A Tearfund Cakes Bakes and Faith Tour with Martha Collison has just completed a short visit to Northern Ireland. All you Great British Bake Off fans will know Martha was a quarter finalist in the in 2014 series. She is also a Christian and wanted to combine her love of baking and her love for Jesus.
She is now partnering with Tearfund in these Cakes Bakes and Faith events. Three of these evenings took place recently in First Holywood, First Portglenone and Terrace Row Church, Coleraine. We had an opportunity to ask Martha a few questions.
How have you enjoyed your time in Northern Ireland? “This was my second visit to N. Ireland. The first time was spent around the Belfast area so this time it was nice to see more of the country. I got to visit the Giant’s Causeway and Carrick-a-rede, but it was so nice to meet the people. People who, like me, are interested in baking and also interested in Tearfund’s work.”
Explain briefly how you’ve managed to combine your love of baking with your love for Jesus? “For me, my love of baking has given me so many opportunities to share my faith. I do not want to hide my faith, I want to share it with people! The Tearfund Cakes Bakes and Faith tour has allowed me to do exactly that.”
You recently went to Cambodia with Tearfund. What did you learn and how has it changed your outlook on life? “I am now very grateful for what I have here in the UK! But it was also refreshing for me to see how the Christians in Cambodia were content with so little.It was a humbling experience.
I was delighted to be able to pass on baking skills to some women in communities there. Teaching the women these new skills will provide food for their family. They will also now be able to sell some of their baking and so have money to support themselves and their families better.”
Give us a quick summary of your new book. “The book is called ‘Twist’. A lot of my baking involves putting a twist on many classic recipes. I like to be creative! So the book is a result of that creativity – recipes with twists, some short, some full length! But recipes which you can take and produce modern and delicious bakes. Cakes, biscuits, pastry, desserts sweets and more are all in there.”
The Tearfund Cakes Bakes And Faith Tour with Martha Collison has just completed 3 very successful events in N. Ireland. These were helping to promote the Tearfund Big Bake campaign.
Martha has joined forces with Tearfund to help promote their Big Bake campaign. Tearfund are encouraging you to get involved in the Big Bake so they can help desperate people across the world. Projects that include helping people like Yasmin in Chad to have enough food to survive. Protecting women and children in Cambodia from human trafficking. Click here to find out much more about the Tearfund Big Bake campaign. Is this something you could organise in your church, school, workplace or home to help those in desperate need?
You can keep up to date with Tearfund in Northern Ireland on their Facebook page here. There’s some great shots and selfies of the Tearfund Cakes Bakes and Faith Tour with Martha Collison on there now. If you want to see more of Martha’s amazing baking you can follow her on Instagram here.