Panto queen star of Bake Off? Oh yes she is!
Punk fan and panto queen among Bake Off hopefuls
‘Cast and crew were in quarantine together’
FROM a punk rock fan to an expert in Caribbean flavours and a pantomime producer, it’s the most diverse Great British Bake Off ever.
New contestants revealed today also include a sculptor who lost a leg in a motorbike accident, a pharmacy worker who uses global influences, two ‘perfectionists’ and a Scottish 20-year-old finance student.
The hit show’s 11th series will see 12 amateur bakers compete in a new ‘Covid-secure’ tent.
They include Dave, an armoured van guard who listens to punk rock as he bakes bread.
Jamaican-born radiographer Loriea, accountant Hermine, who was born in Benin, and pharmacy dispenser Sura, who has Middle Eastern and Asian influences in her heritage, try to use their roots to help craft creations. Lottie, who produces pantos, says she is a ‘perpetually frustrated perfectionist’ whose baking has a dark sense of humour.
While they all hope to be crowned the winner, one contestant is taking part in the Channel 4 show for a more personal reason. Marc, 51, lost his leg in a motorbike accident in 2016 and decided to join Bake Off to show his daughters that when life throws up obstacles you can rise to new challenges.
The sculptor, from Cornwall, was previously a keen climber, spending his youth travelling the world conquering mountains.
The accident led him to baking bread as a form of therapy. With the support of his daughters Marc has taken up climbing again.
This year’s oldest contestant is 61-year-old Linda, from East Sussex, while the youngest is student Peter, 20, from Edinburgh.
Filming of Bake Off was delayed due to Covid and the cast and crew were forced to quarantine together. It will be the fourth series of the show on Channel 4 after it moved from the BBC. Judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith return while comedian Matt Lucas makes his debut as a presenter alongside Noel Fielding after Sandi Toksvig left.
Producers said they drew up a list of Covid safety rules ‘longer than the Bible’ before filming started in Essex. Executive producer Letty Kavanagh said even packets of flour were cleaned several times. Before entering the ‘biosphere’ the contestants
had to quarantine for nine days and then give two negative results from coronavirus tests. They were tested again at the venue.
Anything coming in and out of the Bake Off bubble, including luggage and food deliveries, had to be deep-cleaned. Kieran Smith, of show maker Love Productions, confirmed that Hollywood handshakes – which a baker receives after impressing Paul Hollywood – take place in the series.
The new series begins on September 22 at 8pm.
1 ACCOUNTANT’S DOUGH
Hermine, 39, from London, was born and raised in Benin, West Africa, where she enjoyed helping her mother bake for family gatherings. The accountant has a love of high-end patisserie and is also a fan of making sourdough – the only bread her son, nine, will eat.
2 CREATIVE PHARMACIST
Sura, 31, a pharmacy dispenser, from London, enjoys experimenting with ingredients and flavours from all over the world in part because of Middle Eastern and Asian influences in her heritage. She says loves to stray from a recipe and inject her own personality into creations.
3 PASSIONATE TEACHER
Music teacher Rowan, 55, from Worcestershire, is a self-taught baker who has a passion for patisserie. His love of the Georgian era encourages him to put his own twist on 18th century recipes.
4 SCULPTING GREAT TASTE
Marc, 51, a bronze resin sculptor, from Cornwall, started baking as a form of therapy after losing his leg in a motorbike accident in 2016. He enjoys making palmiers and millefeuille, and entered Bake Off to show his daughters that when life throws obstacles, you can develop new passions.
5 DIGITAL PERFECTIONIST
Digital manager Laura, 31, from Kent, is a perfectionist who wants her bakes to look pretty. She likes to put a modern twist on her creations and ensure they are finished to the highest quality. Look out for her piped buttercream flowers.
6 THE KITCHEN VETERAN
Linda, 61, a retirement living team leader, from East Sussex, is the oldest contestant. Her love of baking stemmed from when she would go to her aunt’s dairy farm as a child, milk the cows and then learn to make cakes with creamy icing. She prides herself on her sausage rolls and loves to make classic treats.
7 EYE FOR INGREDIENTS
Accountant Makbul, 51, from Greater Manchester, taught himself to cook by watching TV shows, reading books and learning from famous chefs. He can also measure out ingredients by eye.
8 INSPIRED BY PUNK
Guard Dave, 30, from Hampshire, says his strengths lie in bread which he likes to make as he listens to punk rock bands. He also loves decorating his creations with a mirror glaze.
9 A TASTE OF JAMAICA
Loriea, 27, a radiographer, from Durham, started baking with her grandmother at the age of five. Born and raised in Jamaica, she uses baking to celebrate her Caribbean roots. She admits she rarely follows a recipe.
10 PANTOMIME ‘DAME’
Pantomime producer Lottie, 31, from West Sussex, is a self-proclaimed ‘perpetually frustrated perfectionist’. Her baking is refined but she hopes to retain an element of her dark sense of humour in it.
11 PIE IN THE SKY
Mark, 32, a project manager, from Liverpool, says his love of baking stemmed from his daily visits to get the mac ’n’ cheese pie from his favourite shop in Edinburgh. His bakes are influenced by his Northern Irish roots and Africa and Asia where he travels for work.
12 WHISKY-A-GO-GO
Finance student Peter, 20, from Edinburgh, started baking seriously when he was 12 and loves to incorporate Scottish ingredients, including whisky and oats.