HELEN ROSCOE FROM BLACKBURN WINS FINALS OF PRESTIGIOUS JANE ASHER HOME BAKER OF THE YEAR COMPETITION 2009

9 October 2009

Keen home baker Helen Roscoe from Blackburn, Lancashire beat off competition from four other finalists to win the finals of the prestigious Jane Asher Home Baker of the Year Competition 2009, and take the title home to Blackburn.

Helen, pictured above with Jane Asher and Victoria Foods' Dan Ross, won a first prize worth £25,000 at the final bake-off of the competition which took place at the Poggenpohl Showrooms, Deansgate, Manchester on the 8^th October 2009, as part of the Manchester Food & Drink Festival.  There she battled it out with four other finalists, overseen by a panel of high profile judges, including Jane Asher herself, celebrity chef, Andrew Nutter, and TV personality Lucy Meacock, as she re-created her winning entry ‘Lancashire Belles’ in front of a live audience.

For good luck Helen sported her father's flat cap for the duration of the competition, and, while it obviously had the desired effect, she also felt that it definitely helped her "keep her head" under intense pressure as she prepared her dish!

Helen’s delicious recipe, based on Lancashire Parkin Cake, is a wickedly modern twist on a classic recipe. “I love baking choux pastry, traditional puddings and combining different elements to create an unusual dish” says Helen, and her winning recipe, which did all three, absolutely hit the spot with the judges.

Helen is no stranger to the art of baking, and started working in her early teens in a huge baking factory in Blackburn. Her first job was working on the ‘pie belt’ putting the lids on the pies.  She then moved on to the chocolate éclair department, and later still moved to Marks & Spencer where she worked for many years on the food side of the business.  Eight years ago Helen moved to Spain to run a 9 bedroom hostel with her partner Paul, where she developed additional baking and cooking skills by cooking for the hostel clients and people in their own homes. In June 2009 they returned to Blackburn to set up this concept in the UK.  

Helen was up against finalists including Toni Perry-Thomas from Walthamstow, London, Hester Duffy from Plymouth, Jodie Arksey from North Yorkshire and Magda Allan from Finsbury Park in London.

Organised by Leigh-based Victoria Foods, The Jane Asher Home Baker of the Year Competition is all about putting the fun back into home baking, and reaping the benefits of creating something delicious for family and friends.  Open to anyone over the age of 16, the Competition focuses on finding the most interesting and creative recipes from entries submitted online via www.homebake.co.uk .

“The standard of the recipes entered for this year’s competition was higher than ever, and we picked five really interesting cakes for the bake-off in Manchester", says Jane. “What was also great is that we had entries from so many younger home bakers this year. Helen's winning Lancashire Belles was such a creative pudding that it was a clear winner for us. I wish her all the best in her future baking career!"

First prize is a stunning new kitchen from Poggenpohl worth £25,000.  Runner-up prizes included a weekend cookery course for two at Lucy Cooks in the Lake District with an overnight stay at the 4* Lakeside Hotel in Windermere, and Chocolate Wedding and Celebration Cake courses at Manchester’s famed Slattery’s School of Excellence.

For further press information please contact: Sue James @ James PR on 00 353 857336981 or email suejpr@aol.com