Bake Off 2019

[Hennysmommy]

Im wondering when its back on the telly? Have googled for an answer but no luck.. But i am useless at internet searches. And i dont buy a tv mag.

[DesdamonasHandkerchief]

Ahem, strike the dating rumours, fake news apparently!

[FawnDrench]

What's the point of trying to win the technical any more?
Doesn't make any difference to being in the tent next week now it seems.
Totally pissed off about who went this week.

And Alice reminds me of Frances Quinn who won it a few years ago - same simpering girliness and excessive head tilts and too many floral embellishments.

[NumbersStation]

I wonder if some of the bakers are scouted - you know, like X factor or love island contestants - and are promised a certain amount of exposure or a book deal or similar if they fit the beautiful or quirky or geeky mode. There doesn’t seem to be ugly duffers on bake off.

I cannot make sense of last night.

I don’t get the usual fob off of ‘you aren’t there, we are the ones tasting it’ etc. Because we rely on the judges say so for that bit. If they are saying delicious all the time then it is clearly not tasting or smelling like feet. And we then get baffled when they hoof someone out when their cake looks fine and has apparently tasted wonderful.

[Ali1cedowntherabbithole]

That's an interesting theory, numbers. I wouldn't be surprised.

Perhaps Helene wasn't supposed to get a book deal and was in danger of attracting one?

Is Priya going to come good at the end so that the tale of her "Journey" can be told?

[NumbersStation]

I hope I’m wrong. But something seems a bit off.

I’m a cynical old boot.

Steph has a touch of the Nadiyas. I’m not good enough, I’m middle of the road, but I’m winning a lot. (And yes, they are both beautiful.)

As said, I’m a suspicious old trout when I can’t make sense of stuff.

I take you back to the Noel and Sandi bit at the start.

Sandi ‘apparently paul has Written the script this week’

Noel ‘as if there’s a script’

Sandi ‘well apparently it feels as though we haven’t been setting the right tone’

Noel ‘really?’

Sandi ‘mmmm’

There. They are as much as telling you it is all planned

[DarlingNikita]

Perhaps Helene wasn't supposed to get a book deal and was in danger of attracting one?

But it was filmed ages ago. No one would have seen it in advance and offered her a book deal in time for them to engineer kicking her off.

[Over600Ecalypts]

I was taken aback that it was Michelle and Helena who went this week. I sensed that it would be two because no one mentioned it when Paul, Prue, Noel and Sandi had their final conflab. It was about the right time too - not too early and not too late.

Prue said there was too much lavender in Helena's custard pies - she had her hand up to her mouth, grimacing! Lavender tastes vile when it's strong. Maybe that was what pushed Helena towards the danger zone, despite winning the technical? Still seems unfair though.

[OkayGo]

@BertrandRussell I agree - Noel was so kind to him.

[SanFranBear]

I forgot it was on yesterday so have just caught up... what a pile of rubbish! I cannot believe that the winner of the technical went home - yes, her tarts were rank but she won the bloody (ridiculous and once again, not baking) technical which counted for nothing.

Priya should've gone last week but the fact she also dodged a bullet this week despite a rushed signature and a pretty poor technical (here were sooooo dark). I thought her showstopper was pretty but the fondant was so thick and given what others achieved, just a bit plain!

I mean, I am not a great baker at all so it's mean for me to lay into her but the wrong decision was made (twice!).

Michael and David (who I'm actually really enjoying now as he's got a lot more comfortable in the tent so I shall no longer refer to him as pretentious twat - sorry Squid ) are my favourites. I'm not sure Michael can last much longer although I'm thinking he's just had a couple of rough weeks, but I'd like to see David make the final at least. He's been really consistent and his flapper biscuits were absolutely beautiful!!

[Mner2019]

They should just give them the whole of the second day for the show stopper. You can do nothing in 4 hrs. Give them a proper amount of time and let them come up with something properly fantastic rather than always rushed.

I always say the same thing, if I was going on the bake off, there are recipes you would make sure you knew off by heart: genoese, choux, all the main pastries, creme anglais... so many contestants say they have not made x,y and z before unless it’s false modesty...?

I only really watch these days so I can watch extra slice.

[NumbersStation]

I so agree with the whole day show bake @Mner2019


so want to sing the muppet song! Mner mner doo doo de doo doo

But getting folk rushed and stressed is what leads to floor pies, scotch egg choux balls and crying contestants. They think it makes for dramatic telly and gets the viewers watching.

Nope. I don’t want to watch someone get so stressed and upset over a ruddy cake that they are reduced to tears.

I want to watch them loving baking and producing what they want to turn out. Maybe encouraging someone like me who can just about throw out a fairy cake to try making something a wee bit more ambitious.

