There was something a little different cooking at Wellingtons Kitchens in Erith on Saturday 18 July. We handed over our working showroom kitchen to Lesley, star of The Great British Bake Off, for a full day of baking, learning and, of course, plenty of cake.
Our Victoria Sponge Perfection class was the first event of its kind at Wellingtons, giving guests the chance to spend the day baking alongside Lesley while picking up some of the tips and techniques she has learned along the way. And what better place to do it than in a kitchen showroom?
Putting our showroom kitchen to work
We always say that a kitchen needs to work just as well as it looks, so this was the perfect opportunity to put one of our Wellingtons Kitchens displays properly through its paces. Our Erith showroom became a working bakery. Mixing bowls, whisks, eggs and ingredients took over the worktops as guests worked together to create their own Victoria sponges from scratch.
Lesley guided everyone through the process step by step, demonstrating each stage before it was time for our bakers to have a go themselves. Our AEG ovens also got a proper workout, giving guests the opportunity to see what they could do in a real kitchen environment rather than simply looking at appliances on display.
It wasn’t just about following a recipe
Anyone can follow a recipe. What made the day particularly special was learning all those little tricks and techniques that aren’t always written down. Lesley shared plenty of her baking knowledge throughout the day, including how to use pectin correctly when making jam, how to test whether jam has reached its setting point and how different ingredients can affect the texture of a sponge. Guests also discovered the difference using Stork rather than butter can make when you’re looking for a lighter sponge.
These were the details people talked about afterwards. Even experienced home bakers came away having learned something new. And there was plenty of hands-on help along the way, with Lesley and her team moving around the kitchen to offer advice and encouragement as everyone baked, iced and assembled their cakes.
Tea, cake and plenty of conversation
It wouldn’t be a baking day without a cup of tea. A mid-morning break gave everyone the chance to sit down, compare notes and get to know each other. It quickly became as much a social occasion as a baking class, with guests swapping stories and talking about their own experiences in the kitchen.
By the afternoon, our worktops were lined with finished Victoria sponges. Some were beautifully neat, others had a little more homemade character, but everyone had a cake they’d made themselves to be proud of. And, most importantly, they tasted pretty good too.
More than just a kitchen showroom
At Wellingtons Kitchens, we spend a lot of time helping customers design kitchens around the way they actually live. A kitchen isn’t simply a collection of cabinets and appliances. It’s where people cook, experiment, talk, make a mess, learn new things and spend time together. For one Saturday in July, our showroom did exactly that.
A huge thank you to Lesley for bringing her knowledge, patience and warmth to Wellingtons, and to everyone who joined us and helped make our first cake-making day such a success. We’re already looking forward to doing more.