Leicester chemist conjures up spooktacular science of baking masterclass at New Scientist Live
Josh Smalley stood smiling in front of a New Scientist Live billboard
University of Leicester culinary chemist Dr Josh Smalley wowed the crowds with his Halloween-themed baking spells – and some vomiting pumpkins – at New Scientist Live.
The Great British Bake Off finalist put on a frightening feast for visitors on Sunday 19 October, at the festival of ideas and discoveries, which attracts thousands of science fans to Excel London every autumn.
His talk, Spooktacular Science of Baking, saw him lift the science secrets of pumpkin spice to the molecular mysteries behind our Halloween bakes, with an engaging set of food demos and science experiments.
Photo by Alistair Veryard Photography.
Dr Josh Smalley is a chemistry researcher and science communicator at the University of Leicester and finalist of the Great British Bake Off 2023. In 2024, Josh founded the Science Kitchen at the University of Leicester, where he brings together the worlds of science and baking to deliver lectures, demonstrations and videos to enthuse the public and inspire the next generation of scientists.
Josh’s inaugural appearance at New Scientist Live was made the more special as it was a University of Leicester team affair.
Josh said: “The show itself was a joy to create, made even more special thanks to the incredible input from so many talented colleagues across the University of Leicester.
“I began by showcasing the Rebecca Dixon manuscript from the University archives, recently transcribed with the help of Dr Simon Dixon, Prof Sarah Scott and the Heritage Hub. Filled with many recipes for dishes, remedies and cosmetics, it certainly serves as a great example of where home recipe and chemistry experiment intertwine and provided the inspiration for the first bake – a spiced pumpkin cake.
“Following a selection of chemistry experiments, we then cut into the cake to reveal its internal structure, before transitioning to non-invasive CT imaging to explore the inner slices of a pumpkin! These were made possible through the support of Graham Clark and Dr Rachel Armitage – who helped with the imaging on the Xradia CrystalCT. Staying with the Halloween theme, we then delved into Egyptian mummified cat CT scans, drawing on recent work by Prof Richard Thomas.
“The second half of the show focused on the chemistry of bread, featuring stunning electron microscopy images of my delightfully creepy sourdough starter. These were captured with the help of Natalie Allcock and Dr Josh Whittingham, using the Gemini SEM in the Hodgkin Building, who also prepared videos demonstrating the critical point drying process used to ready the samples.
“To close, I performed a crowd-favourite chemiluminescence reaction demo – which is always a big hit on Open Days in the School of Chemistry – using beautifully Halloween-themed scientific glassware crafted by our expert glassblower, Gayle Price.”
Josh added: “This talk really did come to life thanks to the creativity, collaboration, and enthusiasm of colleagues from across the University. I’m very grateful for their support and I can’t wait to bring more science (and baking) to the stage again soon.”