Martha Collison facts for kids

Martha Collison is a talented British baker and writer. She became well-known after appearing on The Great British Bake Off when she was just 17 years old. She was the youngest person ever to compete on the show and made it all the way to the quarter-finals in 2014. Martha writes for a newspaper and has published several popular cookbooks. She also shares her baking adventures on her own blog.

Early Life and Baking Beginnings

Martha Collison grew up in Ascot, a town in Berkshire, England. She has a younger sister named Hannah. Martha started baking when she was only eight years old. Her parents encouraged her interest by letting her experiment in the kitchen.

Career Highlights

Television Appearances

In 2014, when she was 17, Martha Collison joined the fifth series of The Great British Bake Off on BBC One. She was the youngest contestant ever on the show. Martha reached the quarter-finals before leaving the competition.

Since then, Martha has appeared on other TV shows. These include Bake Off: An Extra Slice and Blue Peter. She has also presented segments for Saturday Kitchen.

Writing and Books

Martha Collison has written three cookbooks. Her first book, Twist, came out on 14 July 2016. It took simple recipes, like chocolate cake, and showed how to make them into exciting new dishes. An example is turning a basic chocolate cake into a Chocolate and Passionfruit Layer Cake.

Her second book, Crave, was published on 13 July 2017. This book organized recipes into chapters based on different cravings. These included chapters for Chocolate, Caramel, Cheese, Citrus, Fruit, Nut, Spice, and Alcohol.

Her third book, Pull Up a Chair, was published on 10 June 2025.

Martha also writes a monthly column for the Waitrose weekend newspaper. She runs a successful baking blog called "Baking Martha," where she shares recipes and baking tips.

Radio Work

Currently, Martha Collison is the Show Chef on The Graham Norton Radio Show. This show is broadcast on Virgin Radio UK.

Personal Life

Martha lives with her husband in Brighton, Sussex, England. They got married in 2019. Many of the bakers from Martha's series of The Great British Bake Off attended the wedding. They even baked cakes for a special cake table. In April 2024, Martha shared on Instagram that she had given birth to their first child, a boy named Kenaniah.

Martha is a Christian. She has appeared at several faith-based festivals. These include Newday, Big Church Day Out South & North, and WestPoint. She is also an ambassador for the charity Tearfund. With Tearfund, she has traveled to Cambodia to teach young girls how to bake funnel cakes. She has also visited refugee camps in Lebanon to see Tearfund's work helping people affected by conflict.

Martha's grandmother, Valerie Collison, is an English organist and composer. She is known for writing hymns and carols. Her most famous work is "Come and Join the Celebration," for which she wrote both the words and the music.