Happiful – September 2019

Homemade

Writing | Kathryn Wheeler

Her adorably unique creations and endearing personality made Kim-Joy a

firm fan-favourite on The Great British Bake Off in 2018, but beyond the

bakes she’s had social anxiety to contend with...

42 • happiful.com • September 2019

>>>

hen Kim-Joy first

took to our screens

on The Great

British Bake Off

in 2018, she

blew the judges away with her

delightfully cute creations. But

before she was a Bake Off finalist,

Kim-Joy was working on the

front line of mental health care

as a psychological wellbeing

practitioner – offering guided

self-help to people with mild to

moderate anxiety and depression.

Now dedicated to her bakes – and

with her first book, Baking with

Kim-Joy, out soon – she’s a long

way from her role in mental health

care... Or is she?

We caught up with Kim-Joy to

chat about life before Bake Off,

the benefits of baking, and what

helping others can teach us about

ourselves.

Hi Kim-Joy! Let’s go back to

the start. What’s your earliest

baking memory?

I have two, but one is bad!

I remember I used to go to

Chinatown a lot as a kid, because I

grew up in north-west London. We

used to go to the bakery and get

pandan cake, which was really soft

and light – the kind of cake you

really like as a kid. I got home and

because my mum is Malaysian –

and pandan is Malaysian – she had

a little book with a recipe in there

for it. So I made one myself.

It wasn’t as soft and fluffy as the

Chinatown one, but it was still

really good!

Now I’m curious about the

bad baking experience...

It’s not really too bad! My dad

wanted mince pies for Christmas

every year. I think I enjoyed

making them the first time, but

after a few years it’s like, ugh. And

also I don’t like the taste... Well, I

do now but only when there’s not

loads of filling.

Before Bake Off you were

working as a psychological

wellbeing practitioner. What

drew you to that career?

I’ve always been drawn to people,

and wanted to understand how

they work. I grew up really, really

socially anxious – but part of that

makes you want to learn about

people. So I think that must have

started it. And also my family have

a lot of mental health problems, so

I grew up with that – but there was

never a moment where I connected

it all and thought: ‘Oh, my family

has mental health problems and I

have these thoughts, so I want to go

into this.’

Homemade

happiness

W