“Pastry week: it feels as though this is where the competition starts.” — Gary

“Sometimes, people give you more pastry than filling. That’s just a red flag, like, why would you do that?” — Moyin

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What did you guys think of pastry week? I can’t believe we’re already down to just seven contestants.

It seems like this bunch is way better at pastry than they are at bread, though! Some really impressive showings, especially Tom (the champion, just you watch! I called it in week one!). A third star baker! Wow. A “beautiful” signature, second in technical, and a handshake in the showstopper: it couldn’t have been anyone else.

But on the downside, it’s such a bummer about Clara. Sometimes, it seems like one thing goes wrong early on, for a contestant, and it just sets the snowball rolling downhill and they’re off their vibe now and nothing works out for the rest of the episode. I’ve been there — I remember having days like this back when I worked as a dog groomer. Some days just fail. Poor Clara seemed to be having one of those days, with an inconsistent signature and last in technical (a lifeless choux).

I really hoped she’d make a comeback in the showstopper, especially because when she described her vision, I really felt for her: she revealed to us that she suffers from bipolar disorder, and she wanted the sun- and moon-shaped pies to represent her opposing extremes and the balance that she’s worked very hard to achieve in her life. I don’t have firsthand experience with this disorder, but I’ve learned a bit more about it over the past year, and have seen how horribly difficult, painful, and damaging it can be to live with, and my heart really goes out to anyone who’s dealing with that diagnosis. Poor Clara — and with that edible blue luster dust — it could have been so beautiful, so fantastic, so her! Alas, she just didn’t have time to get the pastry where it needed to be. Ah well; she is a beautiful person and has a fiance waiting for her at home, with whom she seems to have a lovely relationship, and I’m sure they have a bright future.

I did love how Noel jumped to her defense in the technical: while the judges were complaining on and on about her flat pastry and questionable texture, glossing over their quick mention that her vanilla custard tasted great, Noel chimed in loudly from his station across the tent: “BUT IT TASTES GOOD??” And the judges had to admit that yes, it did. Thank you, Noel. Both he and Alison were great cheerleaders for Clara this week. (I know all the die-hard fans still reminisce about Mel & Sue, myself included — but come on, Noel & Alison are at least as good!)

Speaking of the technical though, what a cool challenge! Polish Karpatka, apparently thus named because their sugar-dusted pastry peaks are said to resemble the snow-capped Carpathian Mountains. It looks like such a simple dessert, but I really like how Nigella said that (at least in her recipe) the custard is thickened not with cornstarch, but with potato starch, to make it creamier and I guess less gelatinous. I’ve never baked with potato starch but do have some strong feelings about cornstarch (it’s fascinating to watch in action, but I hate the way it feels on my hands!! Aaaagh, sensory nightmare, it’s like nails on a chalkboard!), so, I was really curious about this.

And now there’s only one woman left standing! Connie is formidable; the more I see of her, the more convinced I am that she could be a finalist. She seems so laid back, so humble, never panicky or cutthroat, always smiling like she’s just having a nice little time here — but then she’s gone and completely blown the judges’ minds with her bakes, several times now! I swear Paul would have given her a handshake for her jerk chicken signature pastries, but he knew it was too soon — she just got one last week! Keep it up, Connie.

Gabe really moved me this week. He modeled his sausage-filled showstopper after his little pet Dachshund, and damn, it looked incredible! It was so adorable, and looked almost weirdly realistic, like, an actual live weiner dog just taking a nap on his baking sheet. Gabe really is a serious fine artist. What a cute concept too (“sausage dog”). That was one for the books, imo, and deserves to go down in GBBO history.

I was disappointed though that Mo had such a lame week! What a bummer, because to be honest (flashback to last week with Yannis, but) I thought he had the tastiest-sounding bakes in both signature and showstopper! I’m vegetarian, as you know, but still, the sound of his creamy chicken, sweetcorn, and cheese-filled pastry: that reminded me of like a pot pie or some other down-home Southern American thing that my Mema might have served; it sounded really comforting. And his showstopper looked and sounded so beautiful! That painted effect on the wings. I was so disappointed that the shortcrust didn’t quite work out for him. Poor Mo. We almost got to see him care about something and possibly even experience an emotion, this week, which was a first. I felt bad for him. But hey, at least he pulled through and will be here next week.

That’s about all my notes for this week. This season is flying by. What did you think?! Leave me your comments!

Here’s the recap!:

Signature Challenge: Eight Handheld Savory Pies

• Clara: “Drunken Deer” venison and stout pie in puff pastry
• Tom: Vietnamese Bánh Mi pastry with pork, lemongrass, and ginger
• Connie: Jerk Chicken pastry served with mango salsa
• Moyin: Nigerian meat pies with potato, beef, onion, Scotch bonnet, ginger, and garlic
• Mo: creamy chicken breast, sweetcorn, and cheese pastry
• Gabe: “Bostin Brummie Balti” pie with mango chutney (I had to Google this; apparently, it’s a local Birmingham thing, some kind of tomato-based curry?)
• Gary: Grandma’s minced beef, onion, potato, and cheese pastry

Judging notes: Connie, Tom, and Moyin all did amazing; no notes from the judges. Paul said Connie’s was “one of the best fillings I’ve ever had in a pie.” Gabe’s and Gary’s were dry, Mo’s were “gloopy,” and Clara’s were under-filled.

