Everything that happened when the Tab met Selasi

On 19th of November, the Tab was lucky enough to meet Selasi Gbormittah of GBBO fame.

Invited to the Stag’s as a special guest of Flamingo’s Tropical house night, we were given special access to the star.

Our journey to meeting Selasi involved the Tab’s unofficial bake off correspondent (this article was written in her honour) baking up a storm in the kitchen. We all got far too excited when we were tweeted back:

Disaster occurred – living in a student house means you’re often limited by your kitchen – and a lack of numbers on our oven meant the sponge had to be remade. Twice. We resolved to ask Selasi for advice, and headed for the Stag’s – Hawaiian roulade in hand.

We hid away from the banging party in the media office with the lovely people from the Wessex Scene and the Edge, anxiously popping our heads out the door like meerkats at even the slightest mention of his arrival. Pulled into the corridor to await the chilled out baker, our first glimpse of Selasi was through a set of glass doors.

Then we finally met the man himself. There were no hugs, unfortunately. But we did get a handshake each – and every GBBO fan knows how big a deal that is.

We chatted about Southampton – Selasi used to live in Ocean Village. He tells us that back in the day he loved a good night out in Bedford Place.

We then got our chance to ask for advice on how to deal with roulade-related disasters.

We made you a roulade, but had a few difficulties because we don’t have any numbers on our oven. What advice would you give to students who don’t have a lot of equipment for baking?

Confused by the lack of numbers on our oven but undeterred, Selasi told us to play it by eye, instead of relying on solely on recipes. He told us about something he worked on for the Guardian that day, where he’d been forced to use a handheld mixer because his normal one was broken. He offered the sound advice of thinking about the traditional ways people have always cooked, and told us to ask ourselves “What would Mary Berry do?”

He did, however, recommend we didn’t make meringue with a wooden spoon.

Then it was picture time, and we had to say goodbye.

He did eat our roulade though.

(We saw plates and forks go in after us. Not that we were checking or anything.)

Want to make the Soton Tab’s Hawaiian roulade?

For the Sponge you will need:

3 eggs

85g of caster sugar

85g of plain flour

1tsp of baking powder

1tsp vanilla extract

1tblsp of icing sugar (for dusting)

For the filling:

300ml of double cream

1tsp vanilla extract

2 ripe passion fruits

One large mango peeled and cut into small chunks

1 packet of large white marshmallows

If your oven has numbers, pre-heat to 200 degrees (fan 180)

Method

Grease and line any rectangular tin (because you probably won’t have a swiss roll tin in your student house)

Beat eggs and sugar with a whisk until thick and light in colour, then fold in the sieved flour and baking powder, add the vanilla extract. Tip into tin, bake for 12-15 minutes (or until gold and springy)

Turn out onto a piece of baking parchment that has been dusted with icing sugar, then roll the paper up inside the sponge and leave until completely cooled

Whisk the cream and vanilla extract until soft peaks have formed

Unroll the sponge

Melt the marshmallows carefully in a microwave and spread immediately onto the cooled roulde sponge

Allow to cool slightly, then top with the whipped cream and fruit

Roll back up and serve.