Brussels charity bake off: Christmas finale

The three runners up for the Christmas signature bake were MCI Sweetie Pies (iced fruitcake in the form of a Christmas gingerbread sleigh complete with lollipop reindeer), Cambre Gourmand (a chestnut cake with buttercream icing and seasonal decorations) and Gateauverit (a deceptively simple but delicious chocolate and fresh cream confection).

With the previous pie round held just one week earlier on November 25, there were clear signs of baking fatigue among some teams; judges may also have been feeling like over-fed geese in the run up to the feasting season. The gorging and judging continues with the British Chamber holding its annual Christmas lunch on December 19 when an additional prize will be awarded to the overall baking team, based on the votes of the general audience.

Reluctantly The Bulli Bakers had to throw in the oven mitt after the first cake round as deadlines descended. One lesson learnt is that the bigger the team, the better the bake, or at least less possibility of a burn-out.

Taking the blame for all this high-pressure and competitive cooking is Uzma Lodhi, the British Chamber’s head of policy manager and eager gastronome. “Yes, it’s my fault,” confesses Uzma. “I’m a big food fan and I like to combine my private and professional lives by bringing personal interests into the workplace,” she laughs.

Uzma admits to being amazed by the response to the competition. “I sit here with a smile when I think back to how we thought we might be lucky to get five or six teams and in the end we had to close it down because of so many entries.” The very first round attracted 23 teams, and the final 19.

“We’ve also been pleased by the response by donors and the public. As for the competition, there have been internal bake-offs by some teams, which shows how competitive this has been,” she added.

While the contest was launched as a fun networking event it also raises money for youth training programmes via the King Baudouin Foundation’s Network for Training Entrepreneurship (NFTE). As the British Chamber’s young professional networking wing , BNG traditionally supports projects that help young people into work. “This was a great opportunity to bridge the gap between Belgian and EU organisations,” explained Uzma.

Baking teams across Brussels may now be enjoying a respite from the heat of the kitchen but come autumn 2014, they will be picking up their whisks when the British Chamber launches series two.