Technical Challenge: Polish Karpatka

• 7. Clara
• 6. Connie
• 5. Mo
• 4. Gary
• 3. Gabe
• 2. Tom
• 1. Moyin (“It really sang,” said Nigella)

Showstopper Challenge: A Huge Free-Form Pie, Sweet or Savory

• Gary: shortcrust fish pie with salmon, haddock, and lemon-dill sauce
• Clara: sun and moon shortcrust apple-pecan pie
• Mo: stained-glass-look butterfly filled with Chai-spiced pear and almond frangipane
• Connie: sweet potato curry-filled snake named “Dave” on a bed of mashed potato “grass”
• Tom: Chicken Run-inspired Mexican chicken pie with chipotle and chili
• Moyin: “Head of the Orchard” apple pie with a Nigerian face mask design
• Gabe: “Sausage dog”-shaped sausage-filled pastry with dried apricots and sage

Judging notes: Gabe’s was gorgeous! I hated seeing Paul cut into it, because it looked so real. The judges couldn’t agree on whether the filling was too dry or not. Tom got a handshake. Many had issues with pastry: Clara’s too short, Mo’s burnt and tough, Gary’s too thick, Connie’s too mushy, Moyin’s too hard and “unmanageable.”

STATS:

Handshakes given: 1 (Running total: 3: Tom, Connie, & Moyin)

“Claggy” count: 0 (Running total: 2)

“Concertina” count: 0 (running total: 1)

Noel’s Outfit Notes: magenta button-down shirt with abstract artistic design in blue, black, orange, and yellow — I could not for the life of me tell if the design was supposed to represent something; what did you guys think? — with dark skinny jeans

Best Noel Moment: (while talking with Gary about the double egg wash on his showstopper) “You know Paul washes with egg wash? He’s egg washing himself right now.”

Star Baker: Tom

Sent Home: Clara

The pastry I’d most like to eat: Mo’s chai-spiced pear pie with almond frangipane. The judges said the pastry was too tough and thick, but, whatever, idc, I’ll just dig out some of that spicy pear-almond filling. Sounded phenomenal!

Noel: “Are you excited about this, Mo?”

Mo: “No.”

Noel: “Do you get excited about anything?”

Mo: “Not anymore.”

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You guys, I’m crushed (or, as the Brits say, “gutted”) that they sent Yannis home. I’m glad he at least made it to week five — if you watch these shows with me, you know my favorite typically gets sent home in episode one or two — but alas, I really wanted to see him go far. I guess I’ll have to pick a new favorite now.

The cynical part of me wonders if Paul was mad at Yannis for using a Mary Berry recipe in his showstopper! (Gasp! The drama!) — But no, I don’t think Paul is petty like that. Bit arrogant, sure, which is part of his charm and you love him for it — but not petty.

I also cynically wonder if they wanted to finally kick off a man, because thus far they’ve only lost women (Danni, Shannon, Molly, and unfortunately Nikki, who’s not coming back). I can’t believe we’re down to only two women already.

I really think it could just as easily have been Clara. Her pudding was all liquid and her showstopper desserts were “imbalanced.” I guess she did score better than Yannis in the technical though. She was third and he was seventh — although I take major issue with their scoring him so low on this! Just because his enhancements “overpowered” the bread pudding?! Seriously? How is that a bad thing?! Why would you want to taste plain stale bread when you could taste cherry, chocolate, and hazelnut?! That was honestly the tastiest-sounding dessert this whole episode!!

Don’t get me wrong, I like Clara very much, of course — how could you not?! She’s so vibrant and cute and fun to watch, her accent is delicious, and she always creates something interesting! — but I selfishly kind of wish she’d been sent home instead. As a mom, and especially as a former NICU mom (only eighteen days, thank God, but the longest eighteen days of my life, and that experience really stays with you), I can’t help but root for the kind and gentle NICU doctor. “I’m a generous person,” he explained, after being told that his puddings were “too big.” And I loved how when Noel started joking around with Yannis about his baking process and Noel went “I hope you take your other job more seriously!”, Yannis didn’t even joke around about that, he just replied “oh yes, I definitely do.”

Plus, as someone who loves all things Bavaria and Austria, I always loved seeing how Yannis incorporated Austrian themes and flavors into his bakes. He is so cool! I hate that he got sent home!

So who is my favorite now? Well, I still think Tom is going to win — did you see how above & beyond he went in the showstopper, creating a whole fourth dessert when only three were required? And he killed it, too. — But as much as I like Tom as an individual, I think my personal favorite now is probably actually Moyin. He’s fascinating — such a young kid, but he bakes with such elegance, and I love the way he combines British + West African flavors in such a modern, trendy way (hibiscus Eton mess! Coconut caramel creme brulee!).

I really liked Gabe’s approach to the showstopper, also. He decided to base his desserts on his favorite book. What a neat idea! I’ve never read Toast by Nigel Slater — apparently, it’s the memoir of a British food writer, and it sounds interesting. It made me think about how I’d create a dessert based on a favorite book! Can you imagine an Infinite Jest-themed dessert trolley? What would be on it — a tennis-ball-shaped mousse (similar to Mo’s super-impressive mango!) laced with psychedelic drugs?! A Gateley-inspired pudding, something dense and weighty with crushed cornflakes added “for texture”? A cartridge-shaped pudding with a mystery surprise filling (probably something boozy) topped with an iced smiley face? Something veiled beneath a chocolate shell? Weed brownies?? And you’d obviously need something with maple flavors to represent the Canadian presence. This is fun! I could keep going all day!

