Great British Bake Off contestant comes to Lincolnshire Food & Gift Fair! 21 Oct

For the first time in Lincolnshire Food & Gift Fair history, the Lincolnshire Kitchen will be welcoming a Great British Bake Off Contestant. Sandy Docherty will be sharing her knowledge of baking and demonstrating her favourite Christmas recipes with the audiences on both days of the event.

Since taking part in the Great British Bake Off, Sandy continues with her mission to Bake Down Barriers, to get the world cooking and baking and sharing their stories of Food.

She has always supported charity events, working with such charities as: Help for Heroes, The Bronte Society, Howarth Fair trade, NHS Hospitals, and Candlelighters hospice, plus organisations in and around her native Yorkshire.

“I love the opportunity to share my passion with the public, baking and cooking have a universal language. It can say, I care, it can say welcome, I’m sorry or just, I’ve made plenty”

Sandy has worked on two books which will also be available to purchase at the Lincolnshire Food & Gift Fair; the first being a self-published combination of easy and affordable recipes many of which formed part of Sandy’s development into the word of food.

The second published by Scratching Shed Publications captures Sandy’s love of the North of England. Each recipe has been personalised to compliment the story of people, places and towns in the North. Achievable and exciting recipes coupled with local history and facts. A great read and ideal gift.

Question time with Sandy…

What is your earliest baking memory?

Helping my Aunty Lilly. She as asked me to cut some cherries, which I dutifully did but instead of using a knife I found it quicker to bite them all in two.

Name something you couldn’t live without in the kitchen:

My large Victorian mixing bowl, I don’t have a large stand mixer, so I use a handheld, but for cakes, pastry etc I find that a roomy bowl is essential, I mix cakes by hand making sure my butter/margarine is soft so it beats well.

What is your ‘go to’ baking recipe?

I honestly have to say I don’t have one, it depends on the day and if I have bought a new tin, at the moment I have just bought a special tray bake tin so everything is bars or slices or a pasty, Caramel slice, date pasty, etc

Your favourite recipe?

I think this also depends on how I am feeling, I often practice a recipe again and again if it’s one that has caused me some issues, I’m currently determined to master Macrons, I know they are supposed to be easy once you master the method but its just beating me at the moment, still once I get it they will come by favourite for a while.

Is there anything you would like to learn to perfect?

Yes, Macrons, I want to make them with the ease that I see others make them, I wonder if it’s about the right equipment? The number of times you stir? When I get them to not stick, they are full of air or the run. Once mastered they will be such a handy gift and they keep in the freezer, great to make different colours and gift box them. I did make some for my Mums birthday they looked really good however it was scandalous the amount of egg white and ground almonds I went through to get the few I needed.

What skill do you think is most important for baking?

The most important thing is a desire, after that, things can be practiced and mastered, equipment can be bought. I know there are many with a gift for some part of baking eg, pastry, bread, but if you have the desire, you will unearth that gift. The desire does not have to be about getting good at baking to enter a competition etc, the desire. must come from the heart and often be about something else. I mean, I bake to say something,” I care,” “what can I do,” “I’m sorry” “I love you”. So why enter a national competition? Well, I think I wanted to see who the real Sandy was, I’d been a mother by son was now in his 20’s, I spent a lot of years getting over an unhappy marriage and blaming myself, I’d allowed myself to be untrue to my values. I was born Alexandra Marie Driver yet, since birth I have always been called Sandy. I think I needed to challenge Alexandra to stand up and be counted at 50 so I entered GBBO remembering it was my desire to bake and please.

The full timetable is available on the Food & Gift Tab at www.lincolnshireshowground.co.uk