BBC Cooking Celebrities, Live!

I received an email about a month ago from the local conference center announcing that was the BBC's Spring Good Food Show was coming to town.  I clicked the link and there were still tickets for the food hall + demonstration show, and without even thinking twice, I clicked the Buy Now button. 

The show's headliners were Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, judges on the massively popular show, The Great British Bake-Off. They recently aired the last season of Bake-Off on PBS back in the states. I think in the states it's called the British Baking Show or some such thing. 

Live cooking demo with Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood

I could only get tickets to the 9;30am demo show as the rest of the shows only had nosebleed seats left. I took a few photos with my phone, however the lights were so bright that all I got photo-wise was the white glow of lights. However, if you look closely, you can see the black shirt with arms outstretched on the left side, that's Paul Hollywood making his Bakewell tart. Mary is standing to his left, in a white shirt, but she pretty much disappears into the photo. You can easily make out the jeans-wearing camera man smack dab in the middle of the stage. After a few photo attempts, I put down my phone and enjoyed the demo. 

After the cooking demo, Bill and I walked around the conference hall, purchasing foodstuffs (cheese! ricotta-filled Italian doughnuts!! whiskey!!!) and a few unnecessary - but seemed necessary at the time - cooking gadgets (oven bottom liner and a pastry piping bag). We walked home and had lunch together, before I walked back to try to get a seat for the Mary Berry interview. I arrived 30 minutes early and got a spot in the standing-room only fringes. 

Mary Berry, a sweeter, older version of Martha Stewart 

Mary's 30-minute interview was delightful! She is adorable, sweet, but very practicle. She answered as many questions from the crowd as possible and charmed everyone. 

After the Mary Berry interview there was a short break, but I stuck around, got an actual seat, and watched the interview with the Hairy Bikers. I have never watched their cooking show, but it sounds like they're kind of like Anthony Bourdain in that they're chefs but their show features them not only cooking, but also travelling the world to experience other culture's food.  

The Hairy Bikers

They were as boisterous and off-color as much as Mary was sweet and delicate. I'll have to keep my eyes open for their show on TV and record it — I am sure they're a hoot on the show!