Katherine Hassell
As Great British Bake Off favourite Liam Charles returns to co-host a new series of the ultimate baking battle, he talks staying grounded, famous fans and how his food puts a smile on people’s faces…
WINNING isn’t everything. Ask Liam Charles. He might have come fifth in The Great British Bake Off 2017, but the nation fell in love with his cheeky smile, infectious exuberance and sheer talent.And it changed his life. Now he’s published two cookbooks: Cheeky Treats and Second Helpings. He’s had his own series, Liam Bakes. He’s co-hosted three series of Bake Off: The Professionals. And he’s judged Junior Bake Off.
The adulation and success could have gone to his head, but – almost three years after his tenure in the tent – his feet remain firmly on the ground.
“If you’d said all this stuff would happen to me after Bake Off, I would have said, ‘Nah!’” confesses the Hackney-born 22-year-old. “I thought I’d do a few collaborations with brands or have a chance to teach, but nothing on this scale. It’s nuts to be fair.”
Rubbing shoulders with pastry chefs at the pinnacle of their craft as co-host of Bake Off: The Professionals – which has recently returned to Channel 4 – has proved particularly inspirational.
The 10-part series sees 12 pairs of pros from patisseries, bespoke catering companies and five-star hotels competing in what must be TV’s hardest cookery competition, such is the precision and imagination required.
Each week, the first challenge is to make dessert miniatures like those served with AfternoonTea.Then, they tackle a showpiece – future themes include famous skylines, fireworks and magic. The world-class judges have exacting standards.
FRENCHMAN Benoit Blin is chef pâtissier at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, created by Raymond Blanc. Singapore-born Cherish Finden is former creative development chef for Godiva chocolatier and former executive pastry chef at The Langham hotel.
She’ll be executive pastry chef of the new Pan Pacific London hotel when it opens later this year. Their expectations and the chefs’ creations have made this the most dramatic series yet.
“We are looking for the best professional pastry chefs there are, so it has to be hard,” explains Liam. “But what’s so nice is the balance between that and just how human the show is. That’s what makes the show so special.
“You can identify with their stresses, their nervousness, their ups and downs. When you’ve practised it over and over again and, at the time of execution, it doesn’t go to plan… it’s very relatable.”
He adds: “There is a lot of crying this time. I’ve done Bake Off and I know what it’s like to be in that position. I cried over cake. I feel their pain, so I try to spur them on to the next challenge. Every year the teams have new skills, new techniques and new ideas and it keeps everything fresh. Overall, it was so great this year. And there was so much food to eat as well. It was banging.”
Tasting everything made the professional kitchens is education in itself.
“The smell on set is gorgeous. I try to have tiny portions of the bakes, but some were so good you just don’t care,” Liam confesses.
He makes up for the calories with cardio and weight-training. His favourite this year was a tiramisu. “I don’t usually like it because of the texture, but their version was insane. I ate a lot of that one,” he laughs.
Not everything is a raging success. When chefs push themselves to be ever more inventive, they can come a cropper. This series sees some epic, entertaining disasters. Precarious, towering sugar or chocolate structures often seem to defy laws of gravity… until they don’t. “There are always a few crashes,” nods Liam.
There are suspect ingredients, too – like certain Asian vine leaf.
It’s a safe bet Liam won’t be using it in his bakes. “The betel leaf. Oh my days. I can’t even describe what it tastes like because my brain was like, ‘What is that?’ I’ve never tasted something like that before in my life. The most questionable flavour. Definitely.”
Hosting Pros – alongside comedian Tom Allen – has certainly improved Liam’s baking. “I’ve learned a lot about what things should taste like from Benoit and Cherish discussing the bake afterwards. They really know how to explain stuff,” he enthuses.
That said, Liam confesses the main thing he’s taken away is to be neat and organised. “That’s definitely changed,” he laughs. “There’s a correlation between chefs doing well and how tidy they are.
“When I’m doing baking, I try to wash up going along and have all my ingredients out,
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‘Precarious, towering sugar or chocolate structures often seem to defy laws of gravity… until they don’t’