Behind the scenes with a GBBO home economist

Now that the Great British Bake Off/Baking Show is over, you might be going through a bit of withdrawal. If so, I just found something that might help: an interview with Faenia Moore, the home economist for the GBBO since its inception.

So what does a home economist on the set of a cooking show do? A lot. Moore is the one tasked with organizing all of the ingredients you see neatly lined up on the benches as the contestants begin to bake. Since the show does not show brand names, all of the items must be decanted into the charming kilner jars with snap lids that line the workstations. Moore works with a team of two other people supplying contestants with the ingredients, plus extras if they want to start over, as frequently happens.

In addition to running the culinary department, Moore is involved in casting. She conducts interviews with potential contestants to find out how much they know about baking, how they learned to bake, and so on. The interview also discusses what the show does with leftovers, how they handle weird or expensive ingredient requests by the bakers, and what Moore sees as trends in baking. If you like GBBO, you will love this behind-the-scenes peek into the tent (and learn what’s behind the sunburst).

Photo of Chocolate and chilli penguins with orange-flavoured ganache from The Guardian by Kim-Joy, 2018 GBBO runner-up