Martha Collison
{{Short description|British baker and food columnist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Martha Collison
| image =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1996|9|23}}
| nationality = British
| occupation = Food writer, author, columnist
| television = The Great British Bake Off
| website = http://www.bakingmartha.co.uk/
}}
Martha Collison (born 23 September 1996) is a British baker and food columnist. She rose to fame after competing as The Great British Bake Off{{'}}s youngest ever contestant,{{Cite web|url=http://www.womanalive.co.uk/stories/view?articleid=501|title=Martha Collison speaks - Woman Alive|website=womanalive.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2017-09-05}} reaching the quarter-final of the fifth series at age 17. She writes a weekly column for the Waitrose weekend newspaper,{{Cite web|url=http://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/baking/bake-with/martha-collison.html|title=Martha Collison Baking Recipes {{!}} Waitrose|last=Limited|first=Waitrose|website=waitrose.com|language=en|access-date=2017-09-05}} and has released two cookery books as well as running a successful baking blog.
Early life
Martha Collison grew up in Ascot, Berkshire.{{Cite web|url=https://www.berksandbuckslife.co.uk/people/celebrity-interviews/martha-collison-on-life-since-the-great-british-bake-off-1-5311752|title=Martha Collison on life since the Great British Bake Off|website=Berkshire Life|language=en|access-date=2019-07-08}} She has one younger sister, Hannah. She began baking at the age of eight, the result of her parents letting her loose in the kitchen{{Cite web|url=http://www.bakingmartha.co.uk/about|title=About|website=Baking Martha|language=en-US|access-date=2019-07-08}}
Career
=Television=
In 2014, at the age of 17, Collison took part in the fifth series of The Great British Bake Off on BBC One.{{cite news |last1=Foster |first1=Patrick |title=BBC loses Great British Bake Off as Channel 4 swoops for Britain's biggest show |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/12/bbc-loses-great-british-bake-off/ |work=The Telegraph |date=12 September 2016}} She is the youngest ever contestant in the show's history, making it to the quarter finals before being knocked out of the competition.{{citation needed|date=February 2020}}
Martha has since appeared on Bake Off: An Extra Slice, as a guest on Blue Peter{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVq3tce8TLc|title=Blue Peter questions|last=Douglas|first=Nicole|date=2017-04-25|website=OK! Magazine|access-date=2019-07-08}} and has presented for Saturday Kitchen.{{Cite tweet |user=saturdaykitchen |number=1067357144578752512 |title=For this week's food film, we sent our cameras with Martha Collison to a popcorn factory! #SaturdayKitchen @marthacollisonhttps://twitter.com/marthacollison/status/1064909886696423424 …|last=SaturdayKitchen|date=2018-11-27|website=twitter.com|language=en|access-date=2019-07-08}}
=Writing=
Collison has released two cookery books. The first, Twist, was released on 14 July 2016,{{Cite web|url=https://www.harpercollins.com/9780008168261/twist-creative-ideas-to-reinvent-your-baking|title=Twist: Creative Ideas to Reinvent Your Baking - Martha Collison - Hardcover|last=Collison|first=Martha|website=HarperCollins US|language=en|access-date=2017-09-05}} and took simple, everyday recipes, such as chocolate cake and adapted them into new ones, like Chocolate and Passionfruit Layer Cake, or Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Cake. The second book, Crave, was published on 13 July 2017,{{Cite web|url=https://www.harpercollins.com/9780008238636/crave-brilliantly-indulgent-recipes|title=Crave: Brilliantly indulgent recipes - Martha Collison - Hardcover|last=Collison|first=Martha|website=HarperCollins US|language=en|access-date=2017-09-05}} and split the recipes into chapters for various cravings, Chocolate, Caramel, Cheese, Citrus, Fruit, Nut, Spice and Alcohol.
She writes a monthly column for the Waitrose weekend newspaper and runs a successful baking blog called "Baking Martha".{{cite news |title=The Great British Bake Off Stars Made Martha Collison's Wedding Cake |url=https://www.brides.com/story/great-british-bake-off-reunion-martha-collison |work=brides.com}}
=Radio=
Collison currently holds the position of Show Chef on The Graham Norton Radio Show at Virgin Radio UK.{{cite web |title=Stephen Mulhern Show 1: The Graham Norton Radio Show with Waitrose |date=2 August 2021 |url=https://play.acast.com/s/the-graham-norton-podcast/stephenmulhernshow1-thegrahamnortonradioshowwithwaitrose |language=en}}
Personal life
Martha lives with her husband in Brighton, Sussex. They married in 2019, where several of the bakers from Collison's series of The Great British Bake Off were in attendance and baked cakes for a cake table.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thisisinsider.com/great-british-baking-show-contestants-reunion-wedding-2019-4|title=The 'Great British Bake Off' stars reunited at a fellow contestant's wedding and each one baked an impeccable cake for the occasion|last=Cash|first=Meredith|website=INSIDER|date=8 April 2019 |access-date=2019-07-08}} In April 2024, Collison revealed via Instagram that she had given birth to their first child, a boy named Kenaniah.{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/marthacollison/reel/C6DsLlho9nS/ | title=Instagram }}
She is a Christian and has appeared at various faith-based festivals such as Newday, Big Church Day Out South & North and WestPoint. She is also a charity ambassador for the charity Tearfund,{{Cite web|url=http://www.tearfund.org/en/media/press_releases/great_british_teen_baker_martha_collison_teams_up_with_tearfund_to_end_child_trafficking/|title=Press release: Great British teen baker Martha Collison teams up with Tearfund to end child trafficking - Tearfund|website=Tearfund|language=en|access-date=2017-09-05}} and has spent time in Cambodia teaching young girls to bake funnel cakes.{{Cite web|url=https://www.christiantoday.com/article/why.has.martha.collison.been.baking.non.stop.for.21.hours/67951.htm|title=Why has Martha Collison been baking non-stop for 21 hours? {{!}} Christian News on Christian Today|website=christiantoday.com|date=18 October 2015 |language=en|access-date=2017-09-05}} She has also been to refugee camps in Lebanon with the charity to see Tearfund's work with those displaced due to conflict.{{cite news |title=Food for thought: how faith can shape our bakes by Martha Collison |url=https://www.tearfund.org/stories/2021/02/food-for-thought-how-faith-can-shape-our-bakes-by-martha-collison |work=tearfund.org|publisher=Tearfund}}
Her grandmother, Valerie Collison, is an English organist and composer of hymns and carols. Her best-known work is "Come and Join the Celebration" for which she composed both the lyrics and tune.
References
{{reflist}}
{{The Great British Bake Off}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Collison, Martha}}
Category:The Great British Bake Off contestants