Great British Bake Off: Who Will Win?

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Flour, eggs, sugar, lard? Check. Two giddy presenters, one Dame Of Cakes and one Berk Of Bread? Check. Three nimble-fingered contestants? Check, checkety check! We’ve been counting down for weeks and now the moment has arrived: the final of the Great British Bake Off is happening today and I for one am beside myself with creamy, puffy excitement. Will Frances create an alternate universe from blueberry & liquorice icing for her showstopper? Will Kimberley pipe with ice-cool precision to scoop the prize? And will Ruby hold the saffron & make it to the end without cracking up and dissolving into a pool of gloop? I’d say all three are possible…

As I’ve said in a previous post about the Great British Bake Off, the programme’s very simplicity is its star attraction. First, Tuesdays are not the time for a couple of swift shandies down the boozer and so its timeslot is perfect. Second, at 8pm you’re just digesting dinner and you’ve got a cup of tea, so let’s settle on the sofa and watch some people baking in a drizzly field – what could be more British? Chuck in Mel and Sue hopping about the place reeling off dad jokes and it all adds up to a soporific baking goodness in a tent and they don’t sell that mix in Tesco.

This series has been a corker with Mary Berry sporting a range of denim not to be sneered at and Paul Hollywood getting more catty by the bake. As for the contestants whereas in 2012 the last three standing were men, this year it’s an all-female final line-up with youth and vitality to the fore. Early frontrunner Rob came a cropper when he tried to fashion a cake with blue icing in the style of a Dalek – let’s just say it didn’t reek of finesse. Then there was council worker Howard who got in a pickle with his flavours – date & hemp loaf anyone? And who can forget Glenn, the hapless teacher who seemed to spend most of his time staring forlornly into his oven waiting for the magic to happen. Sadly, Glenn was no Harry Potter.

Last week Beca fell at the final hurdle with her ill-advised banoffee Opera cake which is unlikely to be slotted into the next edition of French Classic Bakes. Ruby was already off her stool and halfway across the field (pocketing her magic baking beans as she went) but she survived to fight another day. And so now it’s down to not-boring-mentalist Frances, calm perfectionist Kimberley or pull-it-out-of-the-bag Ruby. Who will triumph and be crowned master baker? It’s too close to call but I’ll be watching from the edge of my sofa…

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