Paul Hollywood was in town today at the Nidd Hall Hotel in Knaresborough (19 October 2013)
Scones, flatbread and Paul’s signature 8-strand plaits were the order of the day.
Paul talked about his early days in the family bakery, to being head baker in a number of top London Hotels.
With the Great British Bake off shortly heading to the final he retains the position of the king of the hill for baking – arguably Paul is more about bread while Mary Berry is the Queen of cakes.
Listening to him speak, I suspect there is a part of him that hasn’t come to terms with the new world that he now works in. At his core he oozes knowledge and enthusiasm for what he does. During the Q&A, you gain a hint of that, and you suspect that he could have talked for much longer in response to some of the questions.
He is a big advocate of atisan baking, or is that a modern way of talking about how bread used to be made.
Paul was charming and engaging with the audience – his influence on baking in the UK has been undeniably huge, installing a can-do attitude with his TV appearances and books.
I suspect after today many people will be making scones before the end of the weekend.
