Baking Queen
Surrey Life|January 2018

Fresh from her Great British Bake Off win, Thames Ditton resident Sophie Faldo tells Rebecca Younger about her future plans and why she doesn’t want to put all her eggs in one basket

Rebecca Younger
Baking Queen
SITTING cross legged on the sofa in her two-bedroom Thames Ditton flat, her Great British Bake Off (GBBO) cake stand trophy pride of place on the shelf above, Sophie Faldo seems relaxed but focused. Understandably for a GBBO winner, there are a huge number of work offers and options on the table (including potential work in the kitchen at the The Clock House, in Ripley, which was recently crowned with a Michelin star, ) but the 33-year-old says she is being cautious about what she wants to do next.

With her calm and collected appearance on GBBO, which controversially moved from BBC to Channel 4 this year, you would be forgiven for thinking that Sophie had been baking since childhood but in fact Sophie’s introduction to baking came just five years ago when she made a birthday cake for her housemate.

“I thought ‘this is quite cool’ so I made a few more and then I did two wedding cakes for a couple of friends of mine,” she says. “It was actually the decorating I liked more. I had quite a small oven in my old place so the baking was a real nuisance because it took so long to get the tiers done.”

But it wasn’t until she embarked on a ski season in Morzine with her chef boyfriend David (who works at The Glass House in Kew) in December 2016 that she was convinced to apply for GBBO. While she was there, she would bake cakes and other treats daily for the chalet guests’ afternoon tea, which helped her hone her skills.

“While we were there I was trying to apply to Le Cordon Bleu to the patisserie scholarship but found out they weren’t doing it that year so David said I should apply for GBBO instead,” she says. “I loved the show but because all I did was cakes and I didn’t know anything about bread or pastry, I thought it was a bit ridiculous.”

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM SURREY LIFEView all
The House That Rocks
Surrey Life

The House That Rocks

Transforming an impressive, seven-bedroom Victorian property in Dorking wasn’t without its challenges, but the result is a stunning family home that has had the interiors world raving

time-read
6 mins  |
November 2020
REMEDY FOR SUCCESS
Surrey Life

REMEDY FOR SUCCESS

Surrey’s Tracy Borman discusses the return of her heroine healer in the final book of her best-selling fictional trilogy

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
Love Celia
Surrey Life

Love Celia

Actress Celia Imrie has travelled the world for work and leisure but wherever she goes there is a part of her which is forever Surrey

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
EXHIBITION OF THE MONTH
Surrey Life

EXHIBITION OF THE MONTH

Art & Action: Making Change in Victorian Britain at Watts Gallery – Artists’ Village in Compton focuses on the Victorian roots of art activism

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
Electric dreams
Surrey Life

Electric dreams

The Range Rover plug-in hybrid brings silent electric motoring to this iconic luxury car

time-read
3 mins  |
November 2020
THE OPEN ROAD
Surrey Life

THE OPEN ROAD

Chris Pickering rounds up some of the best drives in Surrey

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2020
TOWN AND COUNTRY: Oxted & Limpsfield
Surrey Life

TOWN AND COUNTRY: Oxted & Limpsfield

With the North Downs looming nearby and glorious countryside surrounding it, Oxted is a town with real “escape from London” appeal and character, while nearby Limpsfield has a superb village vibe with its own community-run pub

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2020
Artist to the stars
Surrey Life

Artist to the stars

Known as ‘The Face of Modern British Impressionism’, Mickleham-based Sherree Valentine Daines is celebrating four decades at the forefront of her field

time-read
8 mins  |
November 2020
A RIGHT ROYAL WELCOME
Surrey Life

A RIGHT ROYAL WELCOME

The Signet Collection’s inaugural hotel project is a reimagining of a former royal guest house, situated directly opposite Hampton Court Palace

time-read
4 mins  |
November 2020
TOWN AND COUNTRY: Godalming & Hascombe
Surrey Life

TOWN AND COUNTRY: Godalming & Hascombe

On the banks of the River Wey, Godalming is a watercolour pretty town surrounded by pristine countryside and in-demand rural villages, such as Hascombe

time-read
4 mins  |
October 2020