The Great British Bake Off winner Peter Sawkins would still like to pursue a career as an accountant despite finding fame on the show.
Sawkins, 21, from Edinburgh, became the first Scot and the youngest contestant to win the Channel 4 series.
He has published his first cookery book, had lucrative offers to bake for people and create his own products, and worked in the pastry kitchen at the five-star Gleneagles Hotel, Perthshire.
But he still lives in a student flat and is continuing his degree in accounting and finance at Edinburgh University.
Sawkins plans to take two years off to concentrate on baking opportunities after his studies end but is determined to become a professional accountant.
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Speaking on the Get After It With Nasty podcast, he was enthusiastic about his degree. He said: “When I tell people at a party what I study their eyes glaze over but I go, ‘No, I absolutely love it, it’s great.’
“It’s not like taking a career down that route would be something that wouldn’t interest me. It’s something I had planned for a long time and would love to do but now I’ve also got the chance to do one of my biggest passions and hobbies in baking.
“My current plan is to take two years out after my degree and really focus in on the baking work.
“But at the same time I have talked to lecturers at the university about taking my professional accounting exams and doing that in my spare time to keep the relevance of my degree up.
“Should the baking work not turn out well or I don’t enjoy it then I can still bring in this accounting subject that I love doing and have an opportunity at doing that.
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“They are two things that I’m passionate about and I want to carry them down for as long as possible.”
Sawkins previously told how perfecting his recipes in his shared flat was so difficult he had to rent out a separate kitchen to practise his baking skills.
His book Peter Bakes: 100+ Irresistible Recipes for Teatime Treats, Showstopper Cakes, Yummy Puddings and More, was released in October by Black and White Publishing.
