The 2025 Spark Bake Off ran across five weeks of creative challenges, with the team taking part in friendly competition culminating in a grand final. This year, we introduced a community focus by collecting donations for the Lambeth & Croydon Food Bank in support of local people facing food insecurity. It was inspiring to see our team come together, combining their baking skills with a tangible contribution to the community.
The competition followed themed weeks inspired by the Great British Bake Off. From sweet treats to savoury dishes, the standard of bakes was impressive. While not all participants may continue baking as a hobby, everyone enjoyed sampling their colleagues’ creations.
In the first week, Tom set an early benchmark with a beautifully decorated chocolate cake – in fact it was so polished that a few voters jokingly questioned whether it had really been homemade. Dom followed with a gluten-free chocolate and berry cake featuring a secret beany ingredient, adding both creativity and inclusivity to the opening round.
Next up was biscuit week. Holly emerged victorious with her banana bread chocolate chip cookies, while Alex introduced colleagues to Anzac biscuits. In other weeks, Issy’s butternut squash and feta galette went down well, while I brought a touch of travel influence to my cardamom buns, taking inspiration from a visit to Copenhagen.
The grand final demonstrated the exceptional creativity within our team. Mollie impressed with two types of pastry swirls; spinach and feta, and festive brie with cranberry. Oli delivered a standout bake – a white chocolate, orange and tahini cake with homemade sesame brittle, earning the highest score and landing him the title of Spark Bake-Off 2025 Champion!
Beyond the competition, the Bake Off highlighted the generosity of the team. Contributions to the Lambeth & Croydon Food Bank will make a meaningful difference to local families. It reminds us that this event is about more than just baking, it’s an opportunity to come together and support the community whilst having some fun.
If you’d like to support the Lambeth & Croydon Food Bank, you can find more information, including how to donate, here: https://lambethcroydon.foodbank.org.uk/give-help/