Bake Off - coming soon! (title edited by MNHQ)

[MotherOfGodWeeFella]

Just seen the trailer...looking forward to it.

The Noel joke about Paul kidnapping Tasha was a bit yuk.

Also Cristy's.

@cheshirecatssmile Kenny Cat does not want me to look at Dan's pies 😂

😂

I missed the very end.. what is the theme next week?

Botanicals

What does botanicals mean!

I'm happy they're doing simpler tasks like pies now. It all got a bit daft in the last few series of unachievable things nobody has heard of.

I'll miss Nicky, she was an absolute cracker! And Rowan was lovely too.

I think they were two lovely people, but it was fair that they went. I'll miss them both!

They've only done botanicals once before, I think, in 2016.

That year it was:
Citrus Meringue Pie
Herb Fougasse
3 Tier Floral Cake

So basically, plants.

I have a theory
based on nothing other than the whole idea of a contestant having a "story" that it'll be Christy
they seem to be developing her from the background and her bit after she was amend star baker
reminds of how they edited Nadia's "story" and one of the winners in the early series was very similar

Interesting! She is very good but clearly doubts herself which does make an excellent narrative.

I think they prefer it when the early strong contenders don't win - hence the willingness to chuck Jurgen out just before the final. They don't want a narrative of "Came on show. Great baker. Won it."

And I don't think it's completely fixed, there have been strong, consistent and slightly boring winners before (Sophie and David Atherton come to mind, though David is not at all boring in his Sticky Bun Boys podcast with Michael Chakraverty). It's just they clearly love it when an underdog goes on a journey!

Out last night so just caught up.

I loved Rowan but the right two people went 😟

I am another one who cannot abide the way Dana speaks, with a weird uplifted drag at the end of her words. It’s so irritating that I am having to mute her whenever she’s on and use subtitles!!

I would love Saku to win, she’s so sweet.

When Nicky tripped into the tent at the beginning announcing that she liked doing pastry, I just knew it was going to be her last week.

I will miss Rowan but agree that the right two went. I only noticed the thing that Dana did with her voice last night for the first time and it is really annoying. I've got a colleague who does exactly the same thing in her speech pattern - once you've noticed it, it's hard not to listen out for it, hehe.

Paul is definitely sweet on Christy, I think Noel's got a soft spot for Saku, though not in the same way.

My DS was at a baking competition with my DN at their school the other day and Saku was one of the judges! She is tiny but very very lovely. I think her family is involved with the same cricket club that my DN plays for.

They really are a nice lot this year.

They really are a nice lot this year.

Yes, they are!

It’s called vocal fry, it’s a thing.

Where I work are doing a bake off next week to raise money for the dementia patients
Dan is coming in to judge
And we have little trophies with star bakers etc on
He's looking forward to it , said the patients hopefully will behave but can't guarantee the staff will 😂

I thought vocal fry was talking in a kind of gravelly way, like Kim Kardashian? But I may well be wrong. What I hear when I listen to Dana is a kind of extra syllable she puts on the ends of her words - ‘I just thought I’d add some chilli to my cak-ah’

When Nicky tripped into the tent at the beginning announcing that she liked doing pastry, I just knew it was going to be her last week.

Yes, saying you're confident about something is always a sign you'll come a cropper on Bakeoff :)

Totally agree. Dana doesn’t have vocal fry. I’m not sure what it is but it’s very irritating.

Ah OK I was going by the description rather than my own memory of how she speaks.

I hadn't noticed anything about Dana's speech. So I had a Google and found someone had started a Reddit thread about it. (She does apparently put an "ah" at the end of her sentence.))

I'm going to notice now, aren't I? 😀

I like Dana, I don't find her voice annoying, & I think her bakes generally look like they'd be good to eat :)

Overall I'm really enjoying this series, it's more like the old days when I'd feel like baking things inspired by what they're making in the tent (definitely fruit pie this weekend). I'm finding Paul's interactions with both Christy & Tasha a bit creepy though.

My prediction (which will probably mean he goes home next week ) is for Matty to do well - I have a feeling he's going to be the 'growth' story over the series.

I loved Rowan- Sad to see him leave but very very glad Saku is still here!

DH has commented over the years how a contestant will be gone by the end of the episode if they voice their confidence in a particular ability - he usually predicts correctly on that one!