One thing I did not like, though: they once again gave us a “customized” technical challenge! As fun as it was to see the way each baker chose to enhance the traditional bread pudding (or, I guess, as the Brits call it, bread and butter pudding, but I’m just gonna call it bread pudding for the purposes of this post, because I have a violent aversion to that latter item right now, and in America we just say “bread pudding” anyway)… I want them to go back to the classic, predictable technical format. I’m tired of this show trying to try new things! One mixed-up technical per season is okay, but it feels like they’re doing it more and more often now. Stick to the old recipe! It hasn’t failed in seventeen years!

But hey, at least it was fun to see Connie have such a great week. The way she screamed when Paul stuck out his hand! She was just ecstatic to win star baker and she did really deserve it: that flawless pudding with the molten chocolate center — what a thrill, after she’d forgotten to press “start” on her timer and just had to take a wild guess as to when to pull her puddings out of the oven! I do dumb shit like that all the time, so I was so pleased to see her come back from it. And then, second in technical, and in the showstopper a vintage sherry trifle that the judges raved about. I kinda thought Gary deserved it just as much, plus he came in first in technical — apparently, the older contestants are the ones who know bread pudding the best; that tracks! — but I guess Connie did outshine him in the signature and showstopper. Congratulations to Connie!

Here’s the recap!:

Signature Challenge: Eight Self-Saucing Puddings

• Gary: chocolate orange, espresso, and Irish cream pudding with ganache center
• Clara: doce de leite (dulce de leche) pudding with set lemon curd
• Connie: molten chocolate orange pudding
• Gabe: “boozy snoozy” chocolate orange pudding spiked with liqueurs, marshmallow topping
• Tom: spiced apple cinnamon pudding with caramel sauce
• Mo: hazelnut chocolate pudding with cookie crumble
• Moyin: chocolate orange pudding
• Yannis: Apple Strudel pudding with cinnamon sponge, raisins, and apple/brown sugar sauce

Judging notes: Connie’s were amazing and earned the second handshake of the season. Gary and Tom also did well, although Tom’s looked like a “blob.” Yannis’s were “too big.” Clara’s were too wet, while Moyin’s and Gabe’s were too dry, and Mo’s was “grainy.”

Technical Challenge: Bread Pudding, enhanced with new additional flavors

• 8. Moyin: citrus & spice
• 7. Yannis: cherry, chocolate, & hazelnut
• 6. Mo: white chocolate & saffron
• 5. Tom: cranberry, raisin, orange, & cinnamon
• 4. Gabe: apricot & ginger
• 3. Clara: raspberry-almond
• 2. Connie: vanilla, nutmeg, orange, & sultanas
• 1. Gary: raisins, sultanas, vanilla, orange, & lemon

Showstopper Challenge: Dessert Trolley Display with three different varieties of individual retro puddings

• Connie: sherry trifle, apple & pear pie, pineapple upside-down cake
• Yannis: Black Forest gateau, Queen of Puddings, and sticky toffee pudding
• Clara: pistachio frangipane tart, pistachio macaron sandwiches, and torta de la ranza
• Moyin: hibiscus Eton mess, peanut profiteroles, coconut caramel creme brulee
• Gary: almond frangipane tart, Black Forest gateau, ginger treacle pudding
• Mo: lemon tart, mango-shaped mango mousse, sticky toffee trifle
• Tom: passionfruit martini trifle, limoncello tart, Irish cream creme brulee, mojito pavlovas
• Gabe: walnut gateau, lemon meringue ginger tart, peach tea trifle

Judging notes: Everyone got mixed reviews — no one was perfect across the board. Standouts included Mo’s mango mousse, Tom’s mojito pavlova, and Connie’s sherry trifle.

STATS:

Handshakes given: 1 (Running total: 2, Connie & Moyin)

“Claggy” count: 1 (Running total: 2)

“Concertina” count: 0 (running total: 1)

Noel’s Outfit Notes: sweater boldly patterned front and back with ladies dancing in red dresses on a green/blue landscape, with text “Kate Bush’s Wuthering Heights Plays” across the upper back; skinny jeans

Best Noel Moment: Tbh, my favorite Noel Moment this week was not a joke or a silly gag, but when he came up and expressed admiration for Moyin’s African dashiki (I’m pretty sure that’s what you call that kind of garment, but correct me if I’m wrong), giving Moyin an opportunity to talk about how it was handmade for him over a two-year period, which was just super cool to hear about. Noel is an artist himself, and I love to see his appreciation for all kinds of art and design; he goofs off a lot, but I think he has a very serious artistic sensibility. I was really glad they left this moment in the final cut, even though it was irrelevant to the baking.

Star Baker: Connie

Sent Home: Yannis

The bread I’d most like to eat: Yannis’s chocolate cherry hazelnut bread pudding!!!

“For someone that hates bread, that’s good enough.” — Mo

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What an absolute cluster of a week, wasn’t it?! A sudden downpour of hailstones the size of golf balls, one contestant’s mother dying mid-episode, “the worst technical ever in seventeen years,” not a single bake that got by without serious complaints, and one contestant who admittedly doesn’t even like bread and has never made it (but somehow survived this episode, while the girl who actually loves bread and bakes it all the time, got sent home) — what the heck was this?! It felt like watching a blooper reel instead of the actual show!

In all seriousness, I’m so sorry for Nikki. That was devastating. I know it’s going to be hard for her to come back. I’ll be surprised if she comes back at all… though if she does, I kinda hope she wins it all, in honor of her mom!

Realistically though, Tom is definitely looking more and more like the champion (I called it in week one! You heard it here, folks!). Even though none of his breads were great, by Paul’s standards, he still got the best marks consistently out of anyone, and managed to make #4 in technical.

