TVGUIDE BAKE OR BREAK
The Great British Bake Off is back and, according to judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood, it’s tastier than ever!
Whisks at the ready, it’s time for our favourite annual cooking show – Bake Off! And judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood return to the tent prepared to put the bakers through the ultimate test.
Hosts Matt Lucas and Noel Fielding are also back to give the bakers – as well as us – a bit of light relief.
So, was it all fairy cakes and fun? Or were the bakers left agonising over their soggy bottoms? Here, Paul and Prue tell us what we can expect…
Hi, guys! What can you tell us about the new series?
Prue: I thought it would be a hard act to follow because the previous one with Giuseppe and Jürgen was just so magical, but these guys turned out to be great. They were generally a younger bunch, they bonded really well, enjoyed themselves and were very creative.
What really stood out? Prue:
I love the way cakes are decorated. It’s been happening gradually, but there’s been a leap forward. I think it may have happened during lockdown. When I first came on the series, seven years ago, there’d be lots of rosettes around the edge of a cake with perhaps a strawberry between each rosette. Now, they do all these wonderfully modern designs with lots of mirror glazes, lots of informal piping, lots of decoration with fresh flowers. That impressed me. Paul: The standard was very high.
They had great ideas. They executed them well and were all very professional. But they all struggled with their timing. Bad timing catches most bakers out when they come into the tent.
Did anything unusual happen during the series? Prue:
We had some unusual combinations – we had pineapple and popcorn on one cake. Oh, and some quite rich chilli and chocolatetype flavours. It was really good. Paul: Mexican Week and Halloween Week were fantastic. When the tent was set up for Halloween with cobwebs it was all quite spooky – Noel thought it was like going home! The food I had in Mexico was spectacular and it was lovely to carry it into the tent.
How much fun is it working with Matt and Noel? Prue:
We have a lot of laughs. It’s different with those two than with Sandi [Toksvig]. We were more of a pair. Those boys talk football and motor cars all day while Sandi and I would talk books or theatre.
Paul: When Matt and Noel do something that makes me laugh, Prue’s normally oblivious, which makes it funnier. Matt, Noel and I end up giggling like school kids, which I love.
Prue, what bake would Paul be? A doughnut. Hard on the outside but squishy in the middle.
And Paul, what would Prue be? An éclair – very elegant, beautiful to look at and soft.