FORMER Great British Bake Off contestant Howard Middleton showed off his cake making skills at a masterclass at Country Harvest in Ingleton.

The baker showed a packed audience how to make a gluten free crunchy nut carrot cake, while chatting about his experiences on the hit BBC show.

People travelled from Leeds, Otley and Northamptonshire to attend the two-hour event.

Howard was on Great British Bake Off three years ago and is particularly remembered for the moment when his custard was ‘stolen’ by another contestant. He was at Country Harvest as part of its Ingleborough Bake Off Challenge, where people are being invited to make a cake in the shape of the famous peak which its coffee shop overlooks.

The Ingleborough cake judging, sponsored by Wessex Mill Flours, takes place on Tuesday, September 27 and the winner will receive £100 in cash.

Pastry expert Michael Vanheste, head tutor at Northcote’s cookery school at Langho, in the Ribble Valley, has been lined up to judge Country Harvest’s Ingleborough cake competition.

“My two favourite things are cake and fell walking so this competition is right up my street,” he said.

Mr Vanheste has decades of pastry experience having worked for Betty’s in Harrogate for eight years before joining the Michelin starred Northcote restaurant.

“I’m delighted to be invited to help judge this competition at Country Harvest and look forward to trying the various cakes and seeing some of the designs," he said. "It should be a lot of fun.”

The judging takes place at Country Harvest, Ingleton, on September 27 and the winner will receive £100 in cash. Anyone interested in taking part in the competition should email suecountryharvest@gmail.com or ring 015242 42223.

The cakes can be any recipe, size, flavour – but they do need to resemble the famous Yorkshire peak of Ingleborough which overlooks Country Harvest’s coffee shop.

Country Harvest owner Mike Clark said: “We are delighted to have such a well qualified judge as Michael coming in to judge the bakes – it really adds to the prestige of the competition and I’m sure we’ll all learn a lot about baking from him on the day!”

Ingleborough stands at 2,372 feet and is the second biggest mountain in Yorkshire. Together with Pen y gent and Whernside it forms the famous Yorkshire Three Peaks range.