Hollywood Handshake as favourite Chigs rises to occasion
CONTESTANT FROM COUNTY IS CROWNED STAR BAKER TOO!
GREAT British Bake Off favourite Chigs wowed the judges this week, kicking off the show by winning his first Hollywood Handshake.
Chigs, who works as a sales manager in Leicestershire, has only been baking for a few months but has already proved his worth in Britain’s most famous tent.
This week’s episode started with the bakers being tasked with making a pavlova, a tricky bake that involves making a perfect meringue.
The task proved a challenge for a number of bakers, including vegan contestant Freya, whose aquafaba recipe struggled to set correctly.
But Chigs held his own, offering up a perfect pavlova to the judges.
The bake certainly looked the part to viewers at home and when he presented his creation to the judges they were equally impressed.
Commenting on his pavlova, Prue said: “It’s lovely. It’s soft but stable in the middle and crunchy on the outside. I think it is wonderful.
“The acidity and the cream is just lovely.”
Paul continued the high praise for Chigs’ pavlova, adding: “There some nice marshmallow in that and it is stable enough to hold it. It’s quite difficult to get that balance but the way you have done the top and the chocolate, I just can’t, you know...”
And with that, he held out his hand to offer Chigs his first Hollywood Handshake.
But that wasn’t the end for Chigs as he continued to impress the judges during the technical challenge, when the bakers were asked to make a sticky toffee pudding, and the showstopper, a celebratory Jaconde multi-layered dessert.
His bakes proved so good that as well as winning a Hollywood Handshake, Chigs was also crowned star baker - much to his shock.
Commenting on the achievement at the end of the show, he said: “What has happened? To get a handshake and star baker in one week... I am speechless and that never happens.”
The same good news was not shared by Maggie, however, who struggled throughout the episode.
Maggie forgot to add flour to her sticky toffee pudding and her Jaconde proved to be a tad leaky.
She was the fourth baker to leave the tent.