Interview: Martha Collison from The Great British Bake Off

Martha Collison is Berkshire’s youthful Bake Off sensation. Emma Pritchard hears about her recipe for life

Walk down Sunninghill High Street and it’s more than likely that you’ll see a familiar face. One with sparkling eyes and an infectious smile; a rising star frequently to be found poised over a signature rhubarb and ginger cake. As Ascot’s most famous resident baker – you would need to have been living seriously off grid to have missed her on 2014’s The Great British Bake Off – with a debut book, Twist, now filling shop windows and shelves, Martha Collison is having quite a moment.

You can enter our competition to win a copy of Twist by clicking here

“When I first saw myself on the cover, I couldn’t believe it. I still find it odd that I get recognised in the street. I keep thinking that it will pass, but it hasn’t so far,” says the 19-year-old who, aged 17 during filming, was the BBC show’s youngest ever contestant.

Baking was a self-taught pastime, learnt through children’s recipe books in the absence of any fellow enthusiasts in the family; a relaxing hobby after a busy day at Charters School in Sunningdale.

“I would spend my IT lessons looking for recipe inspiration on Pinterest and Foodgawker, and then experiment with whatever ingredients were in the kitchen cupboards when I got home. I loved making rock cakes – which were really quite grim, looking back – but my family would eat them and be nice. They thought it was just a phase.”

Since Martha’s run through to the GBBO quarter-finals, however, that ‘phase’ has become quite the career. A regular recipe writer for Waitrose Weekend with her ‘Martha Bakes’ column, she is also the face of Cadbury Crème Eggs and even baked for the Queen’s 90th birthday. Most recently, Martha created a bespoke afternoon tea menu for this year’s Wimbledon.

“I’m blessed that something I love has become a full-time job. It’s not often that that happens,” she says.

Having applied to GBBO on a whim – “It seemed like a better way to spend a day than revising” – Martha came to prominence through a dollop of good fortune. But hard work was also part of the mix. She quickly earned the respect of judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood with such creations as her key lime baked Alaska and tiramisu cake, and won the hearts of the nation with her grace and good manners.

“Judging is a lot more personal than people realise. You spend so much time writing the recipes and practising, but you’re not allowed to tell anyone what you’re working on. You become a recluse, living in a baking bubble. So when a cake that you’ve made multiple times at home doesn’t turn out right on the show, it really does break your heart.”

And all that while simultaneously revising for her AS exams.

“I’d try to study in between takes but it was hard to concentrate,” admits Martha.

Fortunately, she has a close circle of friends and family to keep her grounded and, most importantly, to taste test her creations.

“I’d often invite friends over to eat stuff, passing off trays of doughnuts as just me being a keen baker! My parents would also take my cakes to work and I gave a lot to our congregation at Ascot Life Church [where her father is an elder]. I’d go with different batches of brownies and flapjacks, some made with brown sugar, others with dark brown sugar, and ask which one people preferred. Subtle changes in ingredients can make a real difference to the final flavour.”

It’s this attention to detail that makes Twist such an impressive debut. Months of research have gone into finding the best recipe for traditional favourites, including vanilla cupcakes, cookies and – Martha’s must-have – chocolate cake, and then creating simple but stunning variations: lemon cheesecake cupcakes, sea salt caramel and oat cookies, a chocolate and passionfruit layer cake.

“It’s been manic – the kitchen at home is always a mess and we’re running out of space to store all my cake tins and baking trays. But people are disappointed if they come round and can’t smell something in the oven. That’s why I love baking so much – it brings people together and gives you more time to build relationships and chat.”

Using her talent for good is something that has always been important to Martha. She is a passionate supporter of Christian relief and development charity Tearfund, heading up their No Child Taken campaign to protect vulnerable children from trafficking.

“Last year I did a 21-hour bakeathon to highlight the hours that trafficked children are forced to work, and then sold the cakes at evening service, which is aimed at students and those in their 20s. We raised £7,250.”

She also visited Cambodia, where she taught vulnerable girls how to make funnel cakes (recipe in Twist) using nothing more than a plastic water bottle and small stove.

“It was harrowing. Many of the girls were 14-15 – the same age as my sister, Hannah – and a lot of their families had already been trafficked. By teaching them how to bake something to sell, I was giving them the means of generating an income so that they wouldn’t be similarly ensnared.”

Back home, Martha is enjoying having time to unwind. Her A-levels completed and her book promotion well under way, it’s the perfect opportunity to contemplate her next move.

“I’d love to write another book and maybe go to cookery school,” she says.

For now though, she is just happy to be with family and friends. Martha has her cake and is eating it, enjoying every delicious slice.

Martha’s favourite chocolate cake

125g plain flour • 225g caster sugar • 50g cocoa powder • 1tsp bicarb of soda • ¼ tsp salt • 125ml buttermilk or 110ml milk + ½ tbsp lemon juice • 60g butter • 1 egg • 125ml coffee (or water)

Preheat oven, 180C; grease 20cm tin and line with baking parchment. Whisk flour, sugar, cocoa, bicarb of soda and salt in bowl.
For a buttermilk substitute, pour milk into a jug and add lemon juice. Leave to stand for five minutes until thickened.
Whisk buttermilk/acidified milk into melted butter and egg, followed by the coffee or water.
Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, whisking to a smooth batter. If making more than one layer, divide between the tins using a jug – use the markings to measure amount going into each tin, or put the tin on scales and measure by weight so that layers are the same height and cook at the same rate.
Bake 25-30mins until risen and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in tin for 10 mins before turning out onto cooling rack.