Spoiler alert: The winner of the The Great British Bake Off is mentioned in this article.
Without The Great British Bake Off, next Wednesday evening is going to feel rather empty. The amateur baking show, now in its fifth year, has become hugely popular both here and in the UK. The show began in 2010 on BBC Two with ten contestants, becoming the channel’s biggest show, and has switched to BBC One, now with thirteen contestants. Presented by the cool comedic collective that is Mel and Sue, who met at university in Cambridge and have been working together since, it is judged by Mary Berry – who needs no introduction – and Paul Hollywood, celebrity chef always on the prowl for soggy bottoms. The show is so popular, it has sparked Mary Berry’s own range of kitchen tools in Sainsbury’s, a cookbook and many spin-off shows, including Junior and Celebrity Bake Offs and the Extra Slice, presented weekly by Jo Brand. For anyone unfamiliar with the show, there are three baking challenges during the hour-long programme. Each week is themed around a different food, biscuits, pies or patisserie for example . The first bake is the signature challenge, practiced (usually) by the bakers at home to match a particular brief. Next is the technical challenge, set by one of the judges, and is normally a recipe totally unknown to the bakers. The last bake of the weekend is the showstopper, which again is practiced by the bakers to fit different criteria each week and to generally look impressive. Each week, one baker is crowned “star baker” – which evolved this year into a sheriff’s badge worn proudly the following week – and one has to leave the competition. Doughs and tensions rise, the wrong freezers are opened and microwaves are boldly used in ways no microwave has been used before, as each baker tries to prove themselves worthy of the winning title at the end of the series.
My personal favourite contestant was Ruby last year, who made it to the final but was beaten by Frances and her little edible flowerpots. Ruby was studying philosophy at the time, and practiced each week – if she practiced at all – in a tiny student kitchen. Her charm, like that of other contestants, lay in her openness and honesty; she often winged it, occasionally panicked but her talent allowed her to produce some incredible bakes in the end. Some recent googling has revealed that she was also a model. She is now working with the clothing line Great Plains.
Looking to this year’s bakers then, well worth a mention is Norman. Excelling with his simple lard biscuits, confusing with his lavender meringue and adventuring with his pesto, Norman never failed to delight and made it about halfway through the series. Then there were Chetna’s orange Converse shoes and her innovative detail; I hope too to one day dip grapes in caramel to create a sugar work Dalek.Then the scandal that was Iain’s binned baked Alaska triggered an incredible amount of controversy on Twitter, showing just how invested viewers are in the programme.
How can you take somebody's ice cream out of the freezer? Not only should she be eliminated for that, she should also be arrested. #gbbo
— Daz (@dazgale) August 27, 2014
https://twitter.com/helenlewis/status/504718214157590529
Martha, the show’s youngest ever baker at 17, sat her A levels while competing in the show at the weekends. When her tarts were criticised by Mary Berry, she cried, and I don’t mind admitting that I also got emotional. As one contestant this year, Claire, said, “I don’t know why I’m crying over cake”, and she wasn’t the only one. For some bizarre reason, the bakers and viewers (if my sofa, and Twitter, are anything to go by) develop an emotional attachment to the show, that is difficult for any non-GBBO fans to understand. The fact that the people on the show tend to be so likeable contributes to this; despite the pressure in the bake off tent, most are ready and willing to help each other when there is, for example, a pie plumbing issue.
My favourite 2014 finalist was Richard. It was the pencil behind the ear, the unassuming presence at “the gingham alter” that is their work stations, and a man that can build a house and also a croquembouche is a winner in my book. However, when Nancy put her dough in the microwave to prove, despite disapproving looks from Paul, I knew she was made of stronger stuff than the rest of them and she ultimately – and deservedly – came out on top.
