Great British Bake Off’s secret recipe for success

It has been 10 years since The Great British Bake Off first burst forth on to our screens but for judge Paul Hollywood the past decade has flown by faster than the time it takes to watch a sponge rise.

‘‘It’s gone really quickly actually. When I look back, it doesn’t seem like it was 10 years ago I was in the tent at Kingham where we started.

‘‘Back then I never imagined we’d still be here 10 years later. I’ve done every single Bake Off and, across that, US Bake Off and Junior Bake Off. It’s now 500 challenges that I have judged. That’s a lot.’’

Ten years on, The Great British Bake Off is still a huge hit. So what is the secret ingredient?

‘‘It’s always the bakers,’’ says Hollywood. ‘‘They are the constant. The bakers remain the heart of the show.’’

He admits that he admires the contestants’ skills under pressure. ‘‘All of them are coping really well this year. Their resilience and enthusiasm are amazing.

‘‘When they are baking on the show, they are getting cameras in their face a lot of the time, so I have a lot of respect for them.

‘‘It’s very different for them from baking in their kitchens at home and, realistically, they are amateur bakers.’’

A huge part of the series’ appeal is the chemistry between the judges – Hollywood and Prue Leith – and the co-hosts – Noel

Fielding and Sandi Toksvig.

Hollywood underscores how much he enjoys working with Leith, who replaced Mary Berry as a judge after seven series.

‘‘We are so relaxed with each other. She is so lovely, I feel that I have known Prue all my life.

‘‘When I first met her at the auditions, she came in and she had this smile that lit up the room.

‘‘She is also so clever. She dresses fantastically with her bright colours. She is so vibrant and she is such a good laugh.’’

He and Leith are also on the same wavelength when judging. ‘‘Prue and I have had some good professional discussions this series. It’s never an argument. What it boils down to is personal opinion and we can disagree on flavours. But we mostly agree ultimately.’’

He describes the two hosts of The Great British Bake Off as ‘‘both genuinely lovely and very, very funny.

‘‘Sandi is great and worries about everyone and is very empathic. Noel is just Noel, which is great.’’

The Bake Off judge can also relate to the contestants’ culinary struggles.

Hollywood, who hails from Merseyside, started out at his father’s bakery as a teenager. He recalls that was the scene of his worst baking disaster.

‘‘I made 1000 doughnuts and put salt on them instead of sugar. So maybe I was ahead of my time with the sweet and sour thing, but they didn’t taste great at all.’’

The Great British Bake Off, Prime, Tuesdays, 7.30pm