Viewers have already had to say goodbye to two bakers.
The Great British Bake Off returned to our screens on Tuesday 26th September for a 14th season, and a group of 12 bakers attempted to try their luck at becoming the next Star Baker – with viewers already having to say goodbye to two of them.
This year includes a first for Bake Off, as Tasha from Bristol, 27, makes history as the show’s first deaf contestant. She’ll compete against the 11 other bakers in this year’s line-up, who hail from all across the UK and range from ages 21 to 60.
They’ll all be hoping to impress judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, who may even give out some of his famous Hollywood Handshakes throughout the season.
Keeping them company in the Bake Off tent will be returning host Noel Fielding, along with new presenter Alison Hammond, who takes over from Matt Lucas.
Hammond isn’t the only change for season 14, with Bake Off scrapping national-themed weeks following backlash.
So far the bakers have had to bake some eccentric cakes and biscuits, and only time will tell who the ultimate Star Baker of the season will be.
With two contestants already out of the competition, read on for everything you need to know about this year’s line-up.
Abbi
Age: 27
From: Cumbria
Job: Veg grower and delivery driver
Yorkshire-born Abbi first learned to bake alongside her mum. She honed these early skills during her teens, when she became enthralled by the Victorian era, especially the traditional bakes of the time. Now, she takes her inspiration from her environment and the beautiful English countryside around her home.
Cristy
Age: 33
From: East London
Job: Mum and PA
For mum-of-four Cristy, baking is a way of life: there always seems to be a birthday to bake for and an exciting party to plan. She describes her baking style as enchanted and pretty – bakes that conjure up a sense of childhood. Cakes are her speciality, and she draws flavour inspiration from her own Israeli heritage and from her husband’s Jamaican roots.
Dan
Age: 42
From: Cheshire
Job: Civil engineering resource planner
Dan’s interest in cooking began when he went travelling in South America in 2007. His particular loves are pies and puddings. Before he and his wife bought their first home, they lived with his in-laws. During this time, his mother-in-law taught him how to make perfect shortcrust pastry. Subsequently, his passion for pies has evolved into a penchant for patisserie!
Dana
Age: 25
From: Essex
Job: Database administrator
Dana’s passion for baking started at the age of 16 when she identified a gap in her family’s traditionally Indian culinary repertoire. A self-professed “untidy baker”, Dana would sneak off to her dad’s house to experiment. Now, she has her own kitchen (and a cockapoo, Gracie, to clean up after her) and she’s become the family’s go-to celebration cake-maker. Her style is rustic and homely, but always pleasing to the eye.
Josh
Age: 27
From: Leicestershire
Job: Post-doctoral research associate
A chemist by trade, Josh brings his scientific precision and keenness to experiment into the kitchen, taking careful notes on each part of the baking process and perfecting all his techniques for gorgeous results. He likes to take his inspiration from old baking books – reinventing classics to give them a modern twist, often by introducing alternative flavours and including the seasonal fruit and vegetables from his kitchen garden.
Matty
Age: 28
From: Cambridgeshire
Job: PE and science teacher
Matty is the type of baker who swats up on online patisserie videos before bed. No matter how good he gets, he strives to equal the impressiveness of the bake that first caught his imagination: a teddy-bear cake that his late nan made him for his fourth birthday.
Now the family’s designated baker, he always has a list of cake requests for upcoming celebrations. He describes his style as rustic but neat, and his flavour preferences as quite traditional – he particularly loves chocolate, citrus and nuts.
Nicky
Age: 52
From: West Midlands
Job: Retired cabin crew and volunteer
Nicky describes her baking as “like a pair of comfy old slippers; little traditional bakes that evoke fond memories”. As a little girl, she would roll out pastries and decorate cakes at her Gran’s house. She says it was just as much fun then as all her baking is to her now. Her favourite bakes are still pastries, but she also loves making bread and fun birthday cakes for her niece and grandchildren.
Rowan
Age: 21
From: West Yorkshire
Job: Student
English literature student Rowan, 21, is the youngest baker in this year’s line-up. But, don’t let his age fool you! “Go big or go home” is Rowan’s motto, and one that he has applied to baking. His earliest baking memories are of scones, pork pies, shortbread and traditional jam tarts (which he claims as a Northern delicacy). Rowan loves to apply his creative eye to his cooking, aiming for clean lines and interesting decoration in his finished bakes.
Saku
Age: 50
From: Herefordshire
Job: Intelligence analyst
Growing up in Sri Lanka, Saku didn’t have an oven until she was 18, so she started baking when she moved with her husband to the UK in 2003, particularly when she became a mother. She places the traditional flavours of her heritage at the heart of her baking – particularly the curry spices, which she claims make for the best pie fillings, while liberal sprinklings of cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg find their way into her sweeter bakes.
Tasha
Age: 27
From: Bristol
Job: Participation officer
Tasha makes history as the show’s first ever deaf contestant.
The best thing Tasha remembers about baking as a child was licking the sugar icing from the tops of the fairy cakes she, her mum and her grandma used to make. At secondary school, she made cakes for her friends and was soon encouraged by her food technology teacher to develop her skills as a hobby.
Much like her attitude to life, Tasha’s baking is fearless. She uses it as a way to express herself creatively, often embarking upon near-impossible designs – with impressive results!
Former Great British Bake Off 2023 contestants
Keith – Eliminated in Week 2
Age: 60
From: Hampshire
Job: Chartered accountant
Apple pies and fairy cakes – which he learned to bake with his mum – form the baking backdrop to Keith’s childhood, along with his mum’s love for traditional dishes from her home in Malta.
Keith has been baking ever since, and recently has returned to the baking books of the early 1970s to attempt recipes that were once “beyond” him. He loves the challenge of taking on more complex bakes and has grown in confidence with bread.
Keith was the second baker to leave the tent. Speaking about his exit, Keith said: “It’s alright, I feel fine, there is nothing sad about this moment. I have had the most fantastic time. There were bruises up my arm from the first week as I was pinching myself every half-hour. I don’t know how many hours I will spend the rest of my life banging on about this.”
Amos – Eliminated in Week 1
Age: 43
From: North London
Job: Deli and grocery manager
Film and theatre enthusiast, theme-park lover and hospitality professional Amos grew up in Nottingham with his mum and sister, but now lives and works in north London.
Unfortunately, Amos was the first baker to leave this season. Talking about his experience on the show, Amos said: “What I have learned from my experience on Bake Off is that I can always bring anything together under pressure and that I’m now a part of an exclusive club.
“I will definitely keep on baking and hope to maybe open up my own bakery and feed the world with love and cake! Who knows where it will take me?”
Great British Bake Off continues on Channel 4 at 8pm on Tuesday 10th October.
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