Bake Off winner gives peace cake to Archbishop of Canterbury, donates slices

Jasmine Mitchell, winner of the latest series of The Great British Bake Off, presented a specially made fig, honey and almond cake to Dame Sarah Mullally at Lambeth Palace as a house-warming gesture on March 2, 2026. The cake arrived decorated with olive branches to symbolise peace and healing and had a scallop shell piped on the side to reflect the Archbishop’s love of walking and pilgrimage.

Dame Sarah admired the cake over a cup of tea with Mitchell and praised the design. “Jasmine has created a really thoughtful and inspired cake, that artfully weaves biblical imagery with references to Lambeth Palace and my installation. I am so grateful to Jasmine,” she said, praising the way the decoration connected to the palace and her role.

Mitchell spoke about the occasion and her own experience in the weeks after winning Bake Off in November. Sitting with the Archbishop, she told her, “It’s a house-warming gift. You’ve got a pretty nice house,” a line reported during the visit. Mitchell has also spoken publicly about leaning on faith during the pressure of filming, saying, “I prayed a lot and felt really carried through it,” and adding, “And my prayer is just that she really feels carried by God.”

The gesture did not end at Lambeth Palace. The cake was donated after the presentation, with slices passed on to The Passage, the homelessness charity, and to staff in the paediatric intensive care unit at Evelina London Children’s Hospital. The decision to share the cake extended the private house-warming into an act of community giving, and reporters noted that photographs captured Mitchell with the cake at the palace.

The design choices were deliberate. Multiple outlets described the olive branches as a symbol of peace and healing, and the scallop shell was noted as a traditional emblem of pilgrimage routes as well as a personal nod to Dame Sarah’s walking. The fig, honey and almond composition was reported by the original reporter as the cake’s flavour profile, combining elements that read as both celebratory and quietly domestic.

As an example of a house-warming gift, the cake underlines a few clear principles shown on March 2 at Lambeth Palace: choose ingredients that feel considered, add motifs that speak specifically to the recipient, and make the gesture sharable. Jasmine Mitchell’s cake married craftsmanship with symbolism and concluded with a charitable act, turning a private welcome into a public kindness and setting a clear example for anyone thinking beyond the ribbon and the key.