AS ANOTHER Great British Bake Off winner is crowned tonight, last year’s runner-up is looking forward to be part of a new business in Winchester.

Hampshire’s Dave Friday was last year involved in a very tense final of the popular baking show. Now no longer an amateur, he has become a professional baker.

The former security guard has joined The Winchester Bakery at Winnall, ahead of the opening of its High Street store in early next year.

Since leaving the Bake Off tent, Dave has spent the last year honing his skills. He’s been busy doing baking demonstrations at food festivals and on his very popular Instagram feed.

The Winchester Bakery launched as a wholesale business in 2020 and it is led by head baker, Darren North, who has a vast baking industry experience.

Darren has worked with many leading bakeries including Bertinet Bakery in Bath. He’s also known as a master of sourdough and Dave is said to be looking forward to learning from him.

The success of the wholesale side of the business has inspired the team to open their first retail store. Customers can expect a selection breads, pastries and cakes to takeaway or enjoy in the upstairs café.

Dave said: “I’m really excited to be launching my professional baking career with The Winchester Bakery team. I’m looking forward to growing my technical knowledge and creating some new showstoppers to wow Winchester.”