Showstopper Richard

Richard Burr is combining life as a celebrity baker with work for his family’s building firm.

Richard (OE 1987–1994) shot to national recognition in 2014, when he was a finalist on series 5 of BBC TV’s The Great British Bake Off, having won the programme’s ‘star baker’ accolade a record five times during the series.

A member of the Federation of Master Builders, multi-talented Richard told the School that he is also proud of the first-class BSc degree in Biodiversity and Conservation that he gained in 2012 from Birkbeck College, London, studying part-time.

Since the Bake Off shows, he has continued to make regular appearances in the broadcast media, at shows and festivals and on the Scoff video food channel. He appeared on a celebrity edition of the BBC’s Pointless TV quiz show with Frances Quinn, winner of The Great British Bake Off 2013.

His blog, which features recipes, has a growing following in the US and his first book, BIY Bake it Yourself, has been successfully published.

In December 2015, Richard and his wife, Sarah, who live in Mill Hill, celebrated the birth of their third daughter. He is a governor at the infant school attended by his older daughters.

Richard himself went to St Paul’s C of E Primary School in Mill Hill, before coming to QE when Eamonn Harris was Headmaster.

He is the fourth generation to work in his family’s building business and continues to enjoy “getting his hands dirty” on building sites.

He traces his love of baking back to the time he spent in the kitchen with his mother as a small child. Then he had a Saturday job washing up in a local bakery as a teenager, which further fired his enthusiasm. At home, he does most of the family cooking and enjoys baking with his wife. He especially enjoys bread and pastry-making, while making the girls’ birthday cakes are highlights of the family’s year.