Great British Bake Off season is upon us again, with a new group of amateur bakers nervously waiting to take to the tent in hope of being named Star Baker.
Prue Leith, Paul Hollywood, Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig are all returning for another round of the Channel 4 show, which is set to kick off on Tuesday 27 August at 8pm.
Who will follow in the footsteps of Rahul and emerge victorious in 2019? Here are the contestants hoping to do just that:
Dan
Age: 32
Job: Support worker
Dan got into baking in the classic way – trying to impress the girl he fancied. 11 years later, his then girlfriend is now his wife and he’s still baking. He made his own wedding cake and loves decoration, as well as his three dogs.
What is your favourite memory from your first week on the show?
The first time I saw the white peaks of the tent it gave me butterflies, but also you feel so excited at the same time.
You are asked to make a cake that signifies one of the happiest days of your life. What would it be?
We got married in a lovely old church not too far from where we live. So I would have the main cake as a sponge but it would have champagne in it, and strawberries and cream in layers. I would do fondant icing and then detail the timbers and the door, with colour and spray.
Phil
Age: 56
Job: HGV Driver
Coming to baking through home economics classes at school, Phil now now bakes four or five times a week, frequently making focaccia, granary bread and brioche, as well as pastry. Driving since he was 17, he lives in Rainham, with his wife and two daughters, and is a big motorbike enthusiast.
What is your favourite memory from your first week on the show?
My memory of the first week is being minibussed into the site and seeing the tent, those wonderful white peaks and thinking that this is happening, it’s not just a dream. I have yearned for this for years, it’s amazing.
Which previous baker would you most want to be stuck in a lift with?
Jon from the last series – we could chat motorbikes till we get freed by the firemen.
Alice
Age: 28
Job: Geography teacher
Essex native Alice was always a keen sports player growing up, but tried her hand at baking while recovering from a back operation for scoliosis aged 15. This jet setter learned to make the perfect pavlova while living in New Zealand and now loves creating intricate and delicate decorations that have that real ‘wow’ factor!
You are asked to make a cake that signifies one of the happiest days of your life. What would it be?
‘I think I would make a cake that resembled a mobile phone, as that was a happy moment when I got the call that I was going to be in Bake Off.’
What does it feel like to have made it into the tent?
‘I have wanted to be in Bake Off ever since the show has started, but I wasn’t really good enough when I was 18. To be accepted into the tent gave me the confidence to feel that I could bake. It was a dream come true!’
Michael
Age: 26
Job: Theatre Manager/Fitness Instructor
He may have been born in Newcastle, but 26-year-old Michael is a Scot at heart, having lived in the south east of the country since he was a wee lad of seven. Learning to bake from the handwritten recipes passed down through his family, Michael’s specialties are cakes and pastry, while he likes to take flavour inspo from his Indian heritage.
Who will be the most surprised to find out that you’ve made it to Bake Off?
‘My grandma is very chatty usually but she will be totally speechless. She’ll have to have a sit down in a quiet room and have a cup of tea.’
Which previous baker would you most want to be stuck in a lift with?
‘It would have to be Selasi. I would be freaking out and think the world was over but he would be relaxed and just chilled and then I would be too!’
Helena
Age: 40
Job: Online Project Manager
40-year-old Helena likes to bring cultures together in her baking. Whether it’s Spanish flavours like almond and paprika to signify her childhood in Spanish speaking Ceuta and Lanzarote, or the American tastes of pumpkin, maple and pecans picked up on a school exchange with a Las Vegas Mormon family, the Leeds-based mother-of-one promises to mix things up in the tent.
Which previous baker would you most want to be stuck in a lift with?
‘Kim-Joy from the last series, as I liked her particular style and I think like me she has a niche look. Her bakes are Japanese and cutesy whereas I am witchy and gothic with a Halloween twist.’
You are asked to make a cake that signifies one of the happiest days of your life. What would it be?
‘I would do a three-tier cake representing all the bakers, with multi-coloured icing to represent everyone. We are all so different yet we share such a passion.’
Rosie
Age: 28
Job: Veterinary Surgeon
A former Cambridge student turned veterinary surgeon, Rosie certainly has the brains needed to quip back a good response for Paul’s snarky comments. Based in the Somerset countryside surrounded by animals, her rural surroundings are her inspiration, whether it be freshly laid eggs or fruit from local orchards.
What is your favourite memory from your first week on the show?
‘When we first got here I went to the bathroom and I could see the little top bits of the tent from the window. That made me very happy.’
Who will be the most surprised to find out that you’ve made it to Bake Off?
‘The nurses at work are going to be so surprised. I’d applied before and they asked me the other day if I would apply again and I could honestly, “No, I don’t think I will!”’
Henry
Age: 20
Job: Student
He may only be 20, but Durham University student Henry is very popular among his housemates thanks to his expert culinary skills. Starting baking after the Bake Off tent pitched up in his local park when he was just 12, the show has been his end goal and eight years later, he’s gone full circle and made it.
What does it feel like to have made it into the Tent?
