The Great British Bake Off
There’s always great rejoicing in this house when the new season of the Great British Bake Off starts. We’re about halfway through latest series (series 13) here in Australia, and the magic is as powerful as ever. American viewers can watch the show, too, but because Pilsbury own the Bake-Off trademark, it’s called The Great British Baking Show in the U.S.
Are you a fan of cooking shows? I have to say in general they’re not at all my thing. But a very dear friend told me years ago that this one was something special and I’m so glad I listened to her.
This show started back in 2010 on the BBC with hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc (pronounced Gedroich) and cooking judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. The photo below on the right features the original team. The last photo on the page features the current team. Mary Berry didn’t accompany the show over to Channel 4 and her place as a judge was taken by the smart, funny Prue Leith, who also happens to be a romance writer. Definitely a good choice, I say, although I loved MB. The hosts are currently Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas who provide some nice amusement through the ups and downs of the baking journey.
The format is unchanging and is so foolproof, it’s survived a change of channel in the U.K. from the BBC to Channel 4 in 2017, and various national versions including a very charming one from Australia with Matt Moran and national treasure Maggie Beer.
Just in case you haven’t seen it (and I highly recommend that you do!), the format is that 12 highly skilled amateur bakers, chosen after an exhaustive audition process, meet together in a tent in the grounds of a stately home (or a hotel while Covid was on the go). They complete a series of tasks to see who will be crowned that week’s star baker and who will be sent home. By a process of elimination, three finalists are left standing in the last episode and from those three, the winner is chosen. Each week has a subject like cakes, biscuits, German cookery or vegan cookery.
The tasks always include a signature bake which the contestants can practice at home (something like a layer cake with a childhood theme); a technical challenge when one of the judges gives out a recipe for a baking classic that comes as a surprise to the participants; then a showstopper which is when the bakers go to town, again to a theme.
It could be, for example, building your childhood home from biscuits or creating a dream travel destination from fruit flans. The sky’s the limit, really. The showstopper is always great fun and the artistic flair and cooking skills displayed will take your breath away. I have to keep reminding myself that these are amateur bakers, people who do it as a hobby not as a profession.
I’ve often asked myself why I love this show so much. And I do love it. It’s one of those programs that feels like a big warm hug from someone who adores you. It’s great when the world is full of sharp prickles or nasty edges.
I think the answer is that it displays people with extraordinary skills getting a chance to demonstrate their abilities without manufactured drama or any motive other than doing honor to cuisine. Everyone who is the show is nice and they’re happy to congratulate or admire or offer commiserations to the other contestants. Despite the competitive element, there’s an esprit de corps every year that warms the viewer’s heart. And of course, as I mentioned above, there’s extraordinary imagination on show. I love watching humans exert their ingenuity to the limit! Not to mention the setting is lovely, the judges and hosts are appealing, and you get to look at all that lovely food. What’s not to like?
Anyway, I’ll stop there. It’s lunchtime and I have the latest episode of The Great British Bake Off to watch. Would you care to join me? I’ve baked some shortbread for dessert.