GBBO season 5

[LaChatte]

It's starting soon , I'm far too excited! just hope the transfer to BBC1 doesn't ruin it!

Extra slice exceeded my expectations. Definitely worth a watch. Very funny. Loved the contrasting pictures of homemade cakes.

Another one for whom 'Extra Slice' exceeded expectations. Mind you I have always liked Jo Brand, Roisin Conaty (sp?) was very funny too, I've not heard of her before.

What I really want to know though is how Norman's instant cake remover thingy works.

Relief. Extra slice looked like being twee but is actually funny. How much did Greg laugh at "peek through the tent flaps"?

I like getting the chance to see the "oh *#@!" moments too.

Jordan, your time will come soon enough Matey.

Everyone following Heidi's liveblog on the Guardian? I love it.

emotions the nifty bit is that he has a loose bottomed cake tin for small cakes. Never seen one of those but like the idea. His gadget is 12 pegs on a board that just push the bottoms out at once.

MissMysticFalls thanks for the explanation. I didn't know you could get loose bottomed cake tins for small cakes, and the addition of his nifty peg affair is genius - I wonder if manufacturers of baking gadgets will be trying to pinch that idea.

As far as I am aware, GBBO has always been in the tent - in the first couple of series, they moved round the country, and then decided to stay at one stately pile.

I am not sure what programme Galaxy is remembering - it does ring a bell, but only a very vague one.

Yes I enjoyed Extra Slice as well. Jo Brand is ok but I'm sure there could be smilier person presenting it. Zoe Ball ? She's a lot of fun. I know she does the extra Strictly programme.

Whaaaat? The tv is full of smiley people. We don't need any more.

I like Jo Brand. Her warm cynicism makes me smile.

No, no, no, keep your plastic smiley fake flirty presenters away from Extra Slice. It's fine just as it is, Jo Brand is great and as a comedian can keep the laughs up. It's also nice to have a presenter who actually looks like a normal woman, isn't a size 0 and may have actually eaten a cake or two in her life.

Smarties are my go-to solution for baking issues - have I been doing it wrong all these years?

Wise words indeed, Maryz.

No no you're doing it all wrong. Maltesers are the way to go.

Yes it was refreshing to see people on 'Extra Slice" who actually looked like they knew what a cake was and what it was for.

I like Jo Brand too, sardonic wit coupled with a don't take it too seriously attitude, what's not to like? Not only was Jo's cake pronounced 'dry' it made the cardinal sin of having no filling.

Claire's showstopper bake as it should have been looked pretty impressive.

I feel I am seriously under performing in the baking department I resort to sprinkles and artfully placed cherries.

See.... I thought Claire's showstopper cakes looked all wrong on Extra Slice and was the reasons she went out. Hundreds and thousands are for kids cakes, not the best baking competition in the land!

Oi Roussette lay off the sprinkles.

Fair comment, but is a classic British cake always for grown-ups?

I'd like to think I'm a good baker. I do great cakes.

But I'd be useless on gbbo. I have no imagination, like for next week when its biscuit week. I could do great biscuits, but no way could I think of anything to do to make a 3d scene out of biscuits.

Do you think they get advance warning? Maybe if I got a weeks warning I could search Pinterest for inspiration I guess.

Hundreds and thousands are vile. It's the Rich Tea end of cake.

Mind you I thought MB's cherry cake looked totally dry and boring too.

Sorry Mary. I'm with Greg The Thumb the best cake is brown.

emotions !

I agree the Berry's cherry cake was a bit errrmmm 70's wasn't it. I'm sure I made something similar in what was known as 'Domestic Science' lessons at school. I remember flouring my cherries so they didn't sink!

My mum used to make a cherry cake just like that in the 70s. Every bloody week.

If we carry on like this, it'll be Rum Baba's next week!

Or a Brown Derby or whatever it was called in a Wimpy Bar