Bake Off is Back!

Amelia Huxtable reviews the much anticipated return of the Great British Bake Off

As summer turns to autumn and leaves crunch underfoot, we head inside and hope for something good on TV. In a world of little certainty and a summer of cancelled events, our favourite baking show has triumphed again. On Tuesday evening, I and 7 million others settled down for some light-hearted laughs, wholesome bakes and an hour to forget our worries. The Great British Bake Off is back, and nothing is stopping it, except maybe another flour shortage!

With the new series brought a new presenter. Matt Lucas is seen meandering the tent with his amiable personality giving bakers the confidence needed after losing a crumbly cake battle! This week saw some abstract Battenberg flavours, a topsy turvy technical and the chance for the bakers to meet their hero, in cake form! 

In the first signature of the series, bound to Battenberg uniformity, the bakers used flavours and decoration to impress the judges. I stand with Laura for my Battenberg dislike, happily turning down cake covered in marzipan. Some flavours were tempting, Sura’s lemon and orange got my taste buds tingling and Laura’s flavour conjured up childhood memories of raspberry ripple ice cream! Loriea’s bubblegum and cream soda flavour felt less traditional as did Lottie’s rhubarb and custard, both cakes exhibiting fun bright colours.

The technical challenge saw the bakers battle sugar work in a bid to make Paul’s pineapple upside-down cakes. In true technical style, we saw 12 slates of somewhat different bakes and our first ‘cake-gate’. The showstopper saw icons come to life. Sir David Attenborough and Freddie Mercury, to mention a few, emerged in the tent. The bakers did an outstanding job depicting their celebrity hero as cake. Excited for the next episodes, I’m sure they will deliver, and bring joy to a difficult year.

Cover Photo by by Brooke Lark on Unsplash