The Great British Bake Off is finally back on our screens, and it is exactly what Britain needs right now. So who is lined up to battle it out in the tent this year?

You’ll be forgiven for not really knowing what day, or even month it is right now, as time has never been more of an abstract concept than in 2020. Days have felt like months yet somehow we’ve all blinked and summer has vanished. Luckily the unfailingly regular British television schedule has our backs. Some viewers are complaining about Britain’s Got Talent while others are speculating about which celebrities will be thrown into the jungle (or the COVID-19-appropriate location) which means only one thing – it’s Great British Bake-Off time. 

The tent will look a little different this year, as Matt Lucas joins Noel Fielding in hosting following Sandi Toksvig’s departure from the show. Contestants are also rumoured to be a little less competitive, having all lived together as a bubble to make filming as covid-safe as possible.

One thing that hasn’t changed is that 12 amateur bakers will be gracing the tent once again to dazzle with their kitchen skills. So who is hoping to whisk, pipe and showstop their way to this year’s final? 

Dave: 30 years old

Security guard Dave was a bit of a late bloomer in the kitchen, first taking to the mixing bowl once he’d moved out of his mum’s house. With a penchant for bread baking and a love of punk rock bands, you could say he’s the definition of rock and roll… 

Hermine: 39 years old

The French influence of Hermine’s West African home country Benin makes her an expert in all things pâtisserie – from millefeuille to éclairs, this baker will likely be raking in the compliments come pastry week. Described as “a notorious feeder”, this is one woman you’d be happy to have at a party.

Laura: 31 years old

Zesty strong flavours are a favourite of Laura’s, and she’s hoping that her organisational skills will help her to triumph in the tent. Fine finishes are another one of this baker’s specialities, but will Laura end up decorated with the title of GBBO Winner 2020?

 

Linda: 61 years old

Linda is an embodiment of wholesomeness, having had a childhood full of milking cows and growing produce. Her tastes reflect her classically idyllic-sounding upbringing, with a love of home-comfort dishes and spending time in her garden.

Loriea: 27 years old

Caribbean flair is guaranteed to sizzle throughout Loriea’s creations as the baker uses her craft to express her Jamaican roots. Cinnamon, coconut and chillies feature heavily in her dishes and with a dislike of following recipes, we’re keen to see how Loriea fares in the technical bakes.

 

Lottie: 31 years old

Coming from a family of cake makers, Lottie believes that baking is in her blood and hopes that her fastidious attention to detail will benefit her in the tent. According to the GBBO website this baker is hoping to retain her “dark sense of humour” throughout the competition – how exactly that translates into the language of biscuits and pies, we’ll have to wait and see.

Mak: 51 years old

Mak is another pastry pro, having taught himself the ways of the spatula to help his mum out in the kitchen as a kid. He’s also a big fan of beekeeping, and is hoping that his homemade honey will add a buzz to his bakes.

 

Marc: 51 years old

Baking serves different purposes for different people, and Marc found himself turning to bread making as a form of therapy, following a motorbike accident in 2016. With the support of his daughters, Marc has since regained his love of climbing, and he’s hoping to conquer the mountainous task that is the Great British Bake Off. 

Mark: 32 years old 

A love of pastry drew Mark into the world of baking, having fallen head over heels for a mac ‘n’ cheese pie during his time studying in Edinburgh. Well-travelled thanks to his job as a project manager for public health research, Mark draws on African and Asian influence for his bakes, as well as his own Irish heritage.

 

Peter: 20 years old

This year’s “oh wow, I’m older than him” baker is Peter, who studies Accounting and Finance at uni. As a proud Scot, he looks to incorporate oats, whisky and berries into his bakes when he can, and has also represented his country on the badminton court since 2012.

Rowan: 55 years old 

Rowan describes his baking style as “ostentatious”, and has a love of the elegance and grandeur of French pâtisserie that is entirely self-taught. Often found tucked away in the 1700s section of the British Library, Rowan also enjoys reinventing traditional Georgian recipes. 

 

Sura: 31 years old 

Sura’s heritage is a melting pot of cultures, including Turkey, Iraq, Iran, India and Syria, which adds a unique blend of influence to her baking style. With a love of fragrant and floral flavours like cardamom, orange blossom, and rose, Sura’s creations are likely to pack a punch. 

And that’s the class of 2020! Tune in on Channel 4 at 8pm this evening for the first installment of Great British Bake Off, and brace yourself for a large helping of cake served with quarantine jokes aplenty…

Hannah Ward-Glenton 

Featured image courtesy HomeMaker/Pixabay. Image license can be found here. No changes were made to this image.

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