🎂 The Great Texcel Bake Off 2025
Today, the factory smelled a little sweeter than usual, it was time for the annual Texcel Bake Off, our most deliciously competitive event of the year.
Over ten incredible creations hit the table, each one a testament to the hidden patisserie talents lurking in the engineering world. There were sponges, tarts, tortes, baklava, cupcakes and a few that defied both gravity and recipe books.
Our judging duo was none other than Finance Director, Luke Vincett, joined by Special Projects Consultant, Peter Shawyer, who was wheeled out of retirement for the occasion. Luke took the lead on cake-cutting, partly because it’s safer that way and partly because Peter still can’t be trusted with sharp objects.
The bakes were magnificent, but the jokes… less so. There was a lot of talk about nuts. Luke, ever the expert, proudly identified several varieties, while Peter reminisced about a time he “used to crush nuts for a living”. (We didn’t ask for details.)
Luke took judging very seriously, introducing a strict scoring-out-of-twenty system and he’s now suggesting Texcel should diversify into cake production, with himself as Chief Taster. His gym routine may never recover, early reports suggest a five-pound gain in the line of duty.
After much nibbling and negotiation, the results were in:
🥇 1st – Eva
🥈 2nd – Paulina
🥉 Joint 3rd – Galina, Ana and Jayne
Winners received a cash envelope, while first place took home an additional Star Baker apron and tea-towel set, presumably to encourage more baking (or cleaning up).
All the entrants were winners in our eyes, and best of all, the Bake Off raised £100 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Texcel has fund-matched the total, so £200 will be heading to the charity — doing a bit of good as well as being delicious.
As for the rest of us? We did our part too. Every crumb vanished within minutes and the sugar crash hit shortly after. But it was totally worth it. 🍰
A big thank you to all our brilliant bakers for keeping Texcel’s sweetest tradition alive!