Which, holy cow, we can’t not talk about this technical. To the bakers’ credit: it was kind of a mean challenge. I dunno about you, but when I think of a “filled flatbread,” my mind goes where Gary’s did: you make your flatbread, then you put the filling on and fold it over. Because if it’s actually “filled,” how is it going to be flat?? I’m still a bit confused. The ones that Paul and Nigella sampled for demonstration looked so thin, practically tortillas, I don’t know how they managed to squeeze any filling in there, unless they like pureed their grapes and then spread a thin layer on like jelly. I would have liked more explanation on how the bakers were supposed to engineer filled flatbreads. I’m sure the bakers themselves would have appreciated that, too. Gabe was the only one who made something even slightly edible! The rest were all raw!

The signature and showstopper were almost as disappointing. Signature was garlic bread — eugh, I dunno about you, but I hate garlic, all I could think about was how smelly the tent must have been and how badly the contestants’ hands and the judges’ breath were going to reek. There is no smell worse than a person who’s recently eaten something garlicky. Maybe this is my pregnancy hormones talking. All the breads were underproved and underbaked. Gabe tried to put TWELVE BULBS (!!) (not cloves, BULBS) in his loaf, no wonder it didn’t rise, ugh, I’m throwing up in the back of my mouth just thinking about it.

And then, the showstopper: enriched breads. I had high hopes! Enriched breads are almost like a cross between bread and cake, and I like sweets, so I thought this was sure to be a more fun and delightful challenge.

But again, no one did great, Paul was just handing out complaints like Halloween candy by this point, like you could tell he’d given up all hope and mentally clocked out; how did they manage to bring in a whole batch of contestants this year who suck at bread?! I wonder how Shannon would have done :'( . Or Danni. And I also felt robbed because poor Nikki couldn’t be there, so I only got to see nine breads when I was supposed to see ten (for the second time already this season! This used to be such an anomaly!). Just a lame and disappointing showing altogether.

Honestly, Mo was kind of a walking personification of this episode, which is why I put his quote up at the top. Being a young kid of just 21, he apparently thinks bread is for old and boring people, and has no interest in making it. Excuse me?? Bread? What is happening to today’s children? And Moyin said the same exact thing about cookies in week two! What the heck! If bread and biscuits are “out” and for old boring people only, then what is cool to bake?

And honestly, if these are modern bakers, what is the future of this show? Not to get grim, but Paul isn’t as young as he once was, and what with the hosts constantly changing and then Prue leaving, my husband has wondered aloud to me if he, Paul, might leave the show soon, to which I replied: NO. SHHH. Don’t say that. Paul is this show. Love him or hate him, he is the lifeblood of GBBO, and when he leaves, the show will be done. Probably within a few years tbh.

I dunno, this season so far, with all these strange young kids and the corruption of “Audience Choice” and now this disastrous bread failure — where are all the classic, highly-skilled traditional British bakers that this show is supposed to be about?! It has all been a depressing reminder that this show’s heyday is over and it’s in its sunset years now, and I guess the future of baking competition shows is gonna be all stupid shit like Is It Cake?, because that’s what’s on trend now. Again, maybe pregnancy hormones, but kind of a big downer.

Anyway. What were your thoughts? Make me feel better by leaving me your comments!

Here’s the recap!:

Signature Challenge: Garlic Bread

• Tom: roasted garlic and cheddar Chelsea buns
• Gary: cheesy tear & share garlic Chelsea buns
• Connie: four cheese garlic bread, star-shaped
• Molly: braided tear & share garlic bread
• Yannis: “Great Garlic Globe”
• Gabe: “Monday Night Pizza” garlic bread
• Clara: Thai basil and garlic bread with mozzarella
• Mo: Naga pickle garlic bread, bear-shaped
• Moyin: pesto garlic bread
• Nikki: cheesy pesto tear & share garlic bread topped with

Judging notes: Only Tom did okay, and even his had issues with the formation. Lots of people had good flavors but were underbaked and/or underproved. Some, lile Mo and Clara, overpowered the garlic flavor with other flavors.

Technical Challenge: Eight Flatbreads filled with roasted grapes and blue cheese

• 9. Gary (fillings were on top, like a pizza)
• 8. Yannis
• 7. Molly
• 6. Mo
• 5. Connie
• 4. Tom
• 3. Moyin
• 2. Clara
• 1. Gabe (his second consecutive week being first in technical; I was pleased for him, at least, to see him come back after he had such a terrible signature)

Showstopper Challenge: Display of Enriched Breads with Celebratory Theme

• Molly: Harvest Festival basket with pumpkin spice brioche and chocolate babkas
• Gary: Christmas display with snowman panettonni and star bread with spiced mixed fruits
• Moyin: “Christmas Across Borders” display with four different international breads including Swedish buns and cranberry-pear filled buns
• Yannis: Viennese Winter Market with orange zest, marzipan, and stollen
• Clara: Portugese Bolo Rei wreath with several liqueurs
• Tom: Christmas gnome breads with three doughs including gingerbread, Julekake, and Chelsea buns
• Gabe: Summer Solstice bread display with saffron, nuts, caraway, lemon, and maple
• Mo: Eid crescent Babka moon & milk bread stars with date paste and chai custard
• Connie: Easter bread basket with honey, cardamom, and apple hot cross buns

Judging notes: Tom’s were decent. Everyone else’s suffered. Notably, Nigella said of Molly’s display that, for a celebratory display, “the eating experience was a little too austere.”