‘I have wanted to get into the tent since series 2. They used to film the show at the end of my road, and I’d see Paul Hollywood when I walked to school in the mornings, so to be inside the actual tent was totally wonderful.’
You are asked to make a cake that signifies one of the happiest days of your life. What would it be?
‘One of the most lovely days I had was at Uni this year, we had an end of year party where everyone was totally relaxed. It would be quite a busy chaotic cake flavoured with alcohol to represent the party, maybe with a kahlua coffee drizzle and vodka buttercream icing.’
Priya
Age: 34
Job: Marketing Consultant
A freelance marketing consultant and self-confessed baking perfectionist, Priya lives in Leicester with her husband and two children, and is writing her first novel. Baking allows her to relax, where she loves tropical, fruity flavours and has recently started experimenting with vegan baking.
You are asked to make a cake that signifies one of the happiest days of your life. What would it be?
‘Every night we read a story together with my two boys, so I’d make a picture book decorated with dragons, dinosaurs, fairies and magic. Lots of fondant icing, as that is what my kids love, and a chocolate sponge, as they love that too.’
Which previous baker would you most want to be stuck in a lift with?
‘Nadiya – I am so inspired and in awe of her, she is so accomplished. She’s just a girl next door, someone you could easily have a good conversation with.’
David
Age: 36
Job: International Health Adviser
Brought up in a baking-only Yorkshire household, 36-year-old David’s work as a health advisor takes him all over the world, learning to build an oven out of an oil drum and make a cake that could steam cook over a village fire in Malawi. A self-proclaimed bread specialist, he might have been the only person to do well on last year’s stone-baked naan bread challenge!
What is your favourite memory from your first week on the show?
‘You feel like royalty walking into the tent, you have a runner looking after you, bringing you drinks. It’s very different to ordinary life, and a fantastic experience.’
You are asked to make a cake that signifies one of the happiest days of your life. What would it be?
‘It would have to be the first date I went on with my partner. We met for a cup of coffee, so I would make a coffee cake as I love that, shaped like a large cappuccino, and make sugar cubes on the side out of marzipan.’
Amelia
Age: 24
Job: Fashion designer
Sportswear designer Amelia has been baking for 19 years after watching her mum and grandma creating beautiful cake decorations inspired her to start baking as a child. Her best bake? A snow leopard cake with intricately designed tiger and snow-leopard faces that she made for her nephew’s fifth birthday.
Who will be the most surprised to find out that you’ve made it to Bake Off?
‘I am really excited to tell my six-year-old godson that I am on Bake Off and that will be the best thing ever. He means the world to me and I am bursting to tell him.’
What is your favourite memory from your first week on the show?
‘It was all so much fun, meeting all the bakers, meeting the judges and presenters, there wasn’t one moment from that first week that I didn’t enjoy. It was magical.’
Michelle
Age: 35
Job: Print Shop Administrator
Born on a farm and now growing up in the seaside town of Tenby with her hsuband and teenage son, Michelle prides herself on baking almost every other day. Whether she’s making a simple loaf to have for breakfast or something sweet to eat for dessert, she likes to use freshly grown seasonal and local produce the best.
What does it feel like to have made it into the tent?
‘I was so emotional when I found out, I cry when I am happy and cry when I am sad. I have wanted it for so long, so I couldn’t believe it.’
You are asked to make a cake that signifies one of the happiest days of your life. What would it be?
‘We christened our son on the same day we got married, so rather than a wedding cake we had a cheese stack made of six tiers of Welsh cheese. So I would probably remake that as a cake, with chocolate cake and carrot cake baked to look like stilton and camembert.’
Jamie
Age: 20
Job: Part-time waiter
An identical twin, Jamie was taught to bake by his grandparents before an episode of Bake Off inspired him to try out a plaited loaf. Currently working as a waiter before he goes off to study Sports Science at uni, this Surrey lad has a fairly traditional approach to his flavours – although he does like to experiment with what he can find around the house.
What is your favourite memory from your first week on the show?
‘I was quite nervous at the beginning but by the second day the bakers had all gelled and we were all pretty much best mates. It was great.’
Who will be the most surprised to find out that you’ve made it to Bake Off?
‘None of mates even know that I bake, so they will be shocked just to see me in an apron!’
Steph
Age: 28
Job: Shop Assistant
Primarily self-taught, 28-year-old Steph considers herself an ‘intermediate, still-learning’ baker. Inspire by her passion for sport and wellness, she enjoys making her bakes healthier, adding vegetables or fruits, lowering the refined sugar content and creating better versions of her fave supermarket biscuits.
Which previous Baker would you most want to be stuck in a lift with?
‘Ruby Tandoh, because she was great when she was on the show, I think she is a really interesting character and I would love to meet her.’
What does it feel like to have made it into the Tent?
‘It’s a bit like a lottery, I didn’t think that I would get in but just wanted to give it a go. It’s just beyond anything that I can imagine, because I didn’t really dream that I would get in, it has been the most incredible surreal experience.’
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