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Popular baking show The Great British Bake Off is hosting first ever vegan baking challenge in a bid to be ‘representative of the current UK’.
The Great British Bake Off returns to our screens on Tuesday (28th August), and this year will see the show challenge bakers to create a range of vegan baked goods for the first time in the show’s eight-year history.
With recent research by comparethemarket.com revealing that veganism has grown by 700% in the UK over the last two years, the show is hoping to target a rising demographic.
Judge Paul Hollywood has called the upcoming challenge ‘fascinating’ and ‘representative of the current UK’.
Speaking at the launch of this year’s series, he explained: ‘We wanted something different and something that was happening in this country and veganism seems to be growing and we wanted to represent it on the Bake Off this year, and that’s why it’s in.’
Vegan baking will put the baker’s skills to the test as they will not be able to use ingredients like milk, eggs and butter which are typically used in baked goods. Instead they will be challenged to use alternative ingredients like chia and flax eggs, aquafaba and plant-based milks and butters to create their bakes in the challenges.
Discussing how he plans to judge the vegan bakes alongside Prue Leith, Paul said: ‘You’ve got to judge it the same way you would judge it on a conventional. ‘You can’t judge it and say “it’s ok for vegan”, it’s got to taste good. Period. So we judged it and we were surprised.’
Prue also said that she found the rounds ‘fascinating’ and encouraged others to watch. She added: ‘You shouldn’t miss that one. If you’re a vegan or are thinking of becoming a vegan, or think about it and worry about how it will change your life. It’ll shock you. It shocked me as well honestly.’
Image credit: The Great British Bake Off/PA