STATS:

Handshakes given: 0 (as if!) (Running total: 1, Moyin)

“Claggy” count: 1 (from Nigella, describing a filling)

“Concertina” count: 0 (running total: 1)

Noel’s Outfit Notes: long-sleeved blue sweater reading “The Artist is an active Dreamer”; grey skinny jeans, bright blue eye makeup

Best Noel Moment: after Mo explained that he’s never made bread before and he finds bread boring and depressing, causing Paul to storm off without a word: “He’s destroyed Paul! Gary! You’re gonna have to be Paul for the rest of the show!”

Star Baker: Tom

Sent Home: Molly

The bread I’d most like to eat: Yannis’s Viennese Winter Market, for the stollen and marzipan, even though it was apparently too dry

Nikki, confident, repairing her broken gingerbread with icing after it cracked: “The rest should be quite robust, I think.”

The gingerbread: [immediately cracks again]

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I am officially not a fan of Audience Choice Week. I hope they don’t bring it back.

For one: too much chaos. One thing that I (and so many others!) love about GBBO is its consistency, its stability, the predictable structure of its challenges. “Audience Choice” introduced too much chaos into this perfect recipe. Inviting family members into the tent? A free-for-all technical in which no two desserts were the same? No. Just no. It’s starting to feel like an American cooking show! (Which, of course I like those too, but GBBO is not supposed to be like that.) Not a fan.

For two: it robbed us of my girl Shannon. Devastating! It’s hard to pick a favorite contestant, but Shannon was up there, for me, for sure; tbh I have a bit of a girl crush on her; she seems like such a fun person, chill and smart and a bit weird and never taking herself too seriously; plus, she looks just like a Renaissance painting, and, as we saw in last week’s episode, can throw it back like a pro. With those mesmerizing eyes, too. I will sorely miss seeing her, and am honestly a bit peeved at Paul for complaining so much about her cheesecake.

Family member madness aside, I did like the baked cheesecake challenge. It was fun for me to think about what I would have made. Obviously for a family member I’d invite my husband — who else? (Funny aside though: as we were watching, I wondered aloud to him “why did Gary invite his sister? Doesn’t he have a wife??” To which my husband replied, completely serious: “Maybe he wants to win.” 💀) I’d probably use coffee and hot chocolate flavors and, in some capacity, marshmallow, as coffee shop visits were a big part of our early relationship.

The technical was chaotic and disappointing. The showstopper — not too out there, I guess, I mean the showstopper challenge is always pretty “out there,” anymore. I have no idea what I’d make for a wearable bake. Clara had the best idea, I think, with that neat and tidy little handbag, and evidently the judges agreed, as she was awarded Star Baker. I do think she deserved it, although imo it could just as fairly have been Tom: yeah he was #7 in technical and Clara was #3, but Tom did much better in the signature; his was perfect, while Clara’s was too flooded with peach jam. My money is still on Tom for the big victory. Just you watch!

And speaking of Clara’s signature — did any of my fellow Americans have a giggle at that as well? Apparently Clara and her fiance are planning a move to Georgia, USA in the future, so they did Georgia-themed peach and bourbon flavors… then decorated it with a cowboy theme, lol. It’s like all Brits think all of America, even Georgia, is defined by cowboys & the wild wild west. Just seemed like an incongruous little combination to me. They’ll soon see! I thought it was very cute — as are Clara and her fiance, themselves.

And I will admit it was nice to see the contestants with their loved ones — like a little glimpse into their real lives. Moyin and his mom were so cute! And damn, they absolutely killed it in the signature challenge! It’s not often that Paul gives feedback that good. To my delight, Nigella described the decorative spiral of orange curd on top as “fierce.”

Guys, what did you think? Did you like Audience Choice? Do you agree with the judging calls? And, I’m dying to know, what did you think of Noel’s shirt?? Leave me your comments!!

Here’s the recap!:

Signature Challenge: Baked Cheesecake with a Family-Favorite Flavor *With Help from a Relative*

• Shannon & mom: “Naughty Bailey” Irish cream & white chocolate Basque cheesecake with salted Irish cream truffles
• Tom & bf Alex: “Alex’s Favorite” white chocolate raspberry cheesecake with almondine shortbread crust
• Nikki & cousin Jen: cherry bakewell Basque cheesecake
• Molly & husband Ash: raspberry cheesecake with leaf tuile decorations
• Clara & fiance Kieran: bourbon cheesecake with peach jam and “cowboy” American-themed decorations
• Connie & husband Myke: ginger & lemon cheesecake with poached pears
• Moyin & mom: vanilla orange Basque cheesecake with orange curd and candied decorations
• Yannis & sister Ruhsar: honey, fig, & walnut Käsekuchen
• Gabe & partner Ellis: coconut, chocolate, & lime cheesecake
• Gary & sister Paula: New York cheesecake with cherry compote and swan decorations
• Mo & cousin Esrat: cardamom & strawberry cheesecake with pistachio biscuit base

Judging notes: Moyin earned a handshake and Paul said his cheesecake was “one of the best things I’ve eaten for some time” and “flawless.” Wow! Tom also did great. Paul hated Shannon’s because the flavors were too intense. The rest were pretty average.

