Shoppers experienced a tasty treat at the Eden Shopping Centre on Saturday as the annual Street Eats Festival returned to High Wycombe.

Special celebrity guest, television presenter Gregg Wallace, who is best known for co-hosting MasterChef, wowed the crowds with live cookery demonstrations of some of his favourite recipes throughout the day.

The culinary expert shared his personal cooking tips and tricks with the audience before heading off to judge the centre’s annual Big Bucks Bake Off competition.

This year, the packed shopping centre was transformed into a bustling food market filled with stalls including creperies, cider producers and coffee artisans, as well as some of Eden’s own eateries including Pizza Express, Nandos, Wagamama, Frankie & Benny’s, Zizzi and Yo! Sushi.

Visitors left with full tummies as pizzas, sushi, Nandos chicken, Marks and Spencers food and drink and popcorn were handed out for passersby to sample.

Eden’s Marketing Manager, Niamh Crowley said: “Our annual food festival is one of the highlights of High Wycombe’s calendar.

“The Street Eats festival is a celebration of local food.” 

Bucks Free Press:

The highlight of this year’s vibrant annual celebration of local produce was the Big Bucks Bake Off, which saw over 15 avid bakers enter their best cake creations for a chance to win big prizes.

A panel of judges, led by head judge Gregg Wallace, sampled delicious homemade delights from keen chefs across Bucks.

After 45 minutes of deliberations, the 15 cakes, which included a strawberry and white chocolate mousse cake, gluten free chocolate cake and a banana cake, were narrowed down to just three finalists.

Pudding lover Gregg Wallace praised the ‘beautiful cakes’ and said the judges’ decision was difficult.   

Before announcing the winners, he said: “We tasted so much cake over and over again and we picked our final three. When you get quality cakes, and there were five of us judging, you take the quality of the icing and the quality of the sponge itself for granted.

“They had all done that perfectly well. It then came down to the artistry, the look of it and the combination of flavours.

“It really was a very tight call.”

The third place trophy went to Amanda White, who had created a delicious sticky toffee cake with salted caramel buttercream.

Gregg said: “The sticky toffee cake was the sort of cake you want to run head first into. It was sweet, sticky and everyone loves sticky toffee. It was a splendid looking cake.

“It has the classic beauty and the classic flavour combinations of a sticky toffee cake.”

 Second place was awarded to Farah Ghani for her stunning ‘Taste of Summer’ cake, a colourful cake decorated with macaroons and fresh fruit.

Gregg commended the cake, saying: “The Taste of Summer was so beautiful. It was a work of absolute beauty. It had perfectly placed macaroons on top. It really was a beautiful cake.”

Keen baker Naz Mirza took first place and impressed the judges with an intriguing coffee and cardamom cake.

Gregg admired the ‘wonderful idea’ and said: “The coffee and cardamom cake was a beautiful looking cake. It was a cake with a point of difference.

“You are a wonderful cake maker, it’s a wonderful idea. I loved it.”

Mrs Mira, from High Wycombe, told of her delight at winning the first competition she had entered.

She said: “It feels amazing to win, I didn’t think I would. I'm part of a cake club and I've made this cake before for them. I love cardamoms and coffee, so combining the two together seemed like a great idea.

“I saw all the other cakes and I didn’t think I would win, but I tasted one or two of the others and I thought I might have a chance. I’m really happy I did.”

Each of the winners took home a trophy as well as Eden Shopping Centre and free meal vouchers.

Slices of all 15 shortlisted cakes were sold on the day in aid of charity, with a total of £195.03 going towards helping Wycombe Homeless Connection.