Last night a whopping 12.29 million of us snuggled down on our sofas (compulsory cup of tea and cake in hand, no doubt) to join Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry for series six of the Great British Bake Off. It got off to a rollicking start, serving up more drama (collapsing cakes! Absent frosting!) and innuendo than ever before.
Joining the ‘baker’s dozen’ in the tent this year is local photographer Ian Cumming, a dad of two based in Great Wilbraham. His first task – a simple Madeira cake, with visible crack (*snarf*) – didn’t go too well, with Paul likening its consistency to ‘wallpaper paste’. Ouch.
But things took an upward turn in the showstopper challenge. Asked to present a Black Forest gateaux to the gingham altar, Ian’s rendering of small, chocolate animals earned him a place in next week’s show.
“The first weekend in the tent was obviously a bit of a rocky start!” Ian told us. “I would love to be able to take away many things from it but unfortunately ‘wallpaper paste’ is always going to be at the forefront of my mind!
“The technical was OK… can’t say much better than that. However, it was the showstopper that obviously pulled me up. I think if you’re going to do one thing right then that is the one to do.”
Ian’s edible, inhabited woodland – with incongruous chocolate elephant – caught the imagination of Mel and Sue, and the viewing public.
‘I can’t wait to romp in your forest, Ian’, proclaimed Mel.
‘You promised we’d get the odd animal’, appraised judge Mary. ‘An elephant is an odd animal, for the Black Forest,’ added Sue.
Ian explains the elephant: “It was partly due to having young children who appreciate slightly daft things like that and partly down to practical issues of piping tiny chocolate shapes – intricate animals like deer wouldn’t have worked with their antlers.”
How did he find the judges in general?
“I think Paul and Mary were as expected – firm but fair would sum them up. Mel and Sue were fantastic though, and I can’t praise them highly enough. What could be a terribly nerve-wracking experience they made into something fun and light.”
Meanwhile, there were tears as Dorret’s gateau turned into a mudslide, and Marie became the first Star Baker. First to leave the tent, however, was musician Stu, whose hipster Madeira cake (surrounded by potpourri and pine cones) and bonkers black forest cake, covered puzzlingly in meringue, didn’t hit the right note with the steely-eyed judges.
:: The Great British Bake Off continues on BBC1, Wednesdays 8pm
