We love: The Great British Bake off

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There is indeed no greater pleasure than a freshly baked cake standing proudly on a cake stand, proving ones domestic Goddess status and filling the house with the divine smell of home making. This of course should be the case, but if like me, your cakes are more miss than hit, baking can often turn out to be a bit of a domestic disappointment.

Watching my new favourite programme on BBC2 The Great British Bake Off, I am filled with adoration. The weekly challenges to bake the perfect scones, Victoria sandwich cakes, biscuits and several different kinds of bread, involve real skill. Because lets face it anyone can bung a few vegetables in a wok with some ginger and garlic and call it cooking, but baking requires attention to detail, measuring, perfect timing and more than a little bit of science. As I am utterly devoid of any attention to detail, ability to count, or knowledge of science, I am in awe of the almost always perfect results achieved in the last three weeks.

The pressure must be immense, not only are they on TV, they have to impress slightly scary, 1970's domestic science teacher, Mary Berry, and attractive but often harsh, silver fox, Paul Hollywood (I can feel a crush coming on - nice buns!). If you haven't already tuned in, watch tonight -  it's all about puddings

You can try out the recipes on the Get Baking website, but be warned, it's not as easy as it looks. Victoria sandwich biscuit anyone?

Comments

[emma]

I love it too! The downside is that watching it does make you rather hungry.... but it has inspired my teenagers to do some baking, which has got to be a good thing.

[m]

Surely you only make Victoria sandwich when you fancy a trifle?

[steffi]

silver fox! nice buns! can I just die here laughing? lovely post. although I can't stand the now tried and tested format of these TV programs, this one does charm the pants off me too. x

[jane]

Just watched it and am inspired to make a souffle this weekend. My Paul Holloway crush will have reached epic proportions by the final.
J x

[Katie Warrick]

It feels odd to get so competitive over baking a cake...but it gets me every week! I'd love to get stern talking to from the silver fox!!

[jane]

I know Katie but they do it such a civillised BBC2 type way that somehow it seems ok!
Jx

[amanda]

I have just looked at TSF's (as I shall now be abbreviating him to) recipe for scones and he puts in 5 teaspoons of baking powder! I could raise the Titanic with 5 teaspoons of baking powder.....

[jane]

5 teaspoons?!!! Dont think my ovens tall enough. Can feel a SF post coming on !!

[Sarah Broomfield]

I really enjoyed watching this, i love cooking. I really would like to buy your big metal pole cake stand, please could you tell me where i could buy one. Its bigger than most just what i could do with for our family partys. Many Thanks. xx

[Nike Jordan]

Well, if crime fighters fight crime and fire fighters fight fire, what do freedom fighters fight? They never mention that part to us, do they?"

[Margaret Mills]

Could not believe the amount of hair hanging over the food while being prepared, what happened to the hairnets?