Technical Challenge: “Mystery Box” of ingredients, bakers can bake whatever they want using those ingredients

• 11. Shannon: lemon drizzle loaf
• 10. Molly: lemon drizzle cake with lemon curd & raspberry puree
• 9. Yannis: almond Esterhazy Torta with creme patissiere
• 8. Gary: lemon drizzle loaf
• 7. Tom: spring-summer citrus cake
• 6. Connie: chocolate-orange cake
• 5. Moyin: lemon-raspberry cake
• 4. Nikki: lemon meringue tart
• 3. Clara: lemon-almond naked cake
• 2. Mo: Paris Brest (his second consecutive week being #2 in technical)
• 1. Gabe: lemon & orange meringue tart

Showstopper Challenge: Wearable Bake

• Clara: “designer handbag” piña colada cake
• Shannon: “fairy wings” gingerbread with royal icing & blackberry puree
• Mo: “angel wings” almond sponge with cherry compote and wafer paper feathers
• Tom: “Dolly Parton wig topper” banana cake with caramel rum banana jam and creme patissiere whipped cream
• Gary: “knitted hat” orange cake with chocolate ganache
• Gabe: “crown” Turkish Delight flavor, biscuit base + choux buns
• Moyin: “hat” cake with pistachio cream & raspberry jam
• Molly: “Formula One racing cap” earl grey cake with earl grey-orange buttercream
• Connie: “Mom’s wedding hat” rum fruit carrot cake
• Nikki: “Mexican sombrero” lime gingerbread with mojito choux buns
• Yannis: “Bengali Hindu groom’s crown” mango lassi flavor choux buns with saffron & cardamom

Judging notes: Many did well. Nikki, Connie, Mo, Tom, and Clara all got perfect feedback. Moyin’s unfortunately didn’t look much like a hat, but more like a cake placed on the mannequin’s head. Shannon’s was “too simple.”

STATS:

Handshakes given: 1 (Moyin)

“Claggy” count: 0

“Concertina” count: 1 (from Molly though, not Paul!)

Noel’s Outfit Notes: long-sleeved black button-down patterned with what appear to be Hieronymous Bosch figures (?), + black pants. (I Googled but have been unable to confirm whether the pattern is indeed Bosch-inspired; anyone have any details?)

Best Noel Moment: before introducing the “Mystery Box” technical, remarking dryly: “It’s weird thay they’ve put your family members in those little wardrobes.”

Star Baker: Clara

Sent Home: Shannon

The dessert I’d most like to eat: Tom’s white chocolate-raspberry cheesecake… although Yannis’s honey-fig-walnut one is a very close second

“I don’t approve of talking about food as ‘naughty.’ We need to take our pleasures where we can in life.” — Nigella

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In this year’s Biscuit Week, we got to see Tom proving once again why I was probably right when I predicted him to be this year’s winner. Despite not quite finishing the decor on his “Burn Book”-inspired showstopper (which, btw, his vision was so fetch — I may have squealed and cheered when he introduced it), his flavors and textures were so consistently good that he ended up winning the day! I was so happy for him, to get that recognition after such a hard day. I think he really deserved it.

I did kind of think Connie deserved it just as much, though: she won the technical and had what seemed like the judges’ favorite showstopper, with that Jamaican flag design. I guess her signature cookie didn’t do as well as Tom’s though.

And Nigella was back at it again with the artistic food language: Tom’s Nordic Crunch cookie was a little “jumbly,” the winning Iced Gem was “a chirpy little thing,” and a biscuit mosaic was described as having “great majesty, but also joy in it.” I can see why she’s so famous as a TV chef, she’s so much fun to watch. And having read a bit about her and her life over the past week, I’m so impressed — I’ve really become a fan. She is an icon!

And it goes without saying that I loved the Signature Challenge. American cookies! We do make the best cookies in the world, and that’s a fact. If there’s one thing we Americans know, it’s how to get fat. I did think it was funny though that Molly was so shook by the assignment of making thirty of them. As if that’s so many?? She said she doesn’t believe she’s “ever made thirty cookies in one go in her life” — lol really? I made a batch of 36 last week and I don’t even identify as a “baker;” my batches are often bigger than that. Is big batches also an American thing? Probably. More is more, y’all! 🇺🇲

But some of these Brits just don’t seem to understand what an American cookie is, lol! Like, I am a huge fan of Moyin, and his cookies did look incredibly delicious, but baking them in a mold? That’s not something any American cookie recipe has ever called for. Might be worth trying though, because those looked awesome! Tom was one of the only ones whose cookie looked like a nice, properly thick and chewy American cookie.

The biscuit mosaic was a cool challenge too. If I were on this show, I’d love to do some kind of stained glass window like you’d see in a church! However, would that be sacrilegious or blasphemous somehow, to depict holy figures on something that’s meant to be eaten? 🤔 I’m not sure — I’d probably want to consult with a priest about this. But a stained glass window in chocolate would be an aesthetic to die for.

I do feel bad for poor little Danni. My husband and I were discussing her and her cheerful, smiley, quirky/nerdy personality, and my husband, who is really good at reading people, pointed out that her cheerfulness feels… forced, somehow? Like a cope? We speculate that she’s actually a very unhappy person who has mastered the art of forcing cheerfulness as like a mask or a coping mechanism. People who are genuinely cheerful from within make you feel happy and relaxed to be around. But people who are forcing it, my husband pointed out, can feel like an energy drain, because you can sense that they need you to react a certain way to their cheerfulness or acknowledge their cheerfulness somehow, as part of their coping strategy. I agree with my husband that in the case of poor little Danni, the chipper attitude feels like a learned behavior, and I sense there is a sad person underneath of it — not unlike a small, blond, androgynous version of Kim-Joy from a few seasons ago. Kim-Joy has been open about her mental health struggles since her time on the show. Anyway, I hope little Danni is okay.

