How to Host Your Own Mini GBBO Competition

The Great British Bake Off is back!

Each series has been totally addictive to watch - not least because the entire feel of the show is so wholesome and friendly, with competitors endlessly supporting one another’s attempts to please the judges. Except on the odd occasion when they take a rival’s baked Alaska out of the freezer and ruin it…!

However, baked Alaska sabotage aside, the wonderful camaraderie of GBBO has served to inspire many a group of friends or colleagues to come up with their own Bake Off competition ideas - and we’re here to help!

If you’re dreaming of bringing your baking party ideas to life, look no further - here are some Bake Off competition ideas from the team at B&M which might just help you become a legendary Bake Off host among your friends and workmates.

1. Set a Schedule

Childcare, book clubs, appointments, gym nights, date nights, night shifts… as life goes on, the free time we and our friends have in common seems to become less and less. It may seem like an ordeal, but you should try to include absolutely all interested parties in your Bake Off challenges. This will make it a fair competition that is easy to run and doesn’t upset anyone. 

To do this, you need to get a clear idea of everyone’s availability and ensure that no one’s likely to drop out. After all, this should feel fun and not a chore, so make sure everyone is comfortable with the timings.

If it’s really hard to find a time when everyone’s free, you may need to condense your Bake Off competition ideas into just one evening with one theme. At the end of the day, the main aim of your Bake Off is fun, so don’t compromise that for anything.

2. Set Themes

To give everyone enough time (and save yourself a headache), it might be a good idea to come up with the themes of your Bake Off challenges early and share them among the competitors before everything starts. That gives people plenty of time to plan, budget and collect ingredients.

You might want to choose your baking party ideas from themes have been used on Bake Off. Perhaps you could do three events over three weeks - week one being a signature bake, week two a technical challenge and week three a show-stopper.

Or you could go a little more in-depth - previous series have had cake week, biscuit week, dessert week, bread week, caramel week, pudding week (which is different from dessert week), pastry week, Italian week, patisserie week and plenty more besides!

Understand Restrictions

It’s important to understand what your competitors are able to achieve as part of a bake off. Peoples’ finances must be respected and taken into account, as well as dietary issues such as nut and gluten allergies.

You also need to consider the space you have available. If the host’s kitchen is relatively small, it may be worth everyone creating their bakes at home and transporting them in for “sampling”! 

However, if you’re happy with the circulating space, surface space and oven space that the host home can offer, you might want to provide a few ingredients and items of equipment in order to be of assistance to the competitors.

Why not set up a kitty so that one person isn’t buying everything?

We recommend investing in:

• Eggs

• Basic cake mixes

• Common food flavourings such as vanilla and almond

• Icing sugar

• Ready-to-roll fondant

• Cake tins and baking trays (at least one of each for everyone)

• Utensils (spoons, whisks etc.)

For a bit of fun, you could encourage everyone to bring their own cute (or comedy) apron - or awesome cake accessories!

Original or Existing Great British Bake Off Recipes?

Depending on the experience levels of those involved, you may wish to come up with your own recipes or use ones that were previously attempted on Bake Off. Either way, clarify what is allowed and what is not allowed before you start!

Choose Impartial Judges

Ideally, the competitors shouldn’t judge the dishes (especially if you decide to do it “blind” as Bake Off does). Nor should the host get to make all the decisions! Kids, spouses or other non-baking visitors could all serve as great judges of the success of your Great British Bake Off recipes!

Agree on a Prize

It shouldn’t be too big and it shouldn’t be too small. Perhaps it could be funny? (Cardboard cutout of Paul Hollywood? Mighty Boosh boxset?). Whatever you decide, your prize should be something that everyone would enjoy equally without being too divisive - or too upsetting for the losers!

B&M Top Tip: Take a look at the bunting, cute paper plates and fun utensils in our party shop for amazing Bake Off décor inspo! 

B&M Top Tip: Looking for great baking tips to get you started on your cake-making adventure? Check out our Baking Tips for Beginners Blog

Got any wonderful Bake Off competition ideas of your own - or have you pulled off any Great British Bake Off recipes with extra panache? Share tips and pics with the B&M Community via Twitter, Facebook or Instagram!