Great British bake off back 5th August

[Helgathehairy]

Seems slightly earlier than usual? Very excited anyway!

Ooh I wonder if Extra Slice will be back too? Loved Jo Brand and her snotty egg separator!

I agree that the final bake has become a bit of a disappointment and that the cakes made have been disappointing, especially the series that Frances won none of the cakes were really showstopping stand outs it seemed they were left to pick the least worst.

Going back to making items for afternoon tea is an excellent idea.

Also agree that the technical bakes are becoming a bit obscure and are things that aren't very appetising, the floating lumps of meringue being a case in question. Maybe making something more 'basic' but doing it exceptionally well would be a better technical challenge.

I can't wait, I love the program despite the fact that I'm not a fan at all of Paul Hollywood....I hate the camera close ups focusing on his blue eyes. My friend gets all swoonsome but he just leaves me cold. Lovely cakes though

I love Bake Off because it's a real family event in our house, our young DSs love it and I'm hoping DS2 is going to grow up to be the next Paul Hollywood... He's only 6 but already makes a mean lemon drizzle.

I love this show to an almost ridiculous degree.

My DS is Aspie and prone to faddy obsessions but pretty much the only craze that hasn't passed is baking. He's awesome at it, too. He loves GBBO.

We actually get excited when it's GBBO day. Nobody is permitted to interrupt. We cuddle up and chat happily about which recipe he might like to try and who we like best (our all time favourite is HowardWhoWorksForTheCouncil).

God it's weird - I'm actually tearing up thinking about how much we enjoy watching it!

Best thing on telly.

When does it start? Dd loved it last year and went about for weeks saying she needed to taste all of the cakes to "check the colour, flavour and taste" - thankfully they usually always get a thumbs up

seaoflove

I'm gluten free and practically dairy free (If they cook with feta I'm ok but I can see the limitations )

Cake
Hollywood
Cake
Hollywood

mmmmmmmmm

both to be admired from afar and tantalisingly out of reach.......

Brendan was robbed.

Was Howard the one whose custard was stolen? He was lovely.

I also loved Glen the English Teacher when he was on the floor staring into the oven saying "I always said I wouldn't be one of those people on the floor staring at the oven and here I am on the floor staring at the oven!"

There have been some lovely contestants over the years, I always feel inspired after seeing some of the creations they come up with.

I LOVE Bake Off and am very excited for next week! However we'd already sorted going away to Wales for a few days next week, and I am a bit gutted we're away on Wednesday night. I'm pregnant and tire easily though, so it's entirely possible that I may need to be back in the hotel room for a lie down at 8pm. Entirely possible...

Yes squoosh I rather liked the look of the 70's tart they were so dismissive of!

'Brendan was robbed.'

Word.

I've bookmarked the Mighty WordSeal blog, even though I haven't heard of it!

Did I hear they were purposefully going "back to basics" this year? Less obscure Transylvanian flans?

When it was aired that Brendan tested his creations on his neighbours I so wanted to move next door to him!

Let's hope so Anna

I get why they don't repeat the technical bakes - a really obsessive GBBO contestant would watch all the old episodes in preparation and work out how to do it perfectly in advance.

ideally they would be set an entirely new challenge they can't just crib off an old episode - but the bakes are getting just too obscure now, especially if it's something way too complicated that none of us would ever bake in real life. Getting something 'easy' & classic like scones just right is enough of a challenge in itself, I'm never going to make a religieuse...

Did you mean Mighty Monkseal Anna?

Pooh God nooooooooooo. Desperate for some intelligent telly

Oh god yes mighty monkseal is hysterical!!

Yes, yes, yes, yes. YES!

Whoop!

I luffs the bake off.

Time to get the pinny out and pretend I'm baking for Paul & Mary whilst making vair funny quips a la Mel & Sue surely I'm not the only one?