The Great British Bake Off has transformed over the past ten years to become a show that has been practically engrained into the national identity. It’s unsurprising that the winners of the show have achieved great levels of success including releasing cookbooks and having their own TV and radio shows. Three winners that have captivated my interest are Frances Quinn (Series 4), Nadiya Hussain (Series 6), Candice Brown (Series 7) because of all that they have achieved after the show, proving that they are impressive female self-starters.
FRANCES QUINN
Frances has used her artistic background to build a strong baking business, as exemplified by her gorgeous website which is filled with her artwork as well as her innovative bakes such as her Faux Egg Fried Porridge. It is little surprise that she has excelled beyond the tent and baked for some famous figures such as Clare Balding, Jools Holland and Quentin Blake. Moreover, she has appeared in Vogue as a judge for the Miss Vogue Bake Off and has also released her wittily named cookbook Quinntessential Baking. Frances truly proves that if you have motivation, you can reach great heights.
Frances’ My Icon Story is our Small & Mighty size (fits between 4-6 icons) and the icons represent her highlights since winning including one of our faves, creating an edible tennis racket for Wimbledon
NADIYA HUSSAIN
Nadiya became an inspirational figure to many following her experience on GBBO. She was named by Debrett’s as one of the 500 most influential people in the UK and has also been featured on the BBC News’ 100 Women list. Her powerful speech at the end where she told the audience:
“I’m never gonna put boundaries on myself ever again. I’m never gonna say I can’t do it. I’m never gonna say ‘maybe’. I’m never gonna say, ‘I don’t think I can.’ I can and I will”
This presents an important message to the public, stressing all that we can achieve with hard work and dedication. Nadiya’s growth mindset has led to major achievements, such as baking the Queen’s 90th Birthday cake, writing in various newspaper columns, launching a vibrant ceramics range influenced by her cultural background, becoming a guest presenter on Loose Women and hosting her own show The Chronicles of Nadiya. She has also released a popular cookbook.
Nadiya’s My Icon Story is our Inbetweener size (fits between 7-9 icons) and the icons represent just a small snapshot of Nadiya’s journey since winning the GBBO!
Nadiya’s charisma and relatability has made her a popular figure for mothers and audiences in general. Her willingness to be so open and vocal about mental makes her an important role model for people of all backgrounds and ages and taps in to the pressing need to discuss mental health (take a peek at our blog on how to take care of your mental health for some advice). The accessibility of her recipes has enabled her to strengthen her followership. Perhaps most important of all, however, is all that Nadiya has done to work on building connections between people through discussing in her memoir Finding My Voice how at the very root of things, humans face fundamentally the same issues and should not let our social, cultural and religious differences separate us. Her live tour will further compound these ideas and emphasises how Nadiya has perhaps travelled from outside the realms of baking to politics.
CANDICE BROWN
Candice decided to leave her teaching job in order to become a full-time baker, and this has resulted in her staying in the limelight. She has a regular column in the Sunday Times as well as her own book, Comfort: Delicious Bakes and Family Treats. Like Nadiya, she has appeared on Loose Women and a range of other daytime TV shows. She also enjoyed a fleeting appearance on Dancing on Ice. Candice now owns and runs The Green Man pub in Eversholt, Bedfordshire, a little bit of a change, though remaining in the catering industry.
Candice’s My Icon Story is our Small & Mighty size (fits between 4-6 icons) and the icons represent Candice’s story from PE Teacher to her post GBBO win and opening a pub with her brother in Eversholt.
These achievements are only the beginning for these women, and they emphasise how much we can grow and develop as people, pushing boundaries in ways that we would never have imagined. We all have our personal stories, and it is our choice to shape them, and write ourselves onto a path that we are proud of and that make us feel fulfilled.
So, who do I think will win this year? I think it most likely that Steph will win. She has won Star Baker four times and her designs are creative and flawlessly executed.
At My Icon Story, we are passionate about the power of visual storytelling which is why we’ve illustrated this blog with bespoke My Icon Story print examples for Frances, Nadiya and Candice, to bring their success and stories to life in a truly personalised way.
You can create your very own My Icon Story here, and remember any icons you need to complete your print, drop us an email and the team will design and add them to the My Icon Story icon library for you to use.
