be choosing our favourite two entries and sending the winners a pair of tickets each.

Can’t wait to win? Call the ticket hotline now on 01425 277988 or go to http://www.ichf.co.uk/ for more information.

Terms and Conditions of Entry

Acceptance of the terms and conditions is a condition of entry.

To enter the competition, you ‘like’ the BakingMadUk Facebook page and upload a photo of your best decorated cupcake between 2nd-6th April 2012.

This competition is open to UK residents only aged 18 or over and excludes any person whom in the competition Organiser’s reasonable opinion, should be excluded due to their involvement or connection with this competition.

One entry per person only. Entries from agents/third parties are invalid.

Entries must be received no later than midnight (GMT) on Friday 6th April. Entries received after this date will not be entered.

The prize is sponsored by Cake International. The prize is one pair of tickets to the event between 27th-29th April, not including transport or accomodation. The prize is non-transferable. There is no cash alternative.

Winners will be chosen by Tuesday 10th April and will be notified via email by Friday 13th April. If the winners cannot be contacted within 10 days alternative winners will be selected.

It is a condition of the entry that the competition winners agree to be available for, and participate in, any public relations activity arranged by the Organiser.

The Organiser’s decision in all matters relating to the competition is final and legally binding on all entrants and no correspondence will be entered into. The Organiser reserves the right to alter, amend or foreclose the competition without prior notice. Should events occur that render the competition itself or the awarding of the prize impossible due to reasons beyond the control of the Organiser, the Organiser may at its absolute discretion vary or amend the promotion.

Entries not submitted in accordance with the rules, illegible, incomplete or altered will be disqualified.

Categories: Competitions | 3 Comments »

Spring has finally sprung and what better way to celebrate than by planting some fresh herbs  to use in your baking?

From quiches, to tarts and freshly baked loaves, we’ve got some fantastic recipe ideas to inspire you.

And Allinson are giving you the chance to claim your very own herb garden, complete with everything you need to get started – trough, soil and seeds. Just follow the simple planting and watering instructions and you’ll be harvesting your crop in no time.

To acquire one of these lovely wooden herb garden kits, all you need is to collect 6 tokens from special promotional packs of Allinson Bread and send them to Allinson plus a £2 contribution towards the cost of postage. Or alternatively you could save 3 tokens and pay £5 which includes the cost of postage.

Once you have these [click here] to go to the application form, complete your details, print it off and send it to us along with a cheque/postal order for the correct amount made payable to ALLINSON HERB GARDEN PROMOTION PO Box 1079, Hemel Hempstead, HP1 1GY by 30/09/12 .

Click here to view the Terms and Conditions.

Special packs are available from the following retailers:

Brown Batch with the Taste of Sourdough- Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Ocado

Sunflower & Pumpkin Batch- Asda, Tesco, Morrinsons, Ocado

Wholemeal Batch 800g- Asda, Tesco, Morrinsons, Sainsbury’s, Ocado, Waitrose, Iceland

Allinson Wholemeal Batch Loaf 400g – Morrisons, Iceland, Waitrose, Ocado

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In the summer we launched our Little Baker of The Year 2011/2012 competition, in the hope of discovering the next generation of home bakers. We were overwhelmed with the number of entries and are excited to announce our final four Little Bakers who have been chosen to compete in our grand Bake Off on Saturday 17th December.

The four finalists have been tasked with developing a recipe that best represents Christmas and will be judged on their skill, creativity, presentation and the all important taste of their treats. On the judging panel we have Mitzie, our very own Baking Mad expert, along with guest judges Michelle Rice, author of the fabulous Utterly Scrummy blog and baking extraordinaire Ruth Clemens, finalist on the Great British Bake Off 2010.

The overall winner will be crowned Baking Mad Little Baker of the Year 2011/2012, become the face of the kid’s baking section on bakingmad.com and win a year’s supply of baking ingredients courtesy of the Silver Spoon company.

Meet our finalists…

India Muschamp
Age: 10
From: St. Albans
Favourite thing(s) to bake: Cakes and Biscuits
Would most like to bake for: Michel Roux Snr.
Favourite TV Chef: Rachel Allen

For the Bake Off India will be baking a Christmas Cranberry Snowball. India said “I got the idea from Australian Masterchef and thought it would be a challenge. I took the recipe and have made it my own.”

Abbie Perkins
Age: 8
From: Wrexham
Favourite thing(s) to bake: Victoria Sponge Cake
Would most like to bake for: Rowan Atkinson
Favourite TV Chef: Hugh Fearnely Whittingstall

Abbie is hoping that her recipe for Rudolph Sponge Cake will impress the judges at the Bake Off. “I chose to do this recipe because Christmas always makes me think of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and I love sponge cakes!”

Fidelma O’Riordan
Age: 10
From: Southampton
Favourite thing(s) to bake: Cupcakes- I just love decorating them!
Would most like to bake for: The Saturdays!
Favourite TV Chef: Anne Thornton

For the Bake Off Fidelma will be putting her baking skills to the test as she makes a Christmas Cupcake Wreath. She said “Christmas is about making everyone happy so I’m making three different types of cupcakes so everyone can enjoy something.”

