Edd Kimber gave up his job in a bank when he was crowned winner of BBC Two’s Great British Bake Off last year. The competition aimed to find the UK’s most talented amateur baker.

Before his appearance at Glynde Food & English Wine Festival this weekend, The Guide caught up with the 26-year-old Bradford boy.

When did you discover you had a talent for baking?

I was brought up baking with my family. My nanna was a very strong baker and imbued that in the whole family – my brother and sister think you can’t be a good nanna unless you have a tin of parkin in the house at all times!

I used to bake mince pies and scones with my mum as a child but I didn’t take it up properly until I was 20. It was a way to do something creative when I was stuck in jobs I hated. It’s very good for stress relief, getting in the kitchen, putting on some music and making cakes – you can’t beat it.

Is there a stigma attached to being “a boy who bakes”?

I don’t know. I think generally baking is considered a very middle-aged, WI sort of thing and there’s nothing wrong with that of course, but it’s nice to show that anyone can bake. I had a letter from an 11-year-old boy saying he loved the show and now loves to bake and that was great. I’d like to see everybody baking. It’s cheap, easy and fun and you get something lovely at the end of it.

How would you describe the recipes in your new book?

They’re a mixture of traditional recipes with a twist and recipes with a special association for me. I’ve put one of my nanna’s recipes in there and was forbidden to change a word by my mum!

Usually I like taking an idea and seeing what I can do with it. One of the recipes was inspired by my boyfriend who mentioned that raspberry ripple ice cream was always his favourite as a kid, so I turned that into a cake for his birthday.

What will you be doing at Glynde?

I’ll be doing a few baking demos; I’m going to show people how to make a mousse of white chocolate and matcha [a finely ground green tea] which is really summery and delicious. Also how to make a blackcurrant amandine – it’s a frangipane baked into a mould that looks like a little cake but is really moist and has a filling of blackcurrant jam with a crumble topping.

Both are really simple but very elegant.

* 10am-5pm, tickets from £7. Call 01273 858224. Other guests include Masterchef presenter John Torode, Masterchef winner Dhruv Baker and Celebrity masterchef winner actress Lisa Faulkner.

* Edd Kimber’s first cookbook, The Boy Who Bakes, is out in September. Edd can be found blogging at www.theboywhobakes.co.uk.