Great British Bake Off, who will win??!

[honeybeeridiculous]

Are we still loving GBBO?? Who is your favourite to win? I change my mind every week, love Mel and Sue tho!!

doormat everything she made, the judges said tasted amazing- so it wasn't shit was it? I don't understand why people think its ALL about how the bake looks. That's only half the story.

In fact Frances got lots of flack in the early rounds because her stuff looked amazing, but tasted awful. She was kept in. Ruby had the opposite problem and she was kept in. Both deserved to be in the final.

Well done to Frances for winning she deserved it. She seems so nice and calm.

GinGinGin I believe Ruby got a first in her first year exams, so there is still two years for her to do yet - although it clearly shows she is very good at her subject and likely to come out with an excellent result.

I haven't been a fan but I agree with her article. It's moved her up in my estimation.

In defence of the Ruby critics - the criticism has been of her behaviour. And the fact it doesn't seem in the spirit of the programme.

Great article by Ruby.
Have enjoyed catching bits of the show.
Sue Perkins is the best thing about it

I was totally at Kimberley's wedding cake. Looked like something a 12 year old would throw together.
No real design at all - just white icing and random stuff here and there. Silver balls FFS!!

Surely they are given weeks to get design ideas - she could at least have thumbed thru some wedding mags to get an idea of how modern wedding cakes can look!!

Do you think she was on glue for the final?

I was at Kimberly's cake too.
no idea why they only had 6 hours, that's ridiculous, but she could have used a bit of colour.
Paul struggled to not say "boring" I think.
coz sadly it was.
she could have used some coloured/shaded icing, a bit of white decoration, throw on some edible glitter - done.

I absolutely loved Frances' desiccated veg and fruit idea!

excuse
good post. I totally agree.

Going on GBBO could be damaging to your professional credibility as seen by the ridiculous time given to produce a wedding cake. No patisseiere wishing to maintain their business credibility after the show would wish to be remembered by photos of those 'showstoppers' attached to their name.

It was a ridiculous challenge that undermined the show. Keep the showstopper as a selection of patisserie chosen by each finalist.

Kimberley's cake looked like a dusty display cake that you see in some down at heel bakeries.

mellow I would have thought at 21 she'd finished her degree, unless she went to uni late.

I thought it said she got a first class degree.

According to her mum she's a driven perfectionist. (obviously a clever one)

She passed her first year exams (which don't count towards the final award unless your grades are on the cusp). She has not gained her degree yet.

Oh. Is that what it said at the end of the programme?

Yes that was where I read it.

The only reason people are reacting to the way she is treated is due to the affair Paul Hollywood had
I was watching the American version the other day. They were doing a technical challenge and the American version of Mel and Sue said to Marcella and Paul "you two judges have to go to your tent - whatever it is you two get up to in there who knows ?"

I did have a good old laugh at that bearing in mind the revelations about their relationship

The cakes werent that great tbh, but then 6 hours for a wedding cake really isn't enough.
Frances' was by far and away the best.
Kimberly's was just...awful! Smudgy writing, and silver beads put on wonkily!
Ruby's was - typically - a bit rough looking but tasted great according to the judges.
It had to be Frances after that.
I hope next year they give the contestants enough time to actually so what they are being asked to do.

and one final point. I'm used to be a professional patissier and still run cake decorating business from home. I work extremely quickly (needs must when working full time + child + own business !!) but even I would blanch at producing a 3 tier wedding cake from scratch in 6 hours.

I haven't watched the final yet - did they have to bake the cakes as well in that time ?

The pretzels were beyond boring.

Yes cakes were baked within that time frame. Very hard on them all.

squoosh

they weren't even the proper big-as-your-head ones you get at funfairs or carnivals etc.

that was the most ridiculous technical challenge.

Hard...yes. The cakes had to be baked and cooled in that time too.
And each tier was a different flavour/type of cake too!
I like baking and am ok at it, but there is no way I could do that.
Or rather, I could so that, but the resulting cake would look as bad as theirs did.
Surely they had lots of time to work on their cake ideas though!?
I would have used merangues (sp?) as a base for them I think....sort of baked Alaska cake tiers with a snow queen type theme......?

Glad Frances Won. I liked Kimberly too.

And Becca, Christine, Glenn, Howard and Rob.

Baking shows should be judged on their baking.

I'd love to know how they keep the result so secret. The contestants' close friends and family must know.

PoppyScarer
I distinctly remember that we have a children's clothes designer in our midst. From a vvvvvv old thread complaining about children's clothes and how they are designed.

Highly likely that was me... but I am not Francis (or AM I?) No really I'm not her.

I am however thrilled to discover this week I am one degree of separation from her; one of my best friends was at university with her doing the same course. Small world, Leicester fashion.

Totes buggers up my chances of being picked for GBBO in the future though, my application form would get flagged up by the diversity radar... Early 30s, white, middle class, Leicestershire children's fashion designer... Sorry, not this series thank you.

Eastwick Keeping it secret depends on so many people keeping schtum but it doesn't always work because i have known for a while who the winner is. I did mention it MN here that I knew and how I knew (accidentally overhearing a person who works on the show discuss it when in my house) but managed to not give away any clues. (Despite a couple of MNers Pming me to ask!)