Bake Off Star at Newport Food Festival
We caught up with Newport-native Jon Jenkins from Bake Off 2018, as he tells us all about his city’s food festival and what it’s like to get back on stage baking.
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00:00Yeah, it's absolutely packed.
00:04It's really good to see everything vibrant around.
00:07Chef demos, all the stalls, everybody around having a good time.
00:11It's really good.
00:12Well, Newport Food Festival has been going, I don't know, I'd say about 12 years.
00:17There's lots of stalls, lots going on.
00:19There was a dinner last night in the Mercury Hotel.
00:22There's a few chef demos that are going on.
00:26It's a real buzzing time, which I haven't seen for a while.
00:30After being an instant hit on Bake Off and a successful year or two afterwards, COVID
00:35got in the way of John's food festival appearances.
00:37But after a few year hiatus, he says he's excited to get back into it.
00:42I'm actually doing a chef demo today.
00:45I'm making persistant nadas on stage.
00:47I'm really looking forward to doing it.
00:49Can't wait.
00:50Yeah, well, I was on Bake Off in 2018.
00:52In 2019, I'd done quite a few food festivals.
00:56In 2020, obviously with COVID, they stopped.
01:00I think I've done one since then.
01:01So, yeah, it'll be great to get back on the stage and do a bit.
01:05I'm very nervous to get back out there, but I also can't wait.
01:07I've got a lot of support around with my family here and things.
01:10It's really good to see everybody.
01:11So, I'm looking forward to it.
01:14Newport is no stranger to events like these.
01:16And with Christmas coming up, there are going to be plenty more times over the next few
01:20months where the town centre will be full of people.
01:22So, to get people in now, realising how much Newport has,
01:26John thinks it's been a real success.
01:28Yeah, well, the market, it's been on that many years since the refurbishment.
01:32And, yeah, it's absolutely thriving down there.
01:34It's really busy.
01:35All the stores around town, there's a lot going on with the food festival.
01:39And I hear there's more tomorrow.
01:40There's bands here.
01:41I think it's really good, really good to see Newport being the great city it is.
01:46Yeah, it's great for Newport.
01:48You see, it's free.
01:49You know, bring all the people down, get all the stores here, everything going on.
01:52Newport, yeah, doing all right.
01:54They're doing the right thing to get people in.