Great British Bake-off: The Final

[StrangerintheNight]

Just typed out a very excitable post only to find the previous thread, on which I was an avid lurker, had exceeded it's capacity. So if you don't mind, I'll start the overflow thread in the lead up to the Grand Final.

Went out yesterday and bought a box of Mr Kipling's French fancies to enjoy while I watch the finale. Told dh about my plan and he said 'wow, we really know how to live it up!'

yeah wintera where's yr. baking pans and flour and stuff?

wintera - you've more restraint than I have. If I bought a box on Friday I'd need to get another before Tuesday evening.

I do love the bake-off - riveting telly. But, really, you can't beat a Victoria Sponge and they take about 45 minutes start to finish.

I've bought French fancies because in the trailer for next week's show I am sure I saw a clip of Brendan making one. This made me remember the fact that I am quite partial to a French fancy! Haven't had any in a while so thought I would treat myself. Don't tell my mum though, I have recently lost a lot of weight and if my mum see's me eating anything naughty she says 'oh dear, you'll be getting a taste for those things again and putting the weight back on'! She seems to think I must eat salad for the rest of my life!

www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2217320/The-Great-British-Bake-Off-The-finalists.html

Wow thanks wintera that John looks amazing doesn't he? i love james and his sweet GF in matching woollies. Tell you what Br. looks weirder than ever with dark hair

I'm in France too, surrounded by amazing pattisiers, yet all I want for Tuesday is a French fancy like the rest of you, and obviously you can't get them here

Was reading my mum's copy of the Radio Times today. The fondant fancy thing is the technical bake. The first round is a pithivier apparently. I don't know what that is but I'm looking forward to finding out. Last round is a chiffon cake.

Bring on Tuesday!

I broke my rule of never looking at Daily Mail links to read that as it's about GBBO and therefore exempt.

I have to say John seems very sweet but he's just a bit too little-boyish.

I re-warmed to James after reading that. He does seem like a really genuine and all round nice chap although at the utter tweeness of a tandem ride around France.

And and and - they GOT HIS NAME WRONG. It's Morton NOT Horton.

Whoever wins on Tuesday I will be happy as they are all so NICE.

Go John!

Love Brendan and James but have a niggling feeling that John is going to wow us with fabulous bakes this week, thus granting him the title because he has shown how much he's evolved as with Jo last year .

Viking Hi BTW nice to see another Frenchy!! Make one!! isn't that what this is all about FFS!!! letus A pithiviers looks a bit like the wheels of James's bike!! loads of flat buttery pastry with an almond centre (I think)

So you can't get French fancies in France? How very ironic!

I know LetUsPrey I love James and hipster rubbish in general but that was too much even for me!!

I had a dream about GBBO last night . It's good it's ending this week, I need to get a grip!

I can confirm that I've never seen a French Fancy here in France.

I had a friend visiting at the weekend, and since we are both Bake Off fans, we spent an afternoon baking GBBO style. We made the fraisier cake and the plaited loaf. Almost fell at the first hurdle since it turns out it's also practically impossible to find a loose bottomed cake tin in France, but we got one eventually (at an extortionate price). Anyway, our plaited loaf was OK, but only half plaited since I messed up the beginning bit. And it didn't have quite the pleasing hollow knock sound to it that some of the GBBO contenstants' did. On the other hand, our Fraisier was a triumph! It stayed together and everything, and even though our creme pat got cellulite (Danny style) at one point, we brought it back from the brink.

I have to say though, there were two of us and it took us a good 4.5 hours non stop baking to get it all done. It must be an absolute nightmare doing it alone, under such time pressure, with cameras up in your face and only bare bones instructions!

There's an article on the Guardian website today about the final 3 here

I will be interested to see what a real French Fancy is like, the only ones i've ever tried are Mr Kipling and those are one of the worst offenders in the looks nice tastes dreadful stakes as far as I am concerned.

I'd love John to win but I still think Brendan probably will.

whoKnows I'm with you about kipling cakes;it might sound snobbish but i wouldn't touch one with a bargepole the amount of sugar and cheap marg. YEUCH

Hey everyone P.H. and M.B. are on Radio 2 now!!!

Mr Kipling's French Fancies don't really stand up to revisiting. Best left for 8 year old's birthday parties.

Aww I like a Mr Kipling's French fancy myself. Something quite nostalgic about it in fact.

Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry were on Chris Evans's show on radio two this morning, I heard them whilst doing the school run. There's going to be a special show on at Christmas were they show us how to bake traditional Christmas Fayre.

Oh don't get me wrong I'd eat one if it was in front of me! The only cakey things I flat out refuse are cakes with dried fruit and cakes with marzipan.

Just a quick plea -please please do not put any spoilers about the winner into the title of a thread (actually, I'm preaching to the converted here - y'all are going to be on this thread and I can avoid it).It's just that I watch Bake Off with the children, and they can't stay up till 9pm on a school night just for a telly programme.

I loved Brendan's cygnets - they looked so pretty. But, now that I have discovered that James is the mighty Tom Morton's son, I might have to cheer him on. Tom Morton was responsible for me regularly being late to the lab when doing my PhD, as I used to lie in bed listening to him and thinking 'Just 5 more mintes...'

Tom Morton was responsible for me regularly being late to the lab when doing my PhD, as I used to lie in bed listening to him and thinking 'Just 5 more mintes

Goodness me! How rude.

But how will you avoid hearing who's won for 24hrs? You will need to shut yourself away in a room and tape up the doors. It'll be everywhere!

I will be wearing ear defenders, not looking at any screens which are connected to t'internet, and refusing to speak to anyone other than for work matters

Don't get the 'How rude!' bit...