AN ENTREPRENEUR has brought the Great British Bake Off to Essex by launching her own baking school.

Sarah Plumb, 36, has set up the Delightful Tea Bake School to encourage aspiring bakers to roll their sleeves up and enjoy all the delights baking has to offer.

She was spurred on by the success of fellow Essex residents Jo Wheatley and Ruby Tandoh in the hit BBC baking contest.

Echo: Recipe for success – Ruby Tandoh

Ruby Tandoh

Sarah, of Boscombe Road, Southend, said: “I’ve always loved baking and cooking ever since I was a child – it’s the way I relax and take time out, and I’ve been interested in doing this kind of thing for a long time.

“I worked at a wedding cake and cupcake design business in Chelmsford and it really spurred me on to create a business of my own, so in the last six to nine months I started putting plans into action and getting down into the nitty gritty of it all.

“The Great British Bake Off definitely helped encourage me – when you’re starting a business, you want to see there’s a market for it and Bake Off helped with that.”

The school is set in a converted stable yard inGreat Wakering, and been completely renovated for baking novices and enthusiasts alike to learn the art of bread-making, pastry and cake decorating.

Sarah said: “My vision was to provide a relaxed environment where clients can learn traditional baking skills, using the kinds of equipment and utensils easily available in their own homes or on the high street.

“The principle of the school is to get people baking confidently – offering classes in the kinds of baking that can be used every day and can actually feed the family with homemade, wholesome food that’s not over-processed.”

Sarah will offer hands-on, step-bystep domestic courses to suit all abilities, and has a maximum capacity for seven bakers.

She said: “I wanted to focus on small groups, to make classes nice and personal, so everyone gets a lot of attention.

“The course lengths will vary from a ‘bite-sized’ couple of hours to a full day, and I plan to extend to longer courses, evenings and pop-up classes as the business develops.”

Sarah says she has had a lot of interest already, and is looking forward to launching the school on Tuesday, November 12, with an afternoon tea treats baking class.

She added: “I’ve had quite a lot of Inquiries already, so it’s been a very positive start – now I’m just waiting to see how it all pans out.”

For more information, visit www.delightfultea.co.uk