I will miss having a vegan contestant on the show; following in the footsteps of Freya from a few years back. One of these years, I’d love to see a vegan make it all the way to the finals! I can so relate to Danni’s struggle in this episode though; I rarely taste the things I’m baking, either, and usually end up relying on family feedback and/or the Holy Ghost to see that it comes out tasting decent. Such a bummer about Danni’s snickerdoodles!

Mo back at it again with the absolutely flat, blank, immoveable, emotionless Gen Z stare. Is he a perfect caricature of his generation, or is he just shy on camera? I suspect some of both. Getting old is a trip; it’s so whack to see this whole grown-ass high-achieving adult man on TV who was literally born when I was in high school. I don’t know if I will ever get used to this. Mo is amazingly talented though. I think he might be a finalist, along with Tom!

Finally, did anyone else love Nikki’s choice of words when she said that the sunflower is her favorite flower because it “exuberates positivity”?! 😄 I vote we make this an actual word, and sweet Nikki herself embodies the definition beautifully! What do you guys think? I want to know all of your reactions. Leave me your comments!

Here’s the recap!:

Signature Challenge: American-Style Cookies

• Shannon: Strawberries & Cream tennis-themed cookies with cheesecake filling and strawberry jam
• Tom: Nordic Crunch cookie with roasted peanuts, almond praline, milk chocolate chunks, and spun chocolate
• Connie: chocolate pecan cookies with banana caramel, peanuts, and white chocolate
• Danni: snickerdoodles with peanut brittle
• Mo: lemon meringue pie cookie with coconut, mango, and blowtorched meringue
• Gary: chocolate-chocolate chip cookie with dried sour cherries, dedicated to his pet pygmy goat who died 💔
• Clara: tiramisu wedding-themed cookies with espresso powder and vanilla mascarpone cream
• Molly: chocolate chip hazelnut cookies with white chocolate chips, hazelnut praline, and white drizzle
• Yannis: chai cookies with date, pistachio, jaggery caramel, and rose petals
• Moyin: chocolate chip cookies with miso, espresso, and salted caramel
• Nikki: cherry chocolate cookie with coconut and hazelnut
• Gabe: cherry bakewell cookies

Judging notes: Clara almost got a handshake, but overdid it with the toppings. Tom’s were amazing. Most were either under- or overbaked.

Technical Challenge: “Iced Gem” orange shortbreads with rainbow royal icing

• 12. Gary (colors were too “autumnal”)
• 11. Danni
• 10. Clara
• 9. Nikki
• 8. Yannis
• 7. Molly
• 6. Gabe
• 5. Shannon
• 4. Moyin
• 3. Tom
• 2. Mo
• 1. Connie

Showstopper Challenge: Biscuit Mosaic on a biscuit base

• Danni: “computer virus” keyboard design with cherry and almond and American buttercream (cyanide-inspired flavors, lol)
• Gary: “memory clock” with cocoa biscuits, chocolate ganache, and gingerbread
• Clara: “lemon tree” with lemon base, sugar cookies, and white chocolate-coconut ganache
• Nikki: “sunflower” design with gingerbread and lemon-lavender shortbreads
• Tom: “Burn Book” in lemon biscuit and raspberry caramel
• Yannis: “Norfolk windmill” in cocoa-malted milk, treacle, ginger, honey-lemon, pistachio, on a brown butter shortbread base
• Moyin: “golden horizon” with vanilla shortbread base, black cocoa-espresso and turmeric-lemon-ginger biscuits
• Connie: “Jamaican flag” with cinnamon base, lemon biscuits with orange zest, rum, and coconut
• Molly: “disability pride flag” with chocolate-cherry base, sablé biscuit tiles, almond icing
• Shannon: “harvest path” garden design with lemon base, orange sugar cookies, and orange-lemon icing
• Gabe: garden scene with ginger base, vanilla cream, and strawberry, blackberry, and apple biscuits
• Mo: “toucan” design with cinnamon base and black cocoa, orange, and almond shortbread tiles

Judging notes: Shannon, Clara, Molly, and Connie all did amazing. Tom’s was unfortunately incomplete but tasted great. Yannis, Mo, Nikki, Moyin all were told theirs were underbaked or “too fudgy.”

STATS:

“Claggy” count: 0

“Concertina” count: 0 (unsurprising, during biscuit week, I guess)

Noel’s Outfit Notes: big pink and orange “Iggy Pop” sweater and skinny jeans

Best Noel Moment: Alison, explaining the example iced gem cookies available on each contestant’s station for them to use as reference during the technical: “…do whatever you like with them.” Noel, adding mischievously: “Within reason.”

Star Baker: Tom

Sent Home: Danni

The dessert I’d most like to eat: Nikki’s cherry chocolate cookie with coconut and hazelnut! Paul said it was “underbaked,” but imo the best cookies always are.

Danni, starting her cake batter, thinking out loud as she mixes: “I cannot imagine one of these people has not made a coffee and walnut cake.”

*cut to Tom, standing at his station looking lost*

Tom: “I’ve not made one.”

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The Bake-Off is back! I can’t tell you guys how starved I’ve been for this show. There was no Spring nor Summer Baking Championship this year, so all these months I’ve been positively in agony waiting for a new baking show season. And, of course, this is the undisputed OG of baking shows.

But without Prue! I miss her so much. As great as a choice Nigella Lawson was and is, I was unsure how the show was going to be without Prue. Since its beginning, there’s been this inter-judge dynamic of, to borrow someone’s description from a Facebook comment, “posh grandmother + bad boy,” which is a major element of the show’s charm. Nigella, who is younger than Paul, changes up this vibe completely.

