The Great British Bake Off, Season 10 Episode 7: My Thoughts

Last week, the bakers took on Dessert Week. Steph secured Star Baker for a third time and it was Priya who left the tent.

This week, in between writing, applying for jobs and doing whatever a graduate probably shouldn’t be doing, I (of course) managed to watch this week’s episode of The Great British Bake Off. Not reminiscent of sweaty, drunken nights in tents but just as exciting, the bakers took on Festival Week.

The bakers

I love Henry. He’s just so nerdy and hilarious, and of course, he’s a fellow English student so obviously he’s in my good books (pun intended). You can definitely tell that the competition is getting closer to the final, as the music and the atmosphere in the tent, is getting very tense. It’s mad that, as the competition progresses, I don’t really want any of them to go home! I went from Week One when I didn’t know any of the bakers names to Week Seven and I’m (embarrassingly) fully invested in the bakers.

The challenges

The bakers got their buns out for the Signature Challenge as they had to make festive buns. The tent got hot as most of the bakers crafted one of my favourite buns: the hot cross bun. There were two handshakes and the bakers all actually did ok.

Next, the Technical Challenge saw the bakers make 12 Sicilian Cassatelle which, to me, just look like a chocolate-orangey pasty (sound delish, though, right?). It was, as with all the technicals, technical. There was a bit of cheese sieving (yep, that’s right), pastry making and deep frying (which makes me think the show should be called ‘The Great British Fry Off’, as the fryer has been used three times on the show- not that I’ve been counting!). The bakers had to use a pasta maker, which just looked a bit fiddly and awkward honestly. The deep fat fryer proved messy for some bakers and – in the end – Alice came last and Rosie came first. At that point, Alice and Michael looked in a precarious position.

The Showstopper Challenge saw the bakers make (or should I say grill) a sarawak cake. Honestly, I’ve never heard of this kind of cake – some sort of colourful, celebratory Battenburg style cake- so I wouldn’t have the slightest clue how to make one. Of course, as the competition always goes, the bakers figured it out. It was pretty intricate, with layer upon layer upon layer of sponge, so plenty could go wrong. Of course, for some of the bakers, it did. Rosie, Michael and David looked to be in a precarious position whereas Henry, Steph, David and Alice impressed.

The result

This week’s Star Baker was Steph. No wait, it was actually Henry, SHUT UP!? Michael sadly left the tent and, I’ll admit, I’m gutted. I think he’s struggled a bit in the tent, but I don’t think he deserved to go out. I can’t wait to see what he gets up to after the show and, like all the bakers who leave, I wish him the best.

Next week, the Quarter Final, the bakers take on Pastry Week. So, who will triumph? Who will break quicker than flaky pastry? Find out next week and stay tuned for my thoughts.