With the latest series of the Great British Bake Off now underway, a new study by supermarket Aldi has found that the show might have more influence on the British public than previously thought.
The baking competition, which premiered in 2010, has no doubt reignited the nation’s love of all things baking: 85 per cent of Brits said they felt inspired to don their aprons and get their bake on after watching the show.
While viewers might not be subjected to the famously high standards of judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith at home, 67 per cent admitted that watching the show – which has shot the likes of Nadiya Hussain, Candice Brown, and John Waithe to fame – has made them realise how difficult baking can be.
In the survey, 74 per cent of people asked by the supermarket said they have baked at home after watching Bake Off, with 34 per cent of men and a quarter (24 per cent) of women taking to the kitchen after every episode.
Series 15 of the baking competition premiered on Channel 4 on September 24, introducing 12 new bakers to the tent, with duo Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding returning as the hosts. The series kicked off with cake week, requiring contestants to make a signature loaf cake, eight technically perfect mini Battenbergs, and a hyper-realistic illusion cake showstopper.
According to Aldi, the show isn’t just getting more of us into the kitchen, either. The supermarket said that, after last year’s cheesecake technical challenge, it saw a 42 per cent increase in cheesecake purchases in its stores, with half of those surveyed saying they’ve sneaked to the shops to buy a bake they’ve seen on the show.
“We love seeing our shoppers rising to the occasion and celebrating the return of the Great British Bake Off,” Julie Ashfield, managing director of buying at Aldi UK, said. “Last year, we saw an uplift in sales across a range of baking products, including flour, chocolate chips and icing sugar while the show was on our screens, so we can’t wait to see shoppers raising the bar with a little help from Aldi this year.”
The Great British Bake Off airs on Tuesdays at 8pm on Channel 4.
