Whangārei doctor Alby Hailes is on the latest season of The Great Kiwi Bake Off. Photo / Supplied
Whangārei doctor Alby Hailes is on the latest season of The Great Kiwi Bake Off. Photo / Supplied
Baking is therapeutic, and a Whangārei doctor approves of it.
Mental health doctor Alby Hailes is in the line-up for the new season of The Great Kiwi Bake Off going on air from Thursday at 7.30pm on TVNZ 1.
The third season of the reality TV show will feature nine episodes, with Hailes being one of 10 contestants proving their baking skills.
"Baking can be really therapeutic for people. People learn to be able to grow their own food and cook their own food because good nutrition is the basis of good mental health.
"It can really be a gateway for people to find enjoyment while cooking and to teach kids essential skills so that they can cook for themselves."
Hailes is working for Northland District Health Board as a psychiatry registrar and says he has always been passionate about cooking while growing up.
While traditional baking wasn't often considered very healthy, Hailes said he liked to take a holistic approach to it.
"People think because it is all sugary and sweet, it is not good for you. But if you know where all your food is coming from you are going through the process of making it all by yourself from scratch using natural ingredients. Then I think it is pretty harmless and still a healthy activity.
"It is important to have a fine balance in your life. You cannot always be very restrictive in your diet because that in itself could affect people's mental health, in many ways."
Hailes was also working on a recipe book and ran a website and Instagram page TreatRightNZ as part of the holistic approach towards baking.
The 26-year-old first started baking when he was in primary school, but said it was only recently when he really got into it.
"My mum was the first person I watched baking. She is a really good cook.
"A lot of what I do is not just baking, I cook too, so I took the inspiration from modern food writers.
"But at the root of it, it was mainly a family influence – my mother and grandmothers.
There's definitely some history of cooking in the family. One of Hailes' grandmothers had 11 children and managed to make dessert for them every night.
"I am still thinking about ways on how I can incorporate my interest in cooking with mental health."
Alby Hailes, 26, is passionate about incorporating his passion for healthy eating into the traditionally unhealthy world of baking. Photo / Tania Whyte
With regards to going on the show, Hailes said he thought it would be a great opportunity to test his skills against other people and learn from them.
"I brought back some newfound skills and knowledge. While I was on the show I made things I never made before and maybe wouldn't have thought of making. That is the whole point of competition, to push the boundaries.
"I developed amazing friendships with other contestants on the show.
"I think the overall journey was quite amazing. I was thrown into an environment where I was essentially living with nine other people and cameras constantly following me 24/7. You learn a lot about yourself in an environment like that."
There were definitely some disasters, said Hailes.
"I think it happened to everyone because you are making things under enormous time pressure, in an intense environment, where you have cameras right up in your grill. Mistakes are bound to happen.
"But it also taught me how to pull myself back and get on with it."
The show will be hosted by Madeleine Sami and Hayley Sproull and judged by Dean Brettschneider and Sue Fleischl.
