Cypriot chef wins British bases Christmas bake-off

Cypriot chef Panicos Panayiotou was crowned ‘Best Overall’ in this year’s British bases ‘Christmas Cake’ competition.

The initiative saw military personnel and civilian chefs take part in a bake-off to see who could make the best Christmas cake.

The event saw 18 offerings judged by the panel on the criteria of originality, creativity, festivity, finesse and skill.

Panayiotou, the manager of the ‘Junior Ranks Mess’ in Alexander Barracks, took home the top prize for his cake.

Speaking after the event, he said a lot of work was needed to make the perfect Christmas cake.

“It does take an awful lot of effort. I worked on my cake for over a week as there were lots of very small intricate details that I wanted to include.

“Of course, it is really nice to win the competition, the other cakes were great and I know how hard every chef worked, so it was really nice and now we can all enjoy our Christmas with loved ones,” he said.

All cakes have now been auctioned off and the money raised is set to be donated to charity.