Great British Bake Off Series 3

[Slainte]

I'm so excited, the new series starts next week . Link

[Jux]

Poor Danny has such a stressful job anyway; with this on top of it I can't imagine how on earth she managed, or found time to sleep or to see her family or have any down time at all! I bet she is relieved to be off it now. She did brilliantly, imo, with all that going on.

[LadyClariceCannockMonty]

I think Danny looked ready to go. She wasn't quite in the same league as those remaining. Her petits fours were lovely though, I thought.

I agreed with the judges that John's petits fours weren't great; the madeleines were way too big, and not tempting or exquisite enough.

Brendan's were beautiful and elegant. James's chilli macaroons looked wonderful and I liked the hazelnut/chocolate thing he made too.

Found the other rounds a bit unexciting this week. The technical cake was obviously a great challenge, but not a terribly yummy-looking product, and I'm afraid I didn't find those choux gateaux inspiring or appetising at all.

John is a puzzle; keeps making me think he's dead in the water and then coming back to hang on for another week. He's very emotional, isn't he? If he loses his cool in the final it will be cuytains for him.

James is a sweetie.

[wintera]

I thought that Frasier cake sounded and looked fab until they said you stick a slab of marzipan on it. Its not that I hate marzipan but just sounded weird on that cake. How come more wasn't made of that fact that Brendan's Frasier cake wasn't right? Surely he was on equal footing with John really, they both messed up in one round. John with his petit four and Brendan with the Frasier.

[wintera]

Regarding star baker - I thought James fully deserved it this week but I thought John should have got it last week for the gingerbread collosseum.

[ppeatfruit]

wintera I live 50% in Fr. and they do put marzipan in cakes where we wouldn't I love it but it's always too sweet . I totally agree about "I'm the champion" Brendan's strawberry cake.

[coffeeinbed]

I always thought the marzipan had to be pale green as well.

[wintera]

Thanks for explaining about the marzipan! Re - Brendan, I just thought it was strange that towards the end they were saying he could do no wrong and that he was The Brendan-ator. I think it was being set up to say 'oh its definitely between John and Danny' but although John messed up the petit four round, his next two rounds went well. So really, if you think about it, it was John and Brendan on equal footing and not John and Danny. Sorry if I'm thinking about it too much! I just thought it was strange that they didn't acknowledge the fact at the end when they were deliberating that Brendan had messed up the filling on the Frasier.

[squoosh]

I liked the look of the strawberry cake till they stuck the Devil's Food (marzipan) on it. Ugh.

I do like John, I'd like to go to the pub with him, but I'm surprised he's in he final three.

Interestingly I was reading on another website some people are irked that James is claiming all these 'innovative' recipes as his own, or maybe he isn't and it's just being edited that way, when lots of them are lifted from a chef called Pierre Hermé.

Ooooh it'll be tense next week. Who needs the Olympics when there's competitive baking to get over wrought about!

[squoosh]

But it's not based on just that weekend's baking. Brendan's strawberry cake was a bit of a disaster, but it's been his only really mess up so far, unlike John . . . .

There's no way you can say that John is at Brendan's level!

[wintera]

I didn't say john and Brendan were at the same level, I said in that ep they were on equal footing regarding the rounds, that's what I meant anyway. Sorry if it wasn't clear. They seem to change the rules regarding judging every week though if you think about it. Sometimes its week by week definitely as that's why Cathryn went cos she had a nightmare week last week.

Interesting point about James and his theories. I must admit I did think that last night when he did that funny thing with the chocolate. I think its editing though more than him saying they are his theories to be honest. I thought it looked like something old Heston Blumey would do! Lol

[LadyClariceCannockMonty]

I think it's editing too. James didn't claim to have made up the chocolate-in-water thing; the voiceover just said he was 'trying it' and it was an innovative technique or something. Not quite lying by saying it was his, but definitely gently trying to make people think it was!

[squoosh]

I was very impressed with the chocolate in water thingy, I'd never heard of that before.

[ppeatfruit]

This is turning out to be a very interesting contest; I may be wrong but I don't remember 'innovation' being a large part of the judging. Just because Brendan's baking is more conventional do you think that they'll use that as a reason not to make him champion? James's cooking maybe 'borrowed ' it's deffo different!! But that's no reason to mark him down either because everyone's is IMO!!
'

[HiHowAreYou]

Everything James makes looks so scruffy. Those petit fours with the chocolate were a disgraceful mess. All uneven.
And I don't want someone to win who doesn't care enough to plan, and instead 'wings it' every time.
I wouldn't want to eat in a restaurant where the chef winged it. I'd want the chef to bloody think about it properly!

So John or Brendan to win!

[ppeatfruit]

Yes I was surprised at James's petit fours as well. I liked the look of Danni's actually shame she's gone.

[ArthurShappey]

I'm fairness to James he had 3rd year exams during the filming so I think he was probably trying to fit in baking around studying.

Also apparently it's really expensive to take part because you have to pay for all your ingredients (for practising) yourself. And he is a student after all.

I'm defending him a bit too much aren't I?

James to win!

[squoosh]

Brendan to win.

John to go to the pub with.

[ppeatfruit]

JAMES TO WIN!!!!!!!

[squoosh]

If James wins I can only assume it'll have been a fix by the producers to make sure this year's poster boy is crowned.

Evil Brendan and his tinted lenses aren't such a marketable image.

[Rosa]

Where is the GBB located ..The house looks familiar when they pan round with the camera?

[ppeatfruit]

Come on squoosh he's just the best of a not very brilliant looking bunch, hardly pin up material They don't go by looks IMO. We do but they don't

[squoosh]

Oh every time we see them marching solemnly towards their cakey fate I dream about owning that house and those grounds and walking around it on a beautiful frosty morning. Tis gorgeous.

Do you think the great and the good of the house hang around the tent looking for scraps?

[squoosh]

I know a couple of people who are giddy for James. Positively giddy!

He and Sue have good chemistry, although not of a sexual variety, obviously.

[LadyClariceCannockMonty]

I agree about James and Sue. I also think there's chemistry between him and Paul, of the 'exasperated but fond dad/uncle' variety.