My thoughts on the Great British Bake Off! (No spoilers)

I had most of this blog post written expecting to schedule it later on in the month when The Great British Bake Off usually starts and then forgot about it until the other day. The TV gods decided we were in for an early treat and brought The Great British Bake Off back early starting at the beginning of September. I'm not complaining though! It seems a waste to waste this blog post so you are getting it now. 

I don't watch live TV very often, I usually watch catch up but one thing I do make a point of watching as soon as it's shown on the TV is The Great British Bake Off! It is a must watch show for the Autumn months, a cosy, comfort show that somehow manages to feel like a hug, a cup of tea and a slice of cake all rolled into one. It’s not just about cakes, breads or pastries, it’s about people. It is just a nice show with no shouting, no sabotaging and no nastiness which is practically unheard of in reality TV shows now a days.

Did you know in America The Great British Bake Off is called the The Great British Baking Show? Apparently Bake Off was trademarked in America by another company so the title had to be tweaked for its international journey. It’s the same tent, the same bunting, the same Paul Hollywood giving that handshake but just under a different name. I have a confession, I love Paul Hollywood, the silver fox! He is as much a part of Bake Off as the tent itself. Part judge, part mentor, part national baking authority and part TV crush for quite a few people. I do have a soft spot for the other hosts too though, there to bring the laughs.

We have a fresh group of bakers with their own quirks, stories and styles. I have already picked my favourites after a couple of episodes but I still can't pick a winner, they're all amazing even with a few hiccups along the way.

On the first episode they had to bake a Swiss Roll, easy I thought until they started decorating them. Wow! The technical challenge was to bake something I eat all of the time, Fondant Fancies, they are a lot harder to bake than I thought. At least us being at home we can Google how to do things, they have to guess and hope. Most recently they were baking biscuits, not the simple sort of biscuits which I would bake though. The challenges seem so much harder this year. Eek! 

There is so much to love about The Great British Bake Off: The creative showstoppers. Some of them over the years have been pretty amazing. I can't even work out how they even carry them as they seem to defy gravity and logic! The comfort bakes that remind you of your nan’s kitchen and the emotional rollercoaster moments are coming with sighs of relief when something comes out of the oven perfectly, the disasters that have to be glued together with caramel and the judges tense walk around the tent as the bakers try to look calm.

Bake Off isn’t just TV, it’s a whole autumn tradition. It’s the kind of show you can watch with family, friends or just a cosy blanket and a slice of something sweet. It’s gentle enough to relax you but engaging enough to have you on the edge of your seat. So here’s to another season of kindness, cake and the cosy joy that only Bake Off can deliver. 

Do you watch Bake Off?