In winning the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2023, West Ham United ended the Club's 43-year wait to lift a major trophy, completing a sensational, unbeaten campaign that saw us win 14 of the 15 European ties.
Off the pitch, meanwhile, it was just as special a year for Irons supporter Matty Edgell, who was crowned The Great British Bake Off winner in November 2023.
Before appearing on our television screens, Matty, from Peterborough, developed a respected career as a PE and science teacher at Hampton College, with only his family and wife knowing about his passion for all things baking.
While he initially doubted his abilities, Matty’s wife Lara signed him up for the 2023 series of The Great British Bake Off, with the pair having watched the show every week in previous years.
The rest, as they say, is history, and it proved the passport to the career he yearned for, yet never thought possible.
Since then, Edgell has quit his much-loved teaching job and has founded the ‘Matty Baking Academy’, where he aims to inspire and empower people to embrace the joy of baking.
But throughout his ever-changing life, one constant has been his support of West Ham United.
He sat down with hosts Chris Scull and James Collins for an entertaining episode of the Club’s official podcast, ‘Iron Cast’.
“It (2023) was a good one. In order, it goes, West Ham United winning the UEFA Europa Conference League, Mark Noble sending me a video saying congratulations, and then winning The Great British Bake Off,” Edgell beamed.
“It was my wife, she was the one that applied for me. She tried to get me to go on the year before, but she didn't realise you needed pictures to supplement the application. Then, she started taking pictures of my baking less discreetly, to the point where I was posing with them.
“I asked her, 'what are you doing with these?'. She wasn’t really expecting me to ever ask that question, so didn't have an excuse lined up, and then she told me she was applying for me to go on The Great British Bake Off.
“My initial response was, 'no, you're not', but we compromised, and the application went in. She did need to talk me into it an awful lot, but ultimately, it's worked out well.
“There was a lot of pressure. I'd never been in an environment where I can almost see it happening from the outside while I'm in the moment, but that’s what makes you the person you are at times.
“I also made a West Ham cake when on The Great British Bake Off. It’s always been typically one of my stronger points!”
LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE HERE
West Ham is more than just a passion for many - it’s a legacy, woven into family and bloodline, passed down through generations. And for Edgell, it’s no different.
He continued: “I think with most West Ham fans, there is a bloodline to the Club, and for me, it was my Dad. There was no choice, and there was never a conversation about who I wanted to support.
“It was just, ‘here’s a West Ham kit; put it on'. But I think that's what makes the Club what it is, the bloodline and family feel.
“When I was growing up, we didn't go to all that many games because coming from Peterborough to London was quite expensive at times, but I was forever keeping an eye on the score and watching games when they were on TV.
“I think for me my favourite player is Mark Noble. I can't believe that he never played for England. I know that he says that he's over it, but I'm not!
“It’s not only what he did on the pitch but also who he is off it. He's an incredible ambassador for the Club.
“My favourite game has to be the Conference League final; it's difficult to put into words how incredible that moment was. I watched it at home with my Dad, and to share that moment with him as well was special.”
Edgell, understandably, is a busy boy in the kitchen, and having recently stopped football with Stanground Sports FC, admits there’s a bit more time to visit London Stadium and support his beloved West Ham United.
Meanwhile, looking ahead, Edgell revealed that he’s aiming to release a cookbook in the near future.
“The last game that I watched at the Boleyn Ground was a 0-0 draw against West Brom - an absolute classic!” he laughed.
“I get to come to London Stadium a few times now that I’ve stopped playing, and here’s hoping there are plenty more memorable games to come in the future.
“Graham Potter is the right man for us at the moment, and I think he can replicate what he did with Brighton & Hove Albion with us.
“They (cookbooks) have not been as easy to come by as I'd hoped because during the COVID-19 pandemic everyone got into baking and then they published loads of books, so it’s quite a saturated market.
“That is definitely something that would be nice. I think my next aim is to have something that separates me being Matty from Bake Off to just being Matty, because there's already a new winner, and next year there'll be another one, so I need to be a standalone name now.”
