The Great British Baking Show returns for its sixteenth season, bringing another batch of Britain’s most talented home bakers to the tent.
Having been some time since I’ve watched the famous series, I decided now was a good a time as ever to reintroduce myself to the world of Great British Baking Show. I’m happy to report that it didn’t disappoint!
Kicking off the season with Cake Week, contestants had to come up with stunning and delicious, sweet treats in the Signature, Technical, and Showstopper rounds.
As always, we’ve had some incredible creations and some that didn’t quite hit the mark, making the first episode that much more exciting to watch. Whether it was the Swiss Roll with an inlaid design in the first challenge or the showstopping landscape cake in the final challenge. Watching the contestants sweat trying to stay another week in the kitchen reminded me why I enjoy watching these kinds of shows so much.
The passion and love each baker has can be seen through every success and mistake. The drama in the show has never been about the contestants’ overt competitiveness but rather their ability to complete each task. This season seems to be no different.
In the Swiss Roll challenge, there were a few standouts.
Hassan Islam’s, a thirty-year-old analytical research and development scientist from South Yorkshire, Swiss roll looked like as noted by Paul Hollywood, “looks like it dropped out of a tree.” This felt like a polite reaction to his Swiss role. Flat with chocolate oozing out of it, it looked like it had been ran over several times with a dump truck. Islam found himself at the bottom, needing a flawless next two challenges to have any hope of making it through the competition.
In the standout department for the Swiss Roll challenge, thirty-one-year-old creative entrepreneur Tom Arden, whose light sponge and filling wowed the judges. A Tartan Swiss roll with a swirl of blueberry compote and mascarpone cream that even I, a former pastry chef, could only hope to pull off in a controlled setting. However, Tom did so under immense pressure. Truly, a Swiss roll that deserves all the applause.
Unfortunately, Hassan would continue to struggle in the competition, with his bamboo, forest-themed cake that Hollywood said looked like “a dream, but a pretty bad one, to be honest.” Watching Hassan’s shortcomings was tough, as you could clearly see his passion for baking.
Nataliia Richardson, a thirty-two-year-old Office Assistant from East Yorkshire but originally from Ukraine, was the first contestant to be awarded Star Baker, appearing to edge out Tom. Her realistic landscape caused my jaw to hit the ground. Nataliia managed to create a cake the shape of her country and its landscapes, from mountains to rivers. It was a cake truly worthy of pushing her over to become Star Baker.
This first episode, besides the weird opening sketch parodying Jurassic Park, is a fantastic showing of what we should expect as the season progresses. If Tom and Nataliia continue to perform as they did, it’s difficult to imagine anyone taking the title of The Great British Bake Off champion. But, as I’ve discovered from watching countless cooking shows, it’s anyone’s game.
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