‘IT’S THE HARDEST FINAL EVER!’
PAUL HOLLYWOOD and PRUE LEITH choose this year’s Bake off champion
The Great British Bake Off: The Final Tuesday, Channel 4 HD, 8pm
PAUL HOLLYWOOD HAS sat in judgment over seven finals of The Great British Bake Off. So when the 51-year-old baker tells us that this year’s contest is the most closely fought yet, we don’t doubt him.
‘It’s the hardest final I’ve ever been involved in,’ says Hollywood. ‘It was so chilled until the last couple of hours when the bakers saw their families walking into the field. Then it became very real.’
As Tv & satellite Week went to press, four bakers were still in the running for the 2017 trophy – Stacey, Sophie, Steven and Kate – with three of them set to progress to this week’s final, where they will be tasked with baking a batch of loaves and master a tricksy twist on a simple biscuit bake before whipping up a multi-layered patisserie showstopper.
We asked the final four contestants to share their highlights from the tent…
STACEY HART
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO REACH THIS FAR? Amazing! I was sure I was going to leave in week one, so every week after is a huge bonus.
FAVOURITE MOMENT IN THE TENT?
My fave moments were always after a challenge. It was great to be able to chat to the bakers and have a laugh, lying on the grass together in the sunshine.
BEST BAKING WEEK? Pudding week. I got to make an Eighties-inspired Wham! terrine – what’s not to love about that?
POST Bake Off, WHAT WOULD YOU LOVE TO HAPPEN NEXT FOR YOU?
I’d like to do something in the baking arena or write for a magazine sharing my thoughts and recipes.
STEVEN CARTER-BAILEY
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO REACH THIS FAR? It still doesn’t feel real. I never expected to get on the show, let alone get near the end.
FAVOURITE MOMENT IN THE TENT?
Being awarded star baker and getting a Paul handshake are my best moments, but my fondest memories are sitting in the sun, chatting with the other bakers.
BEST BAKING WEEK? Week one with all 12 of us together. The atmosphere was electric.
POST Bake Off, WHAT WOULD YOU LOVE TO HAPPEN NEXT FOR YOU?
I haven’t planned for anything. But I have found something that makes me want to get up every morning.
KATE LYON
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO REACH THIS FAR? I surpassed my own expectations because I haven’t been baking long. As long as I have tried my best, I am happy.
FAVOURITE MOMENT IN THE TENT? Hearing Prue say my cake was the best she had ever tasted. What a compliment. I need to print that out and frame it.
BEST BAKING WEEK? I enjoyed caramel week and patisserie week because I hadn’t done much of those things before.
POST Bake Off, WHAT WOULD YOU LOVE TO HAPPEN NEXT FOR YOU? I’ve realised I’ve got a big passion for food in general so I would love to get more involved with that.
SOPHIE FALDO
HOW DOES IT FEEL TO REACH THIS FAR? It’s all a bit surreal; it seems like it was last week that I was back in France applying for Bake Off. It’s been quite a journey.
FAVOURITE MOMENT IN THE TENT? Probably receiving the first ‘Hollywood handshake’.
BEST BAKING WEEK? I’d say bread week was a personal triumph for me. It was the thing I was least experienced in, so getting through it unscathed was a weight off my shoulders.
POST Bake Off, WHAT WOULD YOU LOVE TO HAPPEN NEXT FOR YOU? Baking is a real passion of mine and if I could turn it into a career it would be fantastic.