THE WHITSONS’ KITCHEN

Bake Off 9 ratcheted up the tension. The semi-final – four in the tent, but in next week’s final there’s only room for three.

Each one of the bakers living the nightmare of being next for the bullet. Prue didn’t help, saying: “This is the semi-final. We really are looking for perfection.” Oh, yeah – what about the final then?

The bakers looked lonely and isolated in the huge tent, nervous twitches, cool Sophie becoming distinctly uncool and Stacey pushing back that stray lock of hair and muttering: “I’ve done it wrong, I’ve done it wrong.” The Doyenne sighed – she’d seen it coming and all she could do was shout at the telly.

Tonight was a melange of confusion making the outcome impossible to predict. Kate was best in the signature challenge but last in the technical – was she heading for the door? Stacey was second in the technical and thought she had escaped the hanging Sword of Damocles, but she was last in the showstopper.

Thank goodness for Noel’s lighthearted dry humour. Fancy calling a cake Les Miserables. As Kate said – Les Mis is like some tragic story. It was for her – she came last.

It was Stacey who left the tent this week amid sobs and snuffles. The Doyenne and I don’t know if we can stand the pace for the final.

And for her Showstopper, was that a bodice or a tutu that Sophie baked or am ah wrang?