Here are the contestants on the Great British Bake Off 2021 as the new series airs.
The Great British Bake Off currently airs at 8PM on Tuesday nights on Channel 4 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 again are hosts Matt Lucas 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…
Meet this year’s bakers below!
Great British Bake Off 2021 contestants
Amanda Geo
Age: 56
From: London
Occupation: Met Police Detective
Instagram username: @amanda_foreverbaking
Raised in London with Greek-Cypriot heritage, as a child she baked with her mum, and she learned specifically about Greek baking from her paternal auntie. Her style is generous and creative with Greek and Middle Eastern influences.
Chigs Parmar
Age: 40
From: Leicestershire
Occupation: Sales Manager
Instagram username: @crystellepereira
A relative new baker, Chigs only seriously embarked on his baking journey at the start of lockdown in 2020, teaching himself using online videos. A thrill seeker who loves to skydive and free climb, he loves a challenge and has no fear of being thrown in at the deep end.
Crystelle Pereira
Age: 26
From: London
Occupation: Client Relationship Manager
Instagram username: @crystellepereira
Quadrilingual Crystelle is a baker who brings her wonderfully diverse heritage – born in northwest London to Kenyan born, Portuguese-Goan parents – to the flavours in her baking. She began baking seriously only three years ago and loves fusing spices from the places she’s visited into her bakes – a fougasse infused with turmeric, curry powder and spring onion is a firm favourite.
Freya Cox
Age: 19
From: North Yorkshire
Occupation: Student
Instagram username: @freyacox_
The youngest of this year’s contestants, Freya has been dreaming of entering Bake Off since the first series, when she was nine and saw the tent in Bakewell. She likes to be ‘unexpected’ with her baking, and enjoys creating intricate designs… and usually makes a lot of mess in the process!
George Aristidou
Age: 34
From: London
Occupation: Shared Lives Co-ordinator
Instagram username: @giuseppecooks
Londoner George grew up in a close-knit Greek-Cypriot family where food was always a big part of family life. His mum taught him to bake (a legacy he’s now passing on to his own children), and he loves all the Greek classics. His flavours often include home-grown herbs and he likes to give his bakes a touch of class with a shabby-chic, vintage vibe.
Giuseppe Dell’Anno
Age: 45
From: Bristol
Occupation: Chief Engineer
Instagram username: @giuseppecooks
Originally from Italy, Giuseppe now lives in Bristol with his wife and their three young sons. His love for baking comes from his father, a professional chef who did all the cooking at home as Giuseppe was growing up, including making a cake every Sunday. Inspired by this Italian heritage, Giuseppe loves using Italian flavours in his bakes.
Jairzeno Parris
Age: 51
From: London
Occupation: Head of Finance
Instagram username: @baked_by_jairzinho
Trinidadian-born Jairzeno started baking in 2014, after becoming disillusioned with delicious-looking bakes that just didn’t deliver on flavour – and now, in his own baking, he obsesses over flavour combinations (guava and chocolate is a firm favourite), using lots of Caribbean spices, and aiming for the perfect pâtissérie finish.
Jürgen Krauss
Age: 56
From: Sussex
Occupation: IT Professional
Instagram username: @juergenthebread
Originally from the Black Forest in Germany, Jürgen moved to the UK in 2003 and now lives with his wife and son overlooking the sea. Unable to find traditional German bread in his adopted home, Jürgen decided to bake his own – and his passion for baking has grown ever since.
Lizzie
Age: 28
From: Liverpool
Occupation: Car Production Operative
Instagram username: @lizzieacker_
A baker who prefers simple presentation and believes in flavour and quantity over precision, Lizzie may look like she’s frantic and messy on the outside, but she is usually calm and collected within. Her baking comfort zone is cake, but she loves experimenting with flavour and is generally prepared to give (almost!) anything a go.
Maggie
Age: 70
From: Dorset
Occupation: Retired Nurse & Midwife
Instagram username: @maggietheseasidebaker
Having grown up surrounded by family who constantly cooked and baked, Maggie finds that baking comes naturally to her. She has an impressive collection of classic recipe books and loves recreating traditional bakes while at the same time experimenting with exciting flavours. Her favourite thing to bake is bread – it never occurs to her to buy a loaf.
Rochica
Age: 27
From: Birmingham
Occupation: Junior HR Business Partner
Instagram username: @rochica_
With a big Jamaican family on both sides, Rochica bakes in a way that reflects her Caribbean heritage: with flavour, passion and love. She always is especially proud when her nan and aunties tell her she has baked a cake that reminds them of the treats they grew up with. A dancer from the age of two, Rochica’s interest in baking developed when she was left unable to dance due to an injury.
Tom Fletcher
Age: 28
From: Kent
Occupation: Software Developer
Instagram username: @toofarfletched
Tom discovered his true passion for baking a mere four years ago, when he made his dad a sticky toffee pudding cake. Now he bakes several times a week, rustling up everything from pies and quiches to bread. Tom likes to take the foundations of a recipe and make it his own, creating bakes that are fun and often follow a theme.
The Great British Bake Off airs on Channel 4 on Tuesday nights at 8PM.
Picture Credits: Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions/Channel 4
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