[OkayGo]

Goodness me yes, that would be endlessly better. I like bake off to be gloriously satisfying and about the baking and not the stress and the dropping stuff etc.

[Whatevskev]

Ooh came and found this thread just to check you were all equally dumbfounded about last night’s ejections as we were in this house!

How can they lose the person who wins the technical unless they have two absolutely disasters in the other rounds (which Helena didn’t)?

And Michelle was robbed frankly- have no idea at all where that came from.

I am also not loving this series and missed last weeks and didn’t bother catching up which is a total first

For me it’s my absolute hatred of PH and the person he is that has turned me off. I can’t look at him or hear him now without a seething annoyance that he is still playing the big bully man and getting air time.

Also much less engaging contestants sadly- just not the same chemistry somehow

I wonder if viewing figures are generally dropping off?

[NumbersStation]

I used to know everyone’s name on bake-off back in the day. I used to remember their bakes - back in the day when baking was the ‘thing’ and you used to have a Really good idea who was heading off into the woodland. I do like how supportive some are but now I’m wondering if that is only for the telly and they are inwardly laughing their baps off.

I’ll not lie, I didn’t expect Phil last week at all. I wasn’t really expecting the two this week either although lavender in a cake will make me cowk and for that alone, if I’d been judging, Helena might have been on a sticky web.

I do think if they concentrated more on things that people could attempt they would get the viewing figures they want. I want to see marvellous bakes. Bakes. Not fried mini donut things that aren’t large enough to fill my mouth.

Baking for me meant my granny covered in flour in a cosy kitchen with the wee bero cookbook for us kids. Heaps of tins and butter icing and sprinkles and bits. And squirty cream if we were feeling flush.

Not a deep fat frying pan with spurious themes.


Where are the lovely pies? A beautifully iced fruit cake? More buns? A gingerbread or choux challenge (not fried). Are they too simple for telly now?

Or are they just out to make people stressed and unhappy with nippit timings and unrealistic ideas? Chandeliers indeed.

Baking for me (with my gran) was fun and happy. I want that please.

[ppeatfruit]

Yeah I LOVE Extra slice !!!!

[noodlenosefraggle]

Or are they just out to make people stressed and unhappy with nippit timings and unrealistic ideas? Chandeliers indeed.
Think you've hit the nail on the head there. I can't understand why Priya wasn't out. I didn't really warm to Helena or Michelle but their bakes weren't the worst by a long shot. I suspect there is some kind of manipulation going on but I don't know for what purpose.

[BertrandRussell]

Ds pointed out sadly that BakeOff used to make me want to bake things for the family. (I bake for money so they usually only get failures, offcuts, burnt bits and overruns) it’s been two years since i’ve been prompted to make anything...

[Ali1cedowntherabbithole]

I agree Bertrand I had a go at several of the technical challenges in the first couple of series. Sachertorte, hot water crust pastry, Swiss roll, Genoese sponge.

Not seen anything I even want to try to make this series.

[BertrandRussell]

Actually, i’m going to have a go at the beignets at the weekend.

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

I wonder if viewing figures are generally dropping off?

Well, I've stopped watching, and so has my friend Nancy, so that's two.

: (

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

NumbersStation

Yes, yes, yes to every word of your post.

It used to be such a lovely, gentle show - I would think, "You know, I could have a go at that!". Now it's like some sort of kitchen circus! There's no real love for baking in it any more - or if there is it's been buried under gelatinous icing.

And the person who said PH is becoming increasingly vile and bullying is right. Unless he's always been like that but has masked his unpleasantness but now thinks he is so "great' that he doesn't have too.

I didn't like Mary Berry, but now I see how truly good she was and probably still is - COME BACK MARY!!!! WE NEED YOU!!!!!

And not allowing enough time to properly do the task justice does NOT make for drama - it makes for bad telly!

[ppeatfruit]

What annoys me is the unspoken idea that we WANT to see harsh competitiveness across the board on telly and radio, everything has to be DRAMATIC why why why??????

[NumbersStation]

Oh a nice hot water crust pie would go down nicely. 😉

To eat and to watch!

[SchadenfreudePersonified]

Numbers

[NumbersStation]

My waist has expanded by 4 inches just thinking about it @SchadenfreudePersonified.

I’ll not lie, I’m a bloater and pie should be replaced by salad but pies make me happy.

As for PH, I wondered if they were only half joking this week about it being the PH show. Prue is fab but doesn’t seem to have (get?) the same input as Mary. Could be editing of course.

I’m just not fond of PH and I think Mrs Lovett herself would turn down him as a filling and chomp on spring greens instead.