The Great British Bake Off review: New technical twist a great way to avoid going stale
The Great British Bake Off feels like it has hit its stride again, with a new twist adding much needed life to the show.
Things I didn’t expect to see on The Great British Bake Off: a baker whacking a coconut with a hammer and a cake coming out a tin being compared to the smooth delivery of a baby.
Yet, here we are.
Bake Off has returned for series 15, just as the weather takes a turn for the worse – something which I was unfortunately reminded of when the bakers began complaining of how cold it was inside the tent during their first challenge.
“Might not need the fridge,” Andy jokes.
As per tradition, The Great British Bake Off kicked things off with Cake Week with their signature challenge set by Prue who asked them to create their very best loaf cakes.
You’re having a loaf (cake)
It felt like a very standard (and somewhat disappointing) start to a new series of Bake Off. As we’re introduced to this year’s batch of 13 bakers we meet everyone from midwife Illiyin and mechanic Andy to marketing specialist Gill and former uni lecturer Jeff.
It’s early days yet, but there are a couple of stand outs already. Firstly, 18-year-old student Sumayah who owns a pet duck and reckons that the only other time she’s been so nervous was attempting to get Taylor Swift tickets.
Already a classic example of a Bake Off overachiever in challenge one, her signature went off without a hitch – even with her hidden halwa dessert inside of it.
Prue tells her: “It is one of the most interesting cakes I’ve ever eaten. It’s lovely.”
Another interesting contestant is paediatric nurse Georgie, whose chaotic baking style proved entertaining.
The show cut between Gill as she stated that she had to be precise for the judges, to Georgie who took rather the opposite approach: “I’m not actually going to measure this. Just going to go for it, hope for the best. Just shove it all in.”
Georgie adds: “I don’t measure anything.”
This challenge also marked – in my opinion – one of the strangest flavour combinations we’ve seen on the show so far, with Christiaan’s “umami apple” loaf cake which, while pretty, used miso… which Paul and Prue didn’t love either.
Around this point, some twenty five minutes into series 15, we even get our first Hollywood Handshake.
Illiyin’s cinnamon roll loaf cake impressed the judges enough to earn her the sign of respect, though I really could have done without the release of the cake from its tin being compared to the smooth delivery of a child.
“Congratulations on the birth of your beautiful cinnamon cake,” Paul tells her.
A statement which feels normal in the world of Bake Off and its infamous soggy bottoms, we move on to the technical challenge, unfortunately without Jeff who was feeling a bit unwell.
A technical challenge with a twist
Set by Paul (who is called “juicy” by Alison, please will the horrors never cease?), this time around bakers had to taste a mini battenberg cake before attempting to make eight of them – all without a recipe.
The devious twist helped liven up events after the somewhat boring loaf cake signature, even if the wholesome whimsy of Bake Off was slightly undermined by the looks of horror and dread on the bakers’ faces.
With the only advice from Paul to keep the weight between ingredients equal, the bakers had to hand back their battenbergs with just 2 hours and 15 minutes on the clock.
With many of the bakers weighing and measuring and doing lots of maths, it isn’t hard to feel sorry for them.
“I’m comfort eating,” Georgie cries.
“See me as a sort of gothic therapist,” Noel tells wee Hazel, who has ten grandchildren. She powers on admirably despite his looming presence. She states at the end of the challenge: “Thank goodness that’s over.”
Despite the new twist to proceedings the contestants all did a decent job, uneven marzipan and some almond flavouring issues aside.
Bake Off innuendos return with a bang
For the bakers’ first ever showstopper challenge, we have set them a real corker,” Prue laughs. “I feel quite sorry for them.”
She should really save her sympathy, as it’s tasks such as creating hyper realistic cakes which actually that help Bake Off remain fresh.
“Not just a cake that has a passing resemblance to something. It’s got to look exactly like the object they’re trying to replicate,” Paul’s facial expression and stern hand gestures are really driving this point home.
After we caught a glimpse of Georgie chasing her earlier in the episode, the Welsh baker decided to make her favourite chicken Fanny for her showstopper.
Paul’s face was glorious when she told the judges what she was making, and Alison’s voiceover even more so: “Covered in over 300 fondant feathers, Fanny will be filled with lemon curd made using her own special eggs.”
Sumayah is also leaning into the bird theme by making her pet duck, Pato, which means duck in Spanish.
On the other hand, Dylan is doing that thing that all bakers end up doing in the tent: going against the advice of the judges and making a really delicate sponge for his “canopic jar”, which the Egyptians used to preserve organs.
In any case, we’ve got contestants making sewing machines, jeans and shoes with Gill even telling Noel that she’s going to “try and ganache my bowling balls”.
Two bakers are making bags, Andy with his modest pants-holder and Hazel with her designer number. She tells the camera: “I’ve got ten Louis’ [Vuitton], couple of Burberry’s, couple of Fendi’s. They’re my guilty pleasure.”
As the episode continues, the more the bakers begin to warm up - even if the tent is still freezing cold. One thing that has remained consistent, however, is how fun it is to watch Alison and Noel interact with one another, which was among the highlights from last year.
When we hit the point of the episode where chickens are being assembled and airbrushers are coming out,
It was worth it in the end to witness Sumayah’s beautiful duck cake, which has to be among the prettiest and most realistic from the entire series.
Andy’s, too, was a stand out despite being a little overbaked while Mike’s books were also incredibly realistic, receiving a great response from the judges.
I could talk about how everyone’s showstopper turned out but to be honest, I would rather highlight this moment from when Georgie’s cake was being tasted.
Alison asked: “How does Fanny taste, guys?”
While there were some issues, Prue did conclude that she was “great” – which pretty much sums up my thoughts on first episode of season 15 of The Great British Bake Off.
It will be interesting to see what else they have in store for audiences, especially with the new technical format which could help inject some new life into the show.
It’s certainly off to a strong start, despite my concerns during the first challenge, and I hope it’s able to keep the momentum going and avoid becoming stale like some of the previous seasons have been.
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