Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood inspire us all to be better bakers

It's no wonder they're national treasures. I see both of them when I'm doing demos at the BBC Good Food Show. They're as good in the flesh as they are on TV.

It's not just Mary and Paul who I admire. I also have enormous respect for their TV show.

Britain is a nation of bakers. We've been baking for hundreds of years and that's one of the reasons why their programme is so successful.

Lots of people would like to be able to bake brilliant bread, creative cakes or other sweet treats. Paul and Mary show people how to do that.

We held a baking course recently with Eric Landlard, who many of you will know. Eric is a celebrity chef and French patissier – he's one of the best in the world.

He started out working for the French Navy and then moved to the UK to work with Albert and Michel Roux. He founded his own business in 2000 and then set up his shop, Cake Boy, in 2005. He's a great success and Channel 4 gave him his own TV series, Glamour Puds and Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard.

His course at my cookery school, here at Brompton, was a huge success. Eric showed people how to make fine desserts and cakes and he was brilliantly hands-on. The session was great and everybody got stuck it before taking home their delicious goodies.

Here in Shropshire, we've got some brilliant bakers and they'll stake their claim in a new competition that is planned for September. The Shropshire Bake Off will take place here at Brompton on September 28 and 29. I can't wait.

I'll be one of the judges and I'm hoping to invite another celebrity judge along. It's all for a good cause – the Shropshire Carers' Appeal. The event is being organised by a small team in the county – I must mention Elodie Home, at the carers' appeal and her helper, Julia Wenlock, who is a chocolatier – because they are behind the event.

They're launching a social media campaign dedicated to the event and the inaugural Great Shropshire Bake Off will be held at the end of September.

Home bakers from all over Shropshire can apply to take part in the formal baking heats – but places are limited, so they need to get in fast. The money that they pay for taking part will help to generate cash for the carers' appeal.

We're planning to make a real weekend of it and we'll have a marquee in the grounds at Brompton. People can bring along their home made cakes, pastries and biscuits for judging.

There'll be lots more events, so that we create a real party atmosphere. We're planning a children's cookery area, demonstrations from Shropshire's best chefs, stalls from local food producers and delicious, homemade refreshments.

All proceeds from what promises to be a fantastic event will go to the carers appeal.

My column isn't really about promoting one charity over another – there are plenty of good causes throughout the region. Those of you who want to take part can do so safe in the knowledge that you're helping some of the most vulnerable and needy people in our region.

In my book, things don't get much better than that. Lots of people will be having fun with food, learning new skills and raising a few bob for a good cause.

Marcus Bean is a regular on ITV This Morning. He owns the Brompton Cookery School, at Atcham, near Shrewsbury, on a National Trust Estate.

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