Erinn Murphy   

Age: 12
From: Co. Down
Favourite thing(s) to bake: Raspberry and White Chocolate Cupcakes
Would most like to bake for: The cast of Harry Potter
Favourite TV Chef: Rachel Allen

Erinn will be baking a Frosty Christmas Scene for the judges. “I love creative decorating” Erinn told us “and I’ve added some cinnamon to my recipe to make it taste of Christmas.”

Categories: Competitions | 2 Comments »

Of all the festive foodie events taking place this year, we’re particularly looking forward to attending Taste of Christmas in London between 2nd- 4th December.

Taste of Christmas invites food lovers to indulge in a day of adventurous festive eating, shopping, and entertainment. You’ll also find plenty of inspiration from some of the country’s best chefs, including Eric Lanlard, Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Rachel Allen, Gary Rhodes and Michel Roux Jr. They’ll help you refine that ambitious festive menu and prepare for the ultimate season of extravagance.

A selection of London’s top restaurants will also be serving up seasonal menus designed to inspire, so give your tastebuds a treat and create your own menu from some of the capital’s finest kitchens. Between bites, browse for that ideal gift, essential ingredient or winter warmer at the boutique market and stock up on old and new festive favourites.

After a full day’s shopping, settle down to a fine wine tasting or to learn about the best cheese and chocolate for your Christmas table or a cozy night in. And while you’re feeling hands-on, join an interactive cookery class – it’s sure to fire up your imagination and help you hone that holiday feast.

We have 5 pairs of tickets to give away to this mouth-watering event. To enter our competition simply visit our Facebook page.

If you’re not lucky enough to win, why not take advantage of our exclusive offer. Buy 2 standard tickets for £26 and save £18 on the door price – simply call 0871 230 7132 and quote BAKINGMAD when booking.

*Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras. Booking and transaction fees apply. Saving calculated on the door price. Jamie Oliver’s Dining Tickets and other ticket types available from www.tasteofchristmas.com.

Categories: Competitions | 3 Comments »

We are please to announce the winners from competition last week to celebrate National Cupcake Week are:

Monday – Silver Spoon Create Vanilla Bean Paste

1. Lucy Valasso
2. Marylord Jones
3. Rock Cakes
4. Sharon Ronnie Harvey
5. Amy Mottram
6. Lyana White
7. Claire Shaw
8. Tanya Mahon
9. Kate Austen
10. Christine V Taylor
11. Sam Webster
12. Helen Ritchie
13. Tracy Butler
14. Samira Mohammed
15. Emma Towle
16. Sarah Clarke
17. SilCakesetc London
18. Julie Rudd
19. Diane Pearce
20. Marian Coburn

 Tuesday – Silver Spoon Create Chocolate Snowies

1. Sara Waddington
2. Christine V Taylor
3. Lucy Birks
4. Barbara Corbett
5. Tracy Butler
6. Dawn Goldsmith-Lamming
7. Rosie Jones
8. Carole Carr
9. Kate Buckland
10. Sherley Gelleburn
11. Janice Papworth
12. Julie Marney
13. Helen Ritchie
14. Sue Golden
15. Marylord Jones
16. Naomi James
17. Tracey Edwards
18. Katy Daly
19. Cucina Italiana
20. Emma Gilpin

Wednesday  – Silver Spoon Create Easy Melt Chocolate

1. Sharon Catlow
2. Katy Daly
3. Heidi Douglass
4. Liz Crook
5. Kathryn Seddon
6. Rebecca Wigham
7. Donna Sargent
8. Kaye Wemyss
9. Lisa Tebby
10. Andrea angelcakes Howatson
11. Sarah Gilbert
12. Lydia Jones
13. Sue Golden
14. Randi Nicole
15. Tracy Butler
16. Richard Tomtom Hayward
17. Lucy Birks
18. Safia Roxanna Haleem
19. Dawn Jenner
20. Emma Gilpin

 Thursday – Silver Spoon Create Orange Chocolate Buttons

1. Nikki Hayes
2. Kath Humphreys
3. Rebecca Hodgson
4. Safia Roxanna Haleem
5. Helen Ritchie
6. Lauren Leitch
7. Beth Byett
8. Angela Eckton
9. Gem Melin X
10. Sharon Clensy
11. Sue Golden
12. Lydia Gilbert
13. Julie Marney
14. Cucina Italiana
15. Kelly Gaffney
16. Rach A James
17. Cheryl Marsh
18. Divine Cake Design
19. Jo Egan
20. Heidi Douglass

 Friday – Silver Spoon Create White Chocolate Stars

1. Heidi Douglass
2. Leanne Farnell
3. Kath Humphreys
4. Laura Magnavacca
5. Diane Pearce
6. Emma Gilpin
7. Lulu Osborne
8. Lucy Gooding
9. SilCakesetc London
10. Twila Midgley
11. Cucina Italiana
12. Carole Carr
13. Robyn Renren Shaw
14. Janne-Marie Regan
15. Lisa Tebby
16. Rebecca Crowdey
17. The Cupcake Queen
18. Becca Ljungberg
19. Jacintha Sugnaseelan
20. Kathryn Seddon

Please could you make sure you send an email to info@bakingmad.com confirming your name and address. All samples will be sent out by 7th October. Address details must be submitted by Monday 26th September to ensure you receive your sample.

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