Autumn Bake Off winner announced
13 November 2025
Star Baker Success
At Toad Hall, we love finding fun and creative ways to involve our children and families in learning experiences – and our recent Toad Hall Autumn Bake Off was a perfect example of that! The competition invited children and their families from across our nurseries to bake something special together with an autumn theme and share their creations with us.
The entries were full of imagination, effort and delicious ideas. We’re thrilled to announce that Daniel from our Woking Nursery has been crowned this year’s Toad Hall Star Baker!
Daniel, with the help of his nanny, baked a beautifully spiced Apple and Cinnamon Cake that impressed everyone with its flavour and presentation. What made it even more special was that Daniel brought the recipe into nursery to share with his friends and teachers – a wonderful example of our home learning partnership in action.
As a reward for his fantastic effort, Daniel will receive his very own Toad Hall baking set – we’re sure he’ll be putting it to good use very soon!
If you’d like to try Daniel’s winning recipe at home, you can follow it below.
Apple & Cinnamon Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 oz butter
- 6 oz caster sugar
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 8 oz self-raising flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 lb cooking apples (1–2 large apples)
- 3–4 tbsp milk
Method:
- Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4.
- Grease and line an 8-inch cake tin.
- Beat the eggs and set aside.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Gradually add the beaten eggs, mixing well after each addition.
- Fold in the sieved flour and spices.
- Peel, core and finely dice the apples, then gently fold them into the mixture.
- Add enough milk to achieve a soft dropping consistency.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin.
- Bake for approximately 75 minutes, checking partway through to ensure the top doesn’t brown too much.
- Once baked, sprinkle with sugar if desired and leave to cool before serving.
Well done to everyone who took part in the Bake Off this year; it was wonderful to see so many families getting involved and baking together.
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We’re celebrating a truly remarkable achievement - our amazing Nursery Manager, Kerry, from Toad Hall Nursery in Horley, has been part of our family for an incredible 20 years! Kerry’s passion, dedication, and unwavering commitment shine through every day. She goes above and beyond to support children, families, and staff, making a lasting impact on everyone around her. Her journey began as an Apprentice, and over the years, Kerry has gained extensive experience in various roles, continually developing her skills. Kerry holds a Foundation Degree in Early Years and a Level 5 qualification in SEND, which has shaped her into the outstanding leader she is today. Her expertise was reflected in the nursery’s last glowing Ofsted report (November 2022), which highlighted the strong support for children with SEND, stating: "Support for children with SEND is a strength of the nursery. As a result, children with SEND make good progress in learning and development."
