Burgers, beers and banter with Aidan Woodward

Once a month the Nelson Weekly has a yarn and some lunch with an interesting Nelsonian doing something interesting. This week journalist Kate Russell chats with Aidan Woodward, Nelson’s very own contestant on The Great Kiwi Bake Off, at Culture Beer House. The electrician at On It Electrical and registered nurse at Manuka St Hospital has survived the first four weeks on the show and is now amongst the final six contestants. The Great Kiwi Bake Off is on TV1 on Thursday nights at 7.30pm and also streams on TVNZ+.

Q: How long have you been baking?

A: I probably started baking when I was six or seven. As long as I could stand up at the bench or perched up on a chair and drive a wooden spoon, I could bake something. But it’s like anything - I started off small and it grew from there.

Q: What inspired you to apply to be on the show?

A: Back in 2012 I applied to be on The Great British Bake Off. I was short-listed for that and almost made it in - but I didn’t, so I dwelled on that for a better part of a decade. When the opportunity arose for this my other half said, ‘Why don’t you give it a go?’ Before I knew it, I was being contacted to participate.

Q: What was it like being on set?

A: Each episode was filmed over two days, and they were quite long days, some of them were 14 hours of filming. The whole thing was filmed over a total of three weeks. There were more cameras than I thought, and it was quite a science how they would dance around and never get in anyone’s shot when they were filming other things.

Q: If you could only eat one baked good for the rest of your life, what would it be?

A: If I had to name one thing it would probably be a really nice homemade hot cross bun, lots of butter, gently toasted.

Q: What is one thing in your kitchen that you can’t live without?

A: I know it sounds a bit random, but probably my whisk. I’ve had it for donkey’s years, some of the wires have broken off it and it’s seen better days, but I refuse to give it away. As long as it keeps whisking, I’ll keep using it.

Q: Were you nervous before filming and how did you calm your nerves?

A: I wouldn’t say it was so much nerves, just excitement. For me, I would turn up and try to channel any nervous excitement into something positive - which usually ended up with me trying to have a good time, have a laugh and relax. That’s generally how I go through life, I don’t take myself too seriously, but I take what I do seriously.

Q: What is it like watching yourself on TV?

A: It is a little bit strange as half the time you can’t remember what you said. It’s more amusing than anything else and I haven’t done anything marriage-ending just yet. It’s always a bit of a buzz on a Thursday to sit down and relive the adventure.

Q: Has it been hard not being able to tell people the final outcome?

A: It has, it was filmed last June so everyone’s had to keep their beaks buttoned since then. The challenge is trying to not let anything slip. It’s been especially hard at the hospital as there are a lot of excited individuals who are very caught up in it and want to know everything. You can relive the moments in each episode with them, but you can’t tell them the outcome or how far you get.

Q: What was your process for coming up with your bakes on the show?

A: In the lead-up, the food producers involved in the show would develop and set the challenges. We had a four-week lead-in to the show starting, so every week we were given four bakes to prepare. They would give you the brief for the bakes and you’d go away and think about it, practice, develop and submit your recipe. It was a very busy four weeks, if I wasn’t working, I was at home baking and practicing.

Q: Biggest highlight of being on the show?

A: Just being part of the whole experience. It’s a pretty unique, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I just soaked it up and tried not to get overwhelmed with anything.