Meat eater Jon beaten by Bake Off vegan round
HE’S the Cardiff City fan who brought a dash of Welsh hwyl to this year’s Great British Bake Off.
But after being voted off this week, just before the show’s quarter finals, Jon Jenkins blamed his vegan “nemesis” for being sent home from the Bake Off tent.
The 47-year-old Welshman and meat-eater was defeated by the challenge of producing plant-based bakes in Vegan Week.
He said that he could not manage his usual representation of Wales with vegan food, and would not switch his diet any time soon.
Earlier in the series Jon went full-on Welsh during the show’s “bread week” – dedicating his bach of Chelsea buns to his beloved Cardiff City, complete with a little bluebird on top of each one.
“Never mind about Paul and Prue,” he said, in reference to judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, “I want Neil Warnock to have one these!”
And he went on to show his Welsh credentials even further with a showstopper korovai – a traditional European bread – that was bara brith-flavoured, and decorated with y Ddraig Goch, lovespoons, leeks and pictures of his daughters in Welsh costume.
In Tuesday’s show, rival baker Ruby survived another week despite her celebration cake toppling into a “collapsed mess”, and Kim-Joy claimed the prize of Star Baker.
Gravity proved a problem for contestants getting to grips with a lack of eggs or dairy, and Jon’s show-stopper slumped after his final bake.
It was branded “truly hideous” by judge Paul Hollywood.
Having only cooked vegan once in his life, Jon ran out of time and filling for his signature vegan tarts of falafel and hummus. His middling vegan pavlova in the technical challenge was not enough to save him.
The blood courier admitted the week was a disaster and said: “It’s not my thing at all.”
He added: “My real downfall this week was the Signature, that is what finished me off, and I won’t be turning vegan soon that’s for sure.
“I didn’t think a vegetable would prove to be my nemesis, but the vegan gods got to me.
“As a self-confessed meat-eater I have only ever cooked one vegan meal in my life.
“I am very patriotic and managed to get a bit of Wales in nearly every episode. I couldn’t get any of Wales in Vegan Week and that’s probably where I went wrong.”
Ruby managed to remain despite her cake dramatically collapsing as contestants strolled outside the tent, with presenter Noel Fielding having to break the news of the toppled tiers.
Kim-Joy gained a Hollywood handshake and was named Star Baker, despite coming last in the technical challenge.
Her finely decorated cake lifted her above the other contestants.
Rahul impressed with his tarts, which Leith deemed “poetry”, but did not earn the usual high-praise from the judges for his other challenges.
Manon also faced a possible exit, with Hollywood saying that her showstopper: “Looks great – tastes awful”.
But it was Jon who left, the Bake Off tent, along with his signature Hawaiian shirt.
■ Bake Off returns to Channel 4 on Tuesday at 8pm.