Bake Off

We don't have a TV but occasionally watch TV shows on catch up on the laptop. Normally an episode of Poirot, however this year we got in to a reality TV show that we've followed closely.

Now this isn't your regular crap singers singing crap songs or other pointless reality TV show where people have to phone in to vote or anything like that.

This show is called the Great British Bake Off.

Following an application process 12 people from across the country were invited to compete.

The show format is something like this:

• Each episode has a theme and 3 challenges.
• Challenge 1: Signature bake - a bake of the bakers choosing (within the theme)
• Challenge 2: Technical challenge - a recipe selected by one of the judges, every contestant is given the same recipe and ingredients. The judges are not present for the baking process but are brought back to do a blind testing and judging. 
• Challenge 3: Show stopper - bakers are asked to bake something but there is plenty of room for personalisation and flair.
• At the end of each episode the two judges select 1 or 2 people got booted off. 

Tonight was the final with Jo, Holly and Mary-Anne. Three ladies with very different personalities. They were all great, we liked them all (Jackie didn't like Holly as much as the others though).

Other contestants of note were Janet who made it to the final four, we loved her, she was a typical grandma home baker. We also liked Jason who was a 19 year old who really injected a different vibe into the competition. We thought he got kicked off too soon.

The presenters of the show in the middle. Jo the winner on the far right, Jason far left, Holly second from left, Mary-Anne 5th from right and Janet 4th from left. 

The series website, including recipes(!) can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b013pqnm

So for the final tonight Jackie had her own little bake off...

Lasagne for main course

Oat and raisin cookies and ginger bread loaf

Ready for the show.

The winner in the final was Jo and we were really pleased with this outcome as she was so sweet. In commenting on the outcome in the final, accomplished baker Jackie Bush said "she was a well deserved winner as she was a real home baker, a mum and housewife. She was very humble and didn't have an ego," ever the diplomat, Mrs Bush added "not that the others did have an ego"

We've added the blogs of each of the finalists to our blog roll if you're interested in reading up on them or trying out any of their recipes they should be on the right -
Jo's Blue Aga (Jo's, the winner)
Recipes from a normal mum (Holly's)
Time To Cook - Online (Mary-Anne's)

If you're interested in the recipes for our baking the cookie recipe is here: http://allrecipes.co.uk/recipe/2775/oatmeal-and-raisin-cookies.aspx and the ginger bread loaf recipe is from our friend Juliette Hogan it can be found on her public facebook page, click here to access

Now that that series is finished I'm not sure what we're going to do with our spare time ;)