WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS

THE Great British Bake Off continued with the Patisserie Week for the remaining four bakers in the competition’s semi-final.

The bakers had to tackle a tricky signature, a technical and a five-hour Showstopper for their three challenges. Crystelle was named star baker, while Jurgen was the one to leave.

Here is Sandy Docherty’s verdict of week nine’s episode, as she continues her weekly Telegraph & Argus column which will be online each Wednesday morning while the series is on.

She also gives her verdict on next week’s final.

 

Sandy took part in the 2015 series and is the child protection and welfare officer at Titus Salt School in Baildon.

Sandy said: “The whole show was a bit of a cliff-hanger.

“The challenges were extremely complex, but they all met the challenges.

“At one point I thought they were going to have a four-person final and break the protocol as they couldn’t call it, but they didn’t.

“It was the decision I think will have caused a lot of debating in houses last night.

“From here on, I don’t think people have to win if they want to do baking as their career.

 

“There’s prestige to winning, but from the quarter-final stage onwards they will have been snapped up for commercial opportunities, if that’s what they want.

“Chigs last night was sending out the message ‘this is me at 18 months’. In the technical last night, he missed out as he didn’t have that knowledge.

“I hope he continues as he has been. He has been great at the challenges he has been able to rehearse. There is only a short gap between the semi and the final now. Let’s see if he can do it.

“Guiseppe is excellent. He keeps it neat and keeps it smart.

 

“For the judges, they are wanting to see that next level from Guiseppe. He is just slightly playing it safe. They are looking for that extra umph from him.

“Crystelle could win, she is the most likely to go on to be a TV presenter. She has it in the bag. I’m beginning to wonder if she can win.

“She is winning them (judges) over.

“It was an emotive show. It was really sad to see Jurgen go. He summed it up saying that there were four star bakers in the room. He was a worthy finalist.

“I was thinking did Jurgen leave out the fancy bakes? There would have been a lot of conversations in houses.

 

“The final is absolutely anybody’s. It could be Guiseppe’s if he can pull it out of the bag. It could be Crystelle.

“Chigs is so focused because he is a novice. He is sticking to the brief. He is sticking to what he wrote down and it’s paying off. He has followed his own instincts.

“Who knows next week. It will be a little controversial for whoever wins it.

“Guiseppe is the favourite, but my gut feeling is that it could be one of the other two. It could be Crystelle.

“It’s in the balance. I would like to see Guiseppe win because he is consistently good.

“It’s going to be a close-run thing.”