Junior Bake Off

[Solodreamer]

Does anyone else think Junior Bake Off needs to be more representative of a wider range of kids to attract more kids to baking?

They all seem to come from extremely affluent backgrounds and have the resources to dream widely e.g. the child who is raising ducks and dreams of building his own home and living an entirely sustainable life. The kids I've taught in disadvantaged areas are often moving house every months due to insecure housing so wouldn't even dare to dream of that kind of life.

Then there's their amazing holidays, amazing homes on their videos and several are bilingual. Etc etc.

Aibu to think the show should be more representative of reality?

You need money to travel to the auditions as well as money to buy ingredients and experiment. In some households, a box of eggs will be a savoury meal and not for baking cakes and meringues.

I’m going to say yabu just because what disadvantaged child has the resources to bake at home, with costly ingredients, for the pleasure of it and not necessity.

They are mostly all desserts. I was brought up in very difficult circumstances, we didn’t have money or time to be making dinner from scratch and certainly didn’t have dessert unless it was Christmas.

So YANBU to wish it, but YABU to expect a show to represent everyone when the show as a whole already represents a specialist and at times expensive hobby.

I think unfortunately kids who have a love of baking & creating elaborate bakes will have come from narrow backgrounds as money is important.

I think ideally the programme would be more inclusive but a lot of low income families probably don't bake because they can't afford the cost of the ingredients/ electricity or gas, or simply that there isn't time. Some kids in really difficult circumstances may not even have access to an oven.

I come from a relatively poor background (both my parents worked but were on low wages, we lived in social housing etc) and although my mum cooked dinners from scratch every night she didn't bake. In fact I didn't know anyone whose parents did.

I know baking etc is more popular now thanks to programmes like this but it's still seen by many as a bit middle class or just too expensive for people who are struggling. The demographic of applicants will therefore lean to the middle classes who have the opportunity and money to play about and experiment with ingredients.

And before anyone says oh you can make a cake for pennies...well you need cake tins (we didn't have these growing up), the electric/ gas. And it's only cheap if it was something you were buying anyway, cake or biscuits are not part of everyone's weekly shop.

And before anyone says oh you can make a cake for pennies...well you need cake tins (we didn't have these growing up), the electric/ gas. And it's only cheap if it was something you were buying anyway, cake or biscuits are not part of everyone's weekly shop.

Exactly. If it goes wrong you’ve lost £6 or more. It’s cheaper to buy a slab of £1 Madeira cake. And I cooked my own dinners most of the time without an adult even present, so would I have access to a recipe, technique, oven timings, etc.

I cooked a cake last week & fecked it, so had to re do. Would have been cheaper to buy.

My family were poor - not on the breadline but we struggled a lot. There was no money for baking, let alone for cookery courses or books, trying out recipes, applying / travelling to auditions for TV shows. That’s why a wider range of backgrounds aren’t represented on a TV programme - because poor people can’t afford to even consider entering their kids.

It's a competition. Do we open every competition to a wider range of kids? Or do we just allow kids who are good at it? How would that be fair?

Hmm. Strangely my FIL just messaged me about this. His best friend's daughter is in it, heat two I think. I can assure you a lovely average family. Not affluent.

We've been watching it and quite a few of the kids are from what I would say were fairly average backgrounds.
It's certainly very culturally diverse.

I reckon skiing is probably the same. And piano. All the preserve of posh kids. Not sure what you do about it other than try to tackle inequality.

@BHX3000

My family were poor - not on the breadline but we struggled a lot. There was no money for baking, let alone for cookery courses or books, trying out recipes, applying / travelling to auditions for TV shows. That’s why a wider range of backgrounds aren’t represented on a TV programme - because poor people can’t afford to even consider entering their kids.

This.

The kids on there cant help their background, they actually all seem lovely grounded kids (Obviously cant really tell as in the edit). How do poor children afford to practice their cooking then?

Perhaps some of the money made by by the show could go towards funding cooking classes etc...in schools across the UK.

I think that funding to learn to read and write will be ahead of cooking.................

@Strictlyfanoftenyears

I think that funding to learn to read and write will be ahead of cooking.................

They go hand in hand though surely. It's life chances, opportunities etc and I say that as a teacher.

@homeappliances

Perhaps some of the money made by by the show could go towards funding cooking classes etc...in schools across the UK.

Good idea!

@HamCob

We've been watching it and quite a few of the kids are from what I would say were fairly average backgrounds. It's certainly very culturally diverse.

I have to say I disagree. Most average families don't cook with duck eggs, go on skiing holidays etc.

Maybe not but I can't get worked up about it to be honest. Does every TV show have to tick every box? Didn't see any disabled kids on there or kids from single parent families...
I'm more annoyed that they've got 9 yr olds competing against 15 year olds!