food & drink
y o B e Cak
d e ll i r G
Levanah Reyes-Wainwright interviews Eric Lanlard AKA Cake Boy, master patissier and twice winner of the prestigious Continental Patissier of the Year at the British Baking Awards
I had always wanted my own shop so when the right time arrived, I went for it. The concept is almost a copy of the patisserie that I had designed in my head when I was 10 years old
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Was baking something you felt you wanted to do all your life? I started baking when I was 6 and I haven’t stopped since, the first attempt was almost disastrous. Perfection, precision and discipline were certainly very important things that I learnt from my mentors. I had to wait until I turned 18 to start an apprenticeship, I walked into the kitchen on my first day and I knew straight away that is was the right choice for me.
Do you feel that baking has now become more accessible to the male market? Funnily enough in France it is a profession mostly dominated by men so for me there is nothing strange about seeing a man bake. Men like precision and they bake in the same way that they would build their Lego or Meccano models. And of course they are extremely competitive which is why they strive for perfection.
What is your proudest achievement? Opening the shop was probably my biggest achievement, I had always wanted my own shop so when the right time arrived, I went for it. The concept is almost a copy of the patisserie that I had designed in my head when I was 10 years old. Over the years I have had four television series, and I am about to have my fourth book published. Sometimes I have those ‘pinch myself’ moments – but I am still very grounded, I am still the first one in the kitchen at 6am most days.
What are your views on tv ‘celebrity’ chefs? Are they a great way to make cooking seem more understandable? I like TV chefs who demonstrate and make recipes well and accessible, there is nothing worse than watching a show and not being able to follow the recipe. Or finding out that you cannot buy the ingredients or the equipment as they are for professional kitchens only! That is what I do in my show [‘Baking Mad’], I demonstrate how simple it is to do fabulous baking with simple ingredients.
Baking has become increasingly popular, why do you think this is and how do you think it’s changed over the years? Suddenly we have more confidence to experiment in our own kitchens, people are entertaining much more at home and are rediscovering the pleasure of baking. Twenty years ago home baking was very stodgy and heavy. Now, due to easy access to great ingredients and good equipment it doesn’t have to be that way. It is relaxing, creative and rewarding and that is why I love it.
What’s the most extravagant expensive cake you’ve ever produced? We produced a very dramatic wedding cake for a high society wedding a few years ago. The intricate work and detail was really amazing and it was gilded with 23 carat edible gold. The shape was very difficult to achieve as it was almost shaped like a crown. The clients wanted the cake to stand out on the day as they had so many flowers and it did! At Cake Boy we always like a good challenge.