A study has revealed that two of the UK’s most successful bakers and cooks who were once contestants on TV shows live in Bucks.
The study, which was conducted by magnet.co.uk, ranked contestants based on the number of restaurants or bakeries they’ve owned, number of books they've published, number of TV appearances, number of Michelin restaurants they've owned or worked at after the show, number of Google searches between 2017 and 2021, estimated earnings for a sponsored post on Instagram, and the different areas of the food industry they have ventured into (for example, owning a cookery school, offering catering services, etc).
It concluded that Nadiya Hussain and Candice Brown, who won the Great British Bake Off in 2015 and 2016 respectively, topped the list.
Both bakers currently live in Milton Keynes.
Nadiya Hussain won GBBO in 2015 (PA)
Beth Boulton, Head of Marketing at Magnet, said: “With the national ‘stay at home’ order having been in place for most of the past year, many of us have had more time on our hands and have found ourselves cooking more fresh dinners or dabbling in a bit of home baking.
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“As there are many successful people in the food industry that started out as amateurs, baking and cooking for fun – like lots of us are now – we wanted to find out who’s become the most successful after learning in their own kitchen.
Candice Brown won GBBO in 2016 (Pictured in 2020: Isabel Infantes/PA Photos)
“We hope this research will help to inspire anyone who’s embarking on their own culinary journey."
Some key findings from the study include:
•The Great British Bake Off has produced the most successful contestants with eight of the top 10 starting on this show, while two began on MasterChef
•Nadiya Hussain, who lives in Milton Keynes, has been ranked the most successful contestant since winning Bake Off, with 14 books published and 113 TV appearances to her name
•Based on her following and engagement on Instagram, Nadiya is also estimated to earn £2,195.28 for a sponsored post on the social media site. That's more than any other contestant and is double the second highest potential earner, Edward Kimber, who could grab £1,044.00 for a post
Candice Brown used to be a PE teacher in Berkhamsted (PA Photo/Ellis Parrinder)
•Candice Brown, who also lives in Milton Keynes, is the second most successful contestant - not only does she have over 50 TV appearances and over 100,000 searches on Google since 2017, but she also owns The Green Man Pub in Eversholt with her brother
•MasterChef finalist Andrew Kojima has gained the most Michelin career experience since being on the show, working in 11 Michelin-starred restaurants as well as owning his own restaurant, Koj, which was recommended in the Michelin Guide
•Rahul Mandal has received 209,550 searches on Google since appearing on Bake Off in 2018, that’s more than any other contestant
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The top 15 most successful contestants from the UK’s cooking and baking shows are:
The list of bakers
To find out more, visit www.magnet.co.uk/advice-inspiration/blog/2021/april/most-successful-tv-contestants.
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