Cheer on Chigs: our man in the Bake Off’s big tent!
HE MIGHT BE A NEWCOMER TO THE CRAFT BUT FEARLESS COOK IS UP FOR THE CHALLENGE
BAKE Off is back – and bringing a home-grown contestant to cheer on.
The 12th series of the Great British Bake Off starts on Tuesday, on Channel 4, when Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding all return to the tent.
With them, following in the footsteps of Holly Bell, Frances Quinn, Rahul Mandal and Priya O’Shea, is 40-yearold Chirag – known as Chigs – a sales manager from Leicestershire.
Chigs said he is new to baking, only taking it seriously since the start of lockdown in 2020.
He said through the careful study of online videos, he managed to teach himself how to produce complex bakes and intricate chocolate work.
He said he loves a challenge and has no fear of being thrown in at the deep end. A thrill-seeker, he relishes highoctane activities such as bouldering, skydiving and trekking.
He has already completed the Three Peaks Challenge in Yorkshire and now has his sights set on conquering Kilimanjaro.
When he is not baking or climbing, he spends time with his nephews, whom he adores.
Here is what he had to say: Did you ever dream that you would actually get into the Bake Off tent, and what was your reaction when you got the call confirming your place?
No, I never believed I would actually make it on the show but was over the moon to have been selected as a contestant.
The hard part was keeping it secret given how excited I was to be on the show.
How have you coped during the various lockdowns? Has it helped your baking improve?
I only really started to bake during the first lockdown so yes it has helped me enormously. It gave me something to focus on.
Is there a baker from a previous series who inspired you to apply?
No, my family and friends have inspired me to bake.
If you were about to be marooned on a desert island, what utensil/gadget would you take with you?
Spatula, it’s the tool I think is most useful in the kitchen, if for no other reason than to get access to the leftovers at the bottom of a dish.
In the first week of filming what special memories do you have of that time?
Walking in to the tent for the first time – it really hit home the fact that I would be on the show.
If you had to make a selfie biscuit of yourself, what would it look like and why?
I have had to make a selfie biscuit and I chose to bake a selfie of me with the Taj Mahal in the background.
My last trip as a family was to India before my father passed away so this was a special creation for me.
As a baker what would you say are your strengths? And what are your weaknesses?
My strengths are baking with chocolate, my attention to detail and my organisational skills. There are areas for improvement but I believe I can learn and improve my skills and I am keen to continue to learn more.
Can you describe your emotions when you walked into the tent on the first day, was it what you expected it to be?
Excitement, anxious, happy, nervous.
You are a Showstopper – what would you be and why?
Massive tiered chocolate cake because I love chocolate and, well, the more chocolate the better.