Great British Bake Off starts Tuesday 13th September

[5foot5]

I couldn't see an existing thread on this, apologies if there is and I missed it.

Anyway, as it says in the thread title. New series starts tonight.

Yay!

I’m just baffled why they chose Mexican cooking as the cuisine isn’t exactly known for baking or a history of leavened food (beyond the buns and rolls Hollywood eats in his spin-off where he visits Mexico) even then that’s in the capital city.

The history and technique of maize flour cooking for things like tamales and tortillas (masa harina) is really interesting, that needed a five minute history of the bake like they used to do on original bake off. It takes years to get good at making tortillas, I can see why the North American are annoyed.

It's awful and it puts me off. It's bad enough that they're never given enough time on yeast bakes. (Not seen the latest episode yet but am told it happened again?) GBBO needs to get back to the basics on its bakes.

Totally agree with this. It frustrates me about all competition type programmes, that they don't give contestants enough time to do something well. You end up seeing week after week of a talented person's sloppy rushed work.

Ditto asking them to make something with ice cream or chocolate on the hottest day of the year.

I don't dislike Noel on the right show, didn't mind him paired with Sandi. As a pairing on this show, Noel and Matt are just criminally unfunny though - and the whole vibe Noel now gives off of 'oh I'm not remotely interested in cake' is just so jarring and odd.

Oh for the days of Mel & Sue ...

Don't dislike Pru. Very very bored with Paul and his over-inflated ego.

I"m not enjoying this series. Challenges that aren't baking, humour-free interludes from Matt and Noel, and smugarse Paul constantly undermining the contestants.

I thought it was telling that contestants who look hopeless during the random pizza/savoury cake rounds unexpectedly shine when they're asked to bake - eg, Dawn suddenly produced that elegant stacked cake after floundering around with stewing steak on a pizza. Rebs was edited to look dramatic and tearful when she was probably just frustrated that she can make stunning wedding cakes, but not with these impossible 'and it has to be a tres leches stacked cake that reminds you of your parents and has nine ingredients, each of which must come from a different NATO country and you must be able to wear it' challenges. I loved James' bread pandas. And his macaron raccoons.

The bottom line is that I don't fancy eating anything they've made so far. I definitely haven't been tempted to try baking any of it. And that's never happened before.

The bottom line is that I don't fancy eating anything they've made so far. I definitely haven't been tempted to try baking any of it.

I have just made a chicken, leek and mushroom pie that was featured on the Aussie show technical.. I didn't have kale so used spinach, and had to guess as quantities.

I'll let you know tomorrow what it tastes like. It looks excellent.

I agree that I wouldn't fancy any of the stuff they're forced to churn out now on the GBBO.

To be fair - we had the mexican beef and pico de gallo with tortilla (not tacos) for tea last night and it was very nice

Pie update: It was delicious. DD and I both had seconds. DH didn't have any but that is because he is in Hamburg until Monday. It was a big pie, so there is more for tomorrow.

I will put some garlic in the next toime I make it, though - just personal taste. (Family is always frightened of food when it's the second time I make a dish - when i have the confidence to faff with it and "improve" upon the recipe. 😁. By the third time, I've generally gone back to the original . . . )

On a different note - I LOVE Maggie's style! She always looks fabulous.

She does! I love her style. So colourful.
I think she's also such a lovely, kind personality and that shines through.

It seems like such a waste when the judges' feedback on nearly every signature bake this week was "it's underprooved". Give them more time then! If everyone has the same time related problem, the common denominator is the time allocated. It's no fun when it's impossible.

Agree. There's also a lot more instances of the instructions just saying "bake" the whatever it is, with no actual recipe/timings provided.
It's not supposed to be a game of ingenuity, nobody bakes without the recipe in front of them if they've never encountered the fairly obscure product before.
It's just nonsense.

I can't watch any more of this season.

Revolting pizzas, the stomach churning showtoppers, racist Mexican stereotypes ("is it even a country?", stupid Mexican blanket wearing etc) I spend every episode cringing and uncomfortable at the unfunny Noel and Matt saying unfunny stuff to bakers, and watching the bakers being put in the discomfiting position of having to look amused - like a kid dragged onto an uncles lap.

Paul is good when he explains the science and details of baking - why can't he stick to that? It's interesting and helpful. His nasty dismissive comments do indeed seem to target older women.

Same here, @SuperCamp

I'm out

GBBO felt like it started as really good home bakers making a slightly better version of what you could make at home.
Then progressed to quite complicated things that I'd like to eat....but wouldn't consider making
...now is random things that I wouldn't consider making or eating!!🤣

And teen DD who loves baking is aggrieved there are too many savoury things now. (Although I think they've always had a savoury dish in pastry week)

Exactly that @Fizbosshoes

I also feel that nowadays there are a number of "sacrificial lambs" who actually are out of their depth almost from week one and who don't stand a chance and the producers must know that.

I don't know - perhaps they aren't getting the number of applicants they used to, or maybe it's because they give them such stupid challenges and tight deadlines rather than give them proper baking to do, or maybe they want a few obvious ones to get rid of in the early weeks so that the judges themselves get an easy ride - I don't know, but there definitely seems to me that there is an element of "How did this person, lovely as they are, manage to get through the selection process?".

The Aussie ones seem to all be strong contenders from week one (I'm onto my second series now - it's compelling.)

I agree that the Aussie ones all seem to be contenders from the get go, and I've watched all series. I think that they don't go for "characters" as much. Just good bakers, and they certainly have diversity. It really is a far better and more genuine competition.

Her eyebrows deserved to go to be fair...

Probably should know this by now, but who's Maggie?

Oh, okay, just go back and actually read the posts properly. She's not on GB Bake off I see. Thankfully - was thinking I was losing it, having missed a contestant called Maggie 😁

It's worth watching @AnImaginaryCat .

I've made a pie and then some cake advice from it already (haven't had the urge to do that since the early days of GBBO) and both came out <chef's kiss>.

It's a very enjoyable programme to watch -except I'm on series 6 now and there is a "character" and also an obvious 1st vote off, and that has worried me that they will go down the British route.

Hoping I am wrong.

Just caught up now, and echoing those who think the show has really deteriorated. I used to look forward to watching GBBO as an 'event'--no distractions, totally focused on the show. It's been getting worse and worse since it moved to Channel 4. For the most recent episode, I was hardly watching it, kinda having it on while I did other things, including popping out of the room and not even bothering to pause it.

The challenges are getting ridiculous, and the drama matters so much more than the baking. I like Prue, but I'm surprised Paul's ego can fit inside the tent. Noel and Matt just aren't funny on this show (though I generally have liked Noel on other things).

Mel and Sue actually showed excitement and interest in the bakes, 'Ooo, can I sniff that? What's this technique that you're doing? etc.'

I think I had similar complaints last year, but here I am. Thanks for the Aussie recommendation, Maireas.

Maireas you are very naughty recommending Australian Bake Off 😂. I'm binging series 6 and have watched 6 episodes over the last few days. Fortunately I'm ironing and cooking at the same time. It's such lovely tv, the presenters, the contestants, everyone so supportive of one another. It reminds me a bit of our Sewing Bee in that respect.

Am loving it 😍

I'm glad 😊!
I know what you mean, it genuinely is lovely tv, isn't it? Enjoy!

Can you imagine what Hollywood would be like with Hoda (series 6)?

Poor girl would be sliding all over in his drool . . .

Dessert week, lemon meringue. If they make it lemon meringue with chocolate and cherries I'll be off.