Luckily, after watching the first episode, I believe it’s going to work. Sure it’s a different vibe, and it doesn’t seem like Nigella & Paul have quite the level of comfort together that Paul did with Prue or Mary — not yet, at least — but it works.

What I like most about Nigella as a judge is the way she talks about food. In this episode, she described cakes as “savage” twice and “thrilling” once; she told one contestant their cake was “emanating anxiety,” another that they had “confidence in their cake.” It’s evident she has a highly artistic approach to food. So far, it seems to make her an excellent judge. She’s insightful but tactful, and doesn’t miss anything. What did you guys think?

How about this year’s contestants? Do you all have any favorites yet? Naturally, I automatically favored the two contestants who, when assigned a chocolate stout cake, used alcohol-free stout: Yannis and Mo. Plus, Yannis is a pediatrician, so I like him even more! Mo, the youngest of this year’s bunch, seems very chill. Gary is my other favorite: you all know I always tend to root for the older contestants, on these shows, but the thing is, usually the oldest ones are also some of the weakest. Gary was one of the best this week! He was this close to getting Star Baker. That was great to see.

And nice to see that no one got sent home. The contestants acted shocked, but come on, anyone who’s watched this show saw that one coming from a mile away, the second they showed Shannon walking off the set with a medic. They never kick anyone off if someone had to leave for an emergency. Poor Shannon! I was so disappointed to see her leave. Speaking of Shannon, everyone was talking about Tom and his Paul-like piercing blue eyes, but why did no one say anything about Shannon’s eyes? Wow! Eyes made of sparkling ice from an enchanted realm, or some faraway planet. It was like she was seeing me through the screen.

I didn’t care much for the stout cake challenge, obviously (🤢), but loved the self-portrait cake challenge! What flavor would you guys make your self-portrait cakes?! I think I’d make mine fig and blackberry — something a little weird and bluish-purple colored, plus blackberries and figs both have personal significance for me. With some kind of nuts mixed in there somewhere, because, you know, nutty.

Oh, and one other observation: in the musical intro theme, was that a new little girl?! I feel like they left the intro the same except for that one little moment. I could swear that’s a new child. Am I crazy? Please let me know if you noticed this — and any other thoughts you had. Leave me your comments!

Here’s the recap!:

Signature Challenge: Chocolate Stout Cake

• Shannon: black forest gateau with cherry compote filling
• Tom: “tipsy cherry” chocolate stout cake with cream cheese icing
• Gary: whiskey & Irish cream stout cake with Irish whiskey ganache
• Yannis: “Sacher Symphony” with apricot compote
• Clara: Portuguese stout cake with orange zest and sugar dome
• Moyin: Nigerian stout cake with hazelnut
• Danni: cup-shaped design with cream cheese icing
• Nikki: blackberry & malt mascarpone stout cake
• Connie: Jamaican Dragon stout cake
• Molly: cardamom spiced chocolate stout cake
• Mo: peanut and caramel stout cake
• Gabe: peanut stout cake with peanut brittle

Judging notes: Mo and Gary were the favorites. Moyin also did great. Molly’s dropped, but she was able to recover.

Technical Challenge: Coffee & Walnut Cake using illustration for reference

• 12. Molly
• 11. Danni
• 10. Shannon
• 9. Moyin
• 8. Clara
• 7. Yannis
• 6. Connie
• 5. Nikki
• 4. Mo
• 3. Gabe
• 2. Gary
• 1. Tom (who had never made a coffee & walnut cake before, but decided to use a tried & true family technique and did a perfect cake!)

Showstopper Challenge: Self-Portrait Cake

• Molly: Lemon & mango “knitted” cake with white chocolate ganache and buttercream painting
• Shannon: lemon cake with lemon curd and fondant face
• Gary: lemon-lime “home at the stables” cake
• Danni: vegan, foraged green cake with stinging nettle, “sticky willy,” and magnolia jam
• Tom: spiced carrot cake with salted caramel
• Yannis: almond chiffon cake with whipped pistachio ganache and cherry compote
• Moyin: brown sugar cake with hibiscus curd
• Gabe: spicy margarita blue cake with orange-flavored buttercream and cracking mirror with hidden portrait
• Nikki: 9-layer chocolate cherry cake with kirsch-soaked cherries
• Mo: lemon blueberry cake with blueberry compote and cream cheese icing
• Clara: pistachio-cardamom cake with amaretto cream cheese icing
• Connie: chocolate berry cake

Judging notes: Mo “took the cake,” pun intended — judges were speechless. Molly also did great, redeeming herself from the first two challenges. Danni’s unfortunately collapsed.

STATS:

“Claggy” count: 0

“Concertina” count: 0 (wow, I’m surprised we got through Cake Week without a single “claggy” or “concertina” from Paul!)

Noel’s Outfit Notes: oversized navy sweater with gray nude sculpture body beneath the collar, with fig leaf covering

Best Noel Moment: pretending to embrace and freakily French kiss the Technical cake illustration for no reason whatsoever

Star Baker: Mo

Sent Home: N/A (do you think they’ll send two next week?)

Mith’s official prediction for winner: Tom. I just have a feeling about that guy. I think he’s the winner.

The dessert I’d most like to eat: Yannis’s almond chiffon cake with whipped pistachio ganache and cherry compote. Paul said it was slightly overbaked, but this sounded like an incredible flavor combo!