Rising to the occasion, souffles from the sun

A veteran Saddleworth baker is to make a 3,000-mile return trip to bring his customers a Christmas delight from a television celebrity confectioner.

Ian Scholes first met Carmelo Borg Bonaci after spending part of his national service with the RAF as a cook in the officers’ mess in Malta almost 50 years ago.

The two struck up a friendship when Ian, chairman of J.W.Buckley’s in High Street Uppermill, visited the sunshine island for a culinary convention.

Now Ian is planning a visit Malta next month to sample the ingredients for a special Christmas souffle from Carmelo’s vast range of sweet treats which he plans to launch pre-Christmas in Saddleworth.

Carmelo, father of three, appears in the TV cookery show “Christine’s Kitchen”.

Last year, with Carmelo’s help, Ian produced a Maltese-style Christmas log to tempt the taste buds of customers. He said: “Carmelo has a great reputation on the island and he has some really unusual Christmas alternatives to the traditional fayre. He gave me a marvellous Maltese recipe for a Christmas log and I am really looking forward to tasting this special souffle when I visit Malta.

“Carmelo loves visiting here — he’s made Saddleworth his second home. He is a great character and I have taken him along to Saddleworth Rotary Club, to meet our members.

“His recipes offer different options for festivities across the year. He brought some cheese pie and carnival cake recipes on a previous visit here.”

Ian has also appeared on Maltese TV as a taste tester.

Camelo (66), who lives near Valletta, said: “Ian and I are always swapping recipes and trying each others cookery delights.

“For example, I love the splendid range of pies he produces and it’s great being able to share some of our Maltese magic with such a keen baker.

“I love visiting Saddleworth, but as Ian is planning to visit me before Christmas I thought it would be nice to send him home with a new recipe to try.”