Birthday cakes ⏲️ 6 Minute English

134,872 views ・ 2024-08-08

BBC Learning English


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Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
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I'm Neil. And I'm Beth.
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[singing] Happy birthday to you,
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happy birthday to you,
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happy birthday dear Neil,
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happy birthday to you!
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Erm thank you Beth, but it's not my birthday.
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I know, but this programme is all about birthdays,
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or birthday cakes, to be precise.
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Ah, yes, the highlight of any birthday party is the birthday cake,
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blowing out the candles and making a wish.
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Right. But things have changed a lot
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from the days when most birthday cakes were homemade, made at home,
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and not bought from a shop.
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Nowadays, many birthday cakes are works of art –
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extravagant, edible creations designed
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and decorated to represent the person celebrating their birthday.
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In this programme, we'll be hearing from two bakers –
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a famous TV chef who bakes simple but tasty cakes,
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and another who's designed personalised birthday cakes
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for celebrities, including Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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And as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.
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Sounds good, but first, I have a question for you, Neil.
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Everyone looks forward to their birthday,
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especially if there's cake.
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But according to the UK's office
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for National Statistics, which is the most common month to be born?
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Is it: a) March, b) July, or c) September?
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Hmm. That's an interesting question and I'm going to guess it's September.
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OK, Neil. I'll reveal the answer at the end of the programme.
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One of Britain's best-loved cake bakers is Dame Mary Berry.
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Here she describes her perfect birthday cake to
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BBC Radio 4's, The Food Programme.
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My perfect cake would be something in lemon
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or orange because those are my favourite flavors.
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I don't mind how higgledy-piggledy it is,
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doesn't take a long time to do,
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but beautifully fresh and beautifully flavored. Simple.
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Mary Berry thinks a simple birthday cake is best.
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She doesn't mind if the decoration is higgledy-piggledy – mixed up
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and in no particular order.
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Yes. When it comes to birthday cakes, flavour is more important
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than decoration for Dame Mary Berry.
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But now a new generation of bakers is making cakes in a totally different way.
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The cakes Adam Cox makes in his East London bakery
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are truly fantastic-looking creations.
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Here's Adam speaking to BBC Radio 4's, The Food Programme.
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I get asked to do all sorts like my my customers
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and clients are very generous with the leeway that they give me
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based on the past designs that I've made, that they've seen.
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So they're happy to just leave it with me.
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I really just want to create something that will,
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you know, last long in the memory for the person that I do it for.
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It's, it's a real pleasure to have this as a job
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because, as I say, it gives me a lot of freedom to express myself creatively.
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So I really try and go above
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and beyond to give the client something that you know, they will,
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they will be really happy with.
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Adam gets asked to make all sorts, meaning many different kinds of cakes.
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His customers, who want the cake to be a special part of a birthday party,
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give him lots of leeway – lots of freedom to make the cake the way he wants to.
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Adam finds out about the person's interests and hobbies
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and uses these to come up with decoration ideas.
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Adam loves his job.
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It gives him the freedom to express himself creatively,
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and he enjoys seeing his customers' reaction
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when the finished cake is revealed.
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Adam goes above and beyond to satisfy his customers.
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If you go above and beyond, you do something with more effort
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than would normally be expected. And
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the results of Adam's extra effort? Birthday cakes
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which last long in the memory –
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a phrase describing something which creates such a strong impression
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that it's remembered for a long time.
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Or at least until the following year, when another birthday comes around
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and it's time to start baking all over again!
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And speaking of birthdays coming around, what was the answer
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to your question, Beth?
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You asked me which was the most common month to be born in the UK?
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And you guessed it was September, which was... the correct answer!
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Babies born in the UK peak in September. Right,
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let's recap the vocabulary from this programme, starting with homemade –
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an adjective describing something which is made at home
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and not bought from a shop.
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If something is higgledy-piggledy, it's mixed up and in no particular order.
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The phrase all sorts means many different kinds of something,
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like the sweets called Liquorice Allsorts, which come
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in different shapes and colours.
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If someone gives you leeway to do something,
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they give you the freedom to do it the way you want to.
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The idiom to last long in the memory means to create such a strong effect
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that it's remembered for a long time.
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And finally, when someone goes above and beyond, they do something
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with much more effort than would usually be expected.
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Once again, our six minutes are up.
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If your birthday is coming up, we hope you have a cake with candles
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and make a wish to join us again soon
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for more trending topics and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute English.
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Goodbye for now. Bye!
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