GBBO #2 - These bakers are not to be trifled with...

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

Following on from the first thread (we were getting a bit short on space!).

Pastry week next - it's time for the dreaded soggy bottoms!

Yep think it will be Flora next week, then Prison Paul. Leaving us with Tamal, Nadiya and Ian. I think it will be really close and come down to who holds their nerve on the final.

I think it will be Flora or Prison Paul. Then whichever stayed in will go the next week.

Barring any disasters.

Agree with shehaswild's prediction.

Matt had to go. Blimey that picture of him and Nadia. I know he's tall, but I also didn't realise that she was THAT small.

So how tall small is Nadia then? I'm quite small but she looks even tinier than me.

I reckon Flora is ok but maybe is too young for the very 'clever' things she goes for. In a few years she'll be perfect. (even though she doesn't look that young ).

I liked her and Nadiya sitting and chatting together on the work top!

I am watching Extra Slice. I love how PrisonPaul has special little tools for his carving.

And, I still don't under stand why, they didn't have to stick the marzipan/tennis court bit to the cake. All of them obviously fell off. Where was the apricot jam?

Loved Mat on Extra Slice. He came over as really grounded - he cared about it, but was also prepared to laugh at himself.

Yes I wondered why they weren't told to use something to stick the marzipan on the tennis cake Raahh.

Agree about Mat Inimitable He came over well on ES. I liked all the guests they had on last night. And Jo looked and seemed better than she's seemed before. Bw did you see her on Would I Lie to You ? Brilliant!

I am going to the Paul Hollywood session at the Radio Times Festival (may start another thread on that) next week. I need a killer question in case we have Q&A. Any ideas?

And, I still don't under stand why, they didn't have to stick the marzipan/tennis court bit to the cake

Me neither!

I loved Jo Brand on Would I Lie to You. Particularly the fact that the lies weren't :)

Am a Mat convert after Extra Slice!

Cor lucky you Davros I'm trying to think of a question for you. How about

"What's the best way to make a pure rye loaf? With dried yeast or a sourdough starter?"

Or "what is it about sourdough starter that makes the bread so chewy" I'd love to know that.

Oh mat was even lovelier on the bakeoff. Loved that he was so down to earth, the reasoning behind him baking his iced shapes made me laugh!
I'm confused now though, because I read either on this thread or elsewhere that this is the correct way to dry things out (although much lower/door open/slower but Michel Roux said not?

Hmmmm maybe a sourdough question because I don't like it and it seems to be served every-bloody-where!

CakeNinja exdil has a friend who is a raw food freak; she has bought a special, extremely expensive, drier oven thing to dry food (because that retains its vitamins ). But I read, in a book about raw food diets that you can also dry food in a very low fan oven. I've done it with tomatoes and it works fine.

Davros Ask him what he does to lose weight after each GBBO!!

Joining this rather late.

Love 'they're quite trade'.

Ian and his bloody guinea fowl. He's so middle-class it hurts.

I loved Alvin but he was so subservient and cringing. I think his military father beat him.

Nadiya is awesome. I bet she's a huge laugh.

Flora is frumpy and accomplished beyond her years. At 19 I was wearing hot-pink satin miniskirts and getting up at 2pm to go to Greggs for a chicken pasty, before sometimes ambling into my tutorials at uni with a half-read book and half-baked ideas about it.

Mat was OK but was obviously getting out of his depth.

Prison Paul is a bit humourless, no? Although he does have flashes of niceness.

Tamal is HAWT. and rather young for me I luffs him though, and his 'top two sandwiches of his life'.

Flora is 19? thought she was in her 30s.
Tamal is delicious. I bet he's very good with hands - how old is he?

Tamal is the image of my gay NDN

Flora is 19? thought she was in her 30s. Exactly.

Tamal is 29, so just meets the 'half your age plus 7' rule for me.

Ooh I'm the perfect age for tamal!

I'm still fairly shocked about Flora - she comes across very mature and grown up for a 19 year old.

I think Flora showed her immaturity when she ignored the judges obvious dislike of pomegranates Cake. But she doesn't across generally as a 19 yr. old it's true.

Ruby seemed younger and she was older wasn't she?

Flora I think is the youngest contestant ever on Bake Off.
There was a very young girl on last year (Martha?) who was absolutely adorable.

Was Ruby the year before last then?