Black Country museum rises to the occasion as Muffin Man appears on Bake Off

A film crew visited the museum earlier this year to film traditional muffin making techniques, with the footage used as a video feature during the latest episode of the contest.

Museum staff who appeared in the clip, screened on Tuesday night, included curator of domestic and cultural life Clare Weston, who explained the historical side of the theme alongside Rosalyn Crone, from the Open University.

Mrs Weston, aged 39, who has worked for the attraction for two years, said: "They asked me to stand on the bridge and talk about how the muffin became popular in Georgian times from the late 18th century into the 19th century. It was very cold as we'd had heavy snowfall just the weekend before the film crew came.

"It took an hour to film my bit, but it's a very nice part of my job.

"Muffins were made with quite a cheap recipe and were popular with the labourers, and eventually became popular with the upper classes as a tasty afternoon snack."

Museum demonstrator Deryck Noakes, who knows how to bake, was filmed showing how muffins would have been made in the Black Country using a recipe of yeast, flour, salt, lard or butter.

Mrs Weston said: "We showed how to bake it using a traditional griddle with a hoop handle which was hung over a coal fire range so that the heat from the fire would heat it from the bottom to the top. On the programme they used a Welsh bakestone which is available nowadays and sits over the hob," she added.

Dave Harrison, from Tipton and in his 60s, is a learning assistant at the museum and takes groups of school children round the site. He was filmed carrying out muffin man duties. Mr Harrison said: "They were asking for volunteers to take part in the filming. I had to dress up in a muffin man outfit, carry muffins around and ring the bell. It was amazing. While the show was on I got a text from someone I used to work with years ago who said, 'you're the muffin man, fame at last'."

Mr Harrison, a former journalist, has been working at the museum for four years.