WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS
THE Great British Bake Off reached its excited climax last night for the remaining three bakers in the competition’s final.
The bakers had to tackle a tricky carrot cake signature, a Belgium Bun technical and make a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party display for the Showstopper for their three challenges.
Giuseppe took this year’s title, defeating Chigs and Crystelle in an exciting final.
Here is Sandy Docherty’s verdict of week 10’s episode, as she continues her weekly Telegraph & Argus column which has been online each Wednesday morning while the series was on.
Take a bow, Giuseppe. Such wonderful words. We wish you and your family the very, very best. ❤️❤️ #GBBOFinal pic.twitter.com/aSUEm2uUue
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 23, 2021
Sandy took part in the 2015 series and is the child protection and welfare officer at Titus Salt School in Baildon.
Sandy said: “I much as I wanted Giuseppe to do it, I was chopping and changing. I was thinking ‘I don’t know now’.
“I could have screamed at Giuseppe when he put a whole cake in for his carrot cake. Crystelle had it right with the shallow layers.
“As good as he was, he needed to up his game a little bit.
Hugely humble words from Crystelle, who would have made a deserving winner of Bake Off and came so close. Everyone is so proud of you for what you’ve achieved! ❤️❤️ #GBBOFinal pic.twitter.com/2pcyDOX4Bx
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 23, 2021
“As good as he has been, Giuseppe needed to be an 11, rather than the 10 he has been all the way through the series.
“I think the one I have really thought has got the magic of Bake Off is Chigs. It was lovely to see him grow into the competition. He just got better and better and better.
“I wanted Giuseppe and he was there, all he had to do was up his game a little bit. He had some pressure on him last night after he had gone so well in the competition.
“There was Chigs not knowing a lot about how cakes were constructed and he stuck to the instructions.
Taking pleasure in the success of others - what a great guy you are Chigs! From learning baking in lockdown to reaching the Bake Off Final, you truly are an inspiration and champion to us all. ❤️❤️ #GBBOFinal pic.twitter.com/ybRB4eJjey
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 23, 2021
“You could drip feed all of the challenges up to week nine, but you didn’t know the final tasks until you knew who the finalists were. The finalists had a week to learn two of the challenges.
“I was thinking ‘why make a deep carrot cake, Giuseppe?’ Crystelle had it right with four layers.
“It was not a difficult challenge to make a carrot cake, as they are not difficult to make.
“It was a tough challenge because it was testing timing and knowledge.
“The Belgium buns technical I had to think what they were like and thinking do I know how to make a curd?
Here’s how life after Bake Off has been for all our wonderful class of 2021… #GBBOFinal pic.twitter.com/o4jF5g1E8n
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 23, 2021
“The whole final was a very genuine and a very Bake Off final and what I remember the true essence of Bake Off was; about taking the ordinary and turning it into the extraordinary.
“They were a nice set of challenges in the final. They tested all of the parts that they needed to test.
“Let’s see if series 13 next year can be as good.
“This series has delivered. At the end it said Giuseppe has moved to Milan and is doing a baking book with his father. I will have a copy of his book when it’s ready and have a look at it when it’s out.”
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