The Great British Bake Off, now in its seventh series, attracts thousands of viewers each week despite the news it’s moving to Channel 4 without some of its beloved presenters. However, with such a huge following, what impact is the show having on the baking industry?
The quaint, British baking competition has launched a nationwide boom in the art of baking, with spending on bakery ingredients rising by £31m during the 10-week series. As well as this, we’re seeing a flurry of new baking entrepreneurs. Of the 4,190 recorded UK baking businesses in 2015, 51% had opened since the Great British Bake Off was first broadcast in 2010.
Although viewers are being inspired to create their own showstoppers at home, fear not, as it’s also inspiring them to buy from our very own Great British Bakers. Research by Kindred, a food marketing agency, shows that during each series, an additional £3million is spent on shop-bought cakes.
Supermarkets have also clocked on to the bake off bonanza and as the hype continues there has been no expense spared. Morrison’s appointed their first Chief Bake Officer who’s responsible for making sure they’re fully stocked with baking essentials as well as seek out the more unusual ingredients inspired by the show.
It appears it’s not just bakers making an impact though. Guest chefs on Master Chef are seeing their restaurant bookings soar by around 400%, despite appearing on our screens for only a few minutes.
Now that this series is over, make the most of the hype and rejoice as the nation’s interest in the wonderful world of baking continues to rise!