Shy bakers have led to the cancellation of an Ipswich cake contest planned for the weekend.

Would-be contestants were invited to cook up edible landmarks inspired by popular attractions such as Christchurch Mansion as part of a competition launched by mayor Jane Riley.

She donned her best chef’s outfit with bowls and mixing spoons to launch the bake off style contest – which was due to culminate in a jam-packed judging day on Saturday, March 2.

But organisers were left disappointed when contestants did not come forward in sufficient numbers.

They said: “We are disappointed that more people did not want to come forward and show off their baking prowess and we have reluctantly decided to cancel the event. We do want to thank the few volunteers who wanted to take part but people are the key ingredient and there weren’t enough of them to make up a proper competition.”