Here are the contestants on the Great British Bake Off 2018 has the series gets underway.
The Great British Bake Off airs on Channel 4 Tuesday evenings at 8PM with 12 bakers battling it out in 30 challenges over 10 weeks.
Judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith will set the tasks and will decide the star baker – plus which unlucky contestant is sent home – each week.
Also joining the tent for the second year are Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding, who will be with the bakers every step of the way, ready with a pertinent pep talk, a helpful hand or just a sympathetic shoulder to cry on…
The new series continues on Tuesday, October 3 at 9PM on Channel 4.
Great British Bake Off 2018 contestants
BRIONY
33-year-old parent from Bristol
Born and raised in Bristol, Briony is a self-taught baker, inspired by her Nan’s baking wisdom and motivated by her determination never to let anything defeat her. Using YouTube tutorials to help her learn specific techniques, Briony has been baking seriously since 2013. She is a whizz with puff pastry – a weekly favourite at home with her husband and daughter – and has created several wedding cakes and stunning, intricately decorated novelty cakes for friends and family.
DAN
36-year-old parent from London
For Dan, the pleasure of eating begins with what we see. A self-confessed perfectionist, Dan considers aesthetic one of the most important aspects of his bakes – he begins every creation with the aim of making it not just delicious, but also a thing of beauty. While that can cause stress during the cooking and making itself, he aims for well thought-through results, with every bake created with a genuine and knowledgeable appreciation for the process.
JON
47-year-old Blood Courier from Newport, Wales
Welshman Jon loves nothing more than spending quality family time with his wife and four children and bakes in the kitchen as a way to relax after a hard day’s work. He loves a showy bake – and a showy Hawaiian shirt, too – and loves wowing friends and family with his creations. Jon loves to research new ideas and experiment with different techniques to try and achieve something unique in his baking.
KIM-JOY
27-year-old Mental Health Specialist from Leeds
Kim-Joy’s birthday falls on World Baking Day, which she takes as the surest sign there can be that she was born to bake. Born in Belgium to an English father and Malaysian–Chinese mother, she grew up in London, studied in both Bristol and Leeds, and now lives in Leeds with her partner. Her bustling, mixed-heritage background is reflected in her open attitude to all styles of baking, loving rustic baking just as much as she loves creating cute bakes with an emphasis on detail.
MANON
26-year-old Software Project Manager from London
Born and raised in France, Manon learned to bake with her mother and grandmother, who made everything from scratch – from breads to desserts and biscuits. However, although she grew up in a foodie French family, it was in London that Manon found her passion for baking, arriving in the city to work as an au pair and being blown away by the style and variety of bakeries that the city has to offer.
RAHUL
30-year-old Research Scientist from Rotherham
Rahul grew up in Kolkata, surrounded by his family, and moved to the UK on a university scholarship when he was 23. Once here, he discovered an abundance of new flavours and cuisines that have inspired his ‘East-meets-West’-style of baking. As a research scientist, Rahul’s instinct is to undertake every bake with a forensic attitude to research and an uncompromising attention to detail.
RUBY
29-year-old Project Manager from London
Ruby’s love of baking is the result of having become everyone’s ‘mother’ when she went to University, taking seven male housemates under her wing, cooking and baking for them. Growing up as part of an Indian family, the youngest of four children, Ruby remembers childhood baking being about her mum making Jalebi’s, an Indian sweet. Now she loves to gather friends and family together to indulge in her cakes and pastries, as well as her infamous spicy minced lamb pastry rolls.
TERRY (ELIMINATED FOURTH)
56-year-old Retired Air Steward from West Midlands
Terry’s background as a prosthetic technician, as well as spoils from his own microbrewery and allotment, are all evident in his baking – particularly in the precision, science and flavour of his creations. The design and craftsmanship in Terry’s bakes are a testament to his background in fine art. However, it is family that lies at the heart of Terry’s baking journey.
KAREN (ELIMINATED FOURTH)
60-year-old In-Store Sampling Assistant from West Yorkshire
Karen began her love affair with baking during the 15 years in which she and her husband owned a house in France. Although she had baked with her mum since she was little, it was the local French patisserie that really inspired her. Now, she can knock up profiteroles, Religieuse buns, tartes au citron, and even foot long eclairs to rival any French bakery.
ANTONY (ELIMINATED THIRD)
29-year-old Banker from London
Describing himself as a “Bollywood baker”, Antony grew up in India, where he learned to bake with his father. It is his father who remains his inspiration – it’s thanks to him that Antony got serious about baking. Antony’s adventurous attitude to flavour profiling is the result of a willingness to try new foods, his determination to ask probing questions of established bakers, and – in particular – his cultural roots and his travels around the world.
LUKE (ELIMINATED SECOND)
30-year-old Civil Servant (and House/Techno DJ) from Sheffield
Some of Luke’s earliest memories are standing on a mini step ladder so that he could reach the worktop to help his Nan bake. He has been baking independently since he was a mere 10 years old, making Victoria sponges, fruit cobblers and chocolate cake for his family. Now, inspired by early morning cookery shows and his travels throughout Europe and North America, he has tried his hand at almost every baking discipline going. His minimal and clutter-free attitude to life is reflected in the things he creates – his bakes are clean and precise.
IMELDA (ELIMINATED FIRST)
33-year-old Countryside Recreation Officer from County Tyrone, NI
Imelda is one of four siblings and grew up in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, where she learned to cook and bake from her mother, in their family home. Now juggling a busy job and family life, Imelda spends her evenings and weekends making soda breads, biscuits and treats for her father and son, and cakes that she takes into work to share with her colleagues.
The Great British Bake Off airs on Channel 4 Tuesday nights at 8PM.
Picture Credits: Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions/Channel 4
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