The two most successful Great British Bake Off contestants ever are from Milton Keynes, research says

Data compiled by Magnet, found that Nadiya Hussain and Candice Brown, from Milton Keynes, are the two most successful cooking show contestants.

Former The Great British Bake Off (GBBO) champions, Hussain and Brown topped the list that analysed 149 cooking show contestants from MasterChef, Hell’s Kitchen, and Best Home Cook.

Each contestant was ranked based on seven categories: Michelin career experience after the show (if they’ve owned or worked at a Michelin restaurant), number of TV appearances, number of published books, number of Google searches between 2017 and 2021, number of restaurants or bakeries they’ve owned, estimated earnings for a sponsored post on Instagram, and the different areas of the food industry they have ventured into - including owning a cookery school, offering catering services, and more.

Research shows Hussain can make a staggering £2,195.28 per sponsored Instagram post, beating Edward Kimber, the first ever GBBO winner, who earns a mere £1,044.00 for sponsored content. Hussain didn't just score highly for amassing a huge social media following, she has written 14 books and appeared on television 113 times. Her writing has involved cooking and baking projects, plus children's books.

Brown, who also currently resides in Milton Keynes, scored highly when it came to television appearances having appeared on the small screen 51 times since winning GBBO in 2016. She also co-owns a pub in Eversholt, The Green Man, and has released books ‘Comfort: Delicious Bakes and Family Treats’. Her rating was also boosted by her further progress working at Coach, the Michelin restaurant from Tom Kerridge.

Overall, it’s those from The Great British Bake Off that make up the majority of the top 15 most successful contestants, with 10 starting out from the baking show and five from TV’s MasterChef. However, it is original MasterChef contestant, Thomasina Mears that has owned more restaurants than any other contestant. As co-founder of Mexican chain restaurant Wahaca, she went on to open 25 restaurants as part of the franchise, as well as another two called DF Mexico. She also received an OBE for her services to the food industry. Similarly, fellow MasterChef contestant Hannah Miles has published more books than anyone else on the list, with the 2007 finalist releasing 32 books since her time on the show.

Beth Boulton, Head of Marketing at Magnet, says “With the national ‘stay at home’ order having been in place for most of the past year, many of us have had more time on our hands and have found ourselves cooking more fresh dinners or dabbling in a bit of home baking. As there are many successful people in the food industry that started out as amateurs, baking and cooking for fun – like lots of us are now – we wanted to find out who’s become the most successful after learning in their own kitchen.