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!

I'd love Tamal in the final, but I do think ian is a better baker than he is. I think Flora should probably go

Nadiya again!

I think that's fair

Not really sad to see her go.

Tamal or Nadiya to win!

Awww, Flora is a cutie! Definitely the right one to go this week though. They do love Nadiya!

Well, got that wrong. Bye Flora.
Nadiya or Tamal to win.

Who's applying for next yr then?!

The80s I can't help it :)

The last week

Love Nadiya!

Nadiya to win! Peacock was fab.

Loved Nadia this week. And her comment comparing the stress of baking to having babies made me . Also felt myself going 'awwww! when she called home. Isn't that always such a lovely Bake Off moment? when the family, who are at home secretly cheering their son/daughter/ partner etc. etc. on and then get a call that they've got star baker or got through to the finals and let out a shriek or a cheer... I always tear up a little bit then. Families are so lovely for those who are blessed to be loved by them.

But really sad to see Flora go although I could see it was right. Hope Ian doesn't win. It has to be Nadia doesn't it? But they do sometimes go for the not so obvious baker in the finals.

Ooh that was an exciting one, although obviously was still choking down my tamal disappointment

I think Ian is being stitches up somewhat in the editing as he comes across as a grade A twit but he is obviously very good at what he does, they just never seem to give him the credit he surely deserves.
He is my least favourite though.

Nadiyas showstopper looked so garish and not like anything I would ever eat. To echo pp, I don't like the idea of eating anything too kneaded and eaten without cooking again (eg bread is okay!) as it feels a bit like eating play doh. And chocolate shouldn't be blue. For the same reason, I really hate the trend for those fondant iced cakes with the character decorations which is really just a mountain of sugar paste. Bleurgh.

But it did look like a centrepiece, and centrepieces aren't usually eaten are they? Maybe they are, I always thought they were mainly for decorative purposes and that later on in the evening, a drunken buffoon me walks past and breaks off a handful.

Floras looked stunning until it was hacked into. She was the right person to go.

I don't understand how Nadiya can be winning; she seems to be last in every technical bake, so as far as I can see she can only bake things she has practised over and over, which imo isn't the same thing as being the best baker at all.

She has come first in some of the technicals, so I don't think that's fair.

I love Nadiya and Tamal. Not keen on Ian.

I love Nadiya and she has improved on the technical bakes, also most of the stuff she has made has sounded lovely and, with the exception of the nun buns, they do praise her flavours.

I think the difference between her salted caramel and Ians' was she used salt flakes and added peanuts whereas he used fine salt and he did say it could turn a bit savoury so maybe that's what happened.

I get a tad emotional when Nadiya is baking and does well or badly she just seems so utterly lovely. If she wins next week, which I hope she does, I shall be a blubbering mess in the corner at this rate.

I've never watched a full series before nor seen a final.

So is the finalist judged totally based on their performance on the last night, or do they take into account how well they have done throughout the series?

Crotchet - they have said before it is a bake off and each round is judged as a stand alone thing

They will only look back at previous weeks if they can find nothing to separate the bakers on the final itself

It's deffo only on that week's efforts. Last year the best baker - by a long chalk - had a dip in the final week, and didn't win. He had been the clear winner in about the the previous 6-7 weeks. I think te was robbed actually, but the judges did say effectively thems the rules.

On all the series bar the first one the 'expected to win baker' hasn't won the final they've all somehow fluffed it.

Paul definitely has his favourites - it's quite painful to watch. After Flora won the technical, Paul said Ian and her were 'in the middle'

I liked Nadiya and Tamal from the off, so it's not that I'm on anyone's side, I just don't like petty Paul and his little grudges.

BTW, who was that last year, Rascar? I can remember the nice woman who won, but not the other finalists.

Deliberately misleading editing? I want nadiya to win too I love her she's a sweetie. Also love tamal, don't DISlike ian just not warming to him as much.

This week was nail biting enough next week will be fraught!

I'm still planning on stalking Nadiya, I don't care about the legalities of it. I shall sleep on her door step and post cakes through the postbox.

I pretty sure this will cause us to end up BBFs.

I thought the peacock was spectacular. Nadiya's show stopper had more in common with Ian's than the other two. She and Ian both made stunning centrepieces using chocolate with little baked content - crispy cake mix and a few biscuits.

The other two actually did a lot of baking, but fell down when it came to execution - they tried to do too much so the finished items weren't as polished as they should have been.

Ian got criticised by Paul for spending his time tempering chocolate and filling his moulds, by Mary for not doing more decorative piping work when what he made was genius and well-executed. Nadiya didn't get that criticism from what we saw, but hers was more decorative.

So happy nadiya is in the final! Her creations are always outstanding and so original. The fact she doubts herself makes her more deserving. I can't warm to smug Ian. Tamal is brilliant too. Tamal or nadiya to win!