Junior Bake Off Crowns A Winner

19 January 2024

Tonight, Tilly 12 from Oxfordshire won the coveted title of winner of the latest series of Junior Bake Off.   Thousands applied, but only 16 made it through to the famous tent for the most exciting junior baking competition yet.  Harry Hill was the host while judges Ravneet Gill and Liam Charles had the tough job of finding Junior Bake Off’s best young baker. 

In the beginning, there were 16 junior bakers, some 'crumbled' and others rose to the challenge until there were just four remaining bakers:  Annabelle, Ilhām, Max and Tilly each hoping to be crowned the winner of Junior Bake Off. 

After two weeks of heats and a finals week, our finalist Junior Bakers entered the tent for the very last time, but it was to be Tilly who was crowned the winner of Junior Bake Off and who ultimately took home the trophy!

Over two separate heats, the junior bakers faced many challenges to showcase their culinary creativity and personalities.  The first heat began with a tricky cartoon Technical and the bakers' creations of changing a 3D cake into a 2D comic delight, followed by time travel-themed cakes. Biscuit Day had Rav’s monster stuffed cookies, and the world’s greatest invention in biscuit form.  Bread Day had Liam’s cinnamon snails and then the bakers had to create a desert island meal loaf.  Pastry Day was Liam’s choux choux train and a popstar-themed portrait challenge. For Dessert Day the bakers were challenged to make Rav’s tutu pavlovas and then make their favourite animal in roulade form. The second heat of bakers managed to produce Liam’s mad-alien madeleines and then they showcased their fantasy dream home in cake form. For Biscuit Day they had to make Harry Hill biscuits and create a biscuit time capsule for their future selves. Bread Day was Rav’s hot cross bunnies and then a bread-ucational centrepiece. Pastry Day saw Rav’s invisible filling pies and then a tricky choux challenge paying homage to the bakers role models. For Dessert Day Liam sent the bakers into a spin with a crepe roll, and then they produced a meringue tart showcasing what the natural world has to offer.

During Finals week, the bakers made red velvet whoopee pies and a Thanksgiving cake in an American Day, followed by Rav’s doll house cakes in Toy Day and then making their favourite toys out of macarons.  In Spooky Day they made Liam’s slime-filled cauldrons, and then a haunted gingerbread house.  For Patisserie Day it was Rav’s cloud cake, followed by mini tartlets showcasing their favourite holidays.

In a very exciting final episode, where the stakes couldn’t be higher for the bakers, they had to make their last Technical Challenge of the series;  Rav’s charlotte royale, followed by a cake fit for a Coronation!

The junior bakers battled it out in the iconic white tent aiming to bake their way to victory.  After tough technical challenges and incredible showstoppers , it was Tilly who managed to win the final accolade. She mixed, whisked, frosted and beat her way to becoming the ultimate winner.

On winning the trophy Tilly said:  ‘I wasn’t expecting to be the winner, I didn’t even really think I would get on the show!  This competition meant so much to me it’s been the best time of my life.  Maybe I will have my own bakery one day!’

Ellen, Tilly’s mum said:  ‘So emotional! I am very very  proud of her, as somebody who has coeliac disease and she can’t eat most of the stuff that she makes -  to come and win it is  unbelievable, unreal!’

Rav said ‘Tilly pulled it out of the bag, she did so well in the Technical and that Showstopper completely blew us away!’

Liam added ‘ She had a flawless day, a well deserved champion!’

Harry ended saying ‘Well done everyone!’

 

Biography: Tilly, 12 from Oxfordshire

Tilly lives in Oxfordshire with her mum, little brother, dog and gecko.

She enjoys rock climbing with her brother at the local clip n climb and horse riding. She is a huge animal lover and likes watching nature documentaries.

Tilly has been baking for many years and credits her nanny with teaching her everything she knows. Each weekend she tries out a new recipe and improves her skills by watching YouTube videos and reading cookery books. She’s great at adapting recipes to make them gluten free because she has coeliac disease. She plans to sell her bakes soon to save up for her gap year to the rainforest and desert.

Tilly won Star Baker in Pastry day and Spooky day, and here she talks about her experience on the show and baking at home.

 ‘I had just walked off the bus when my mum told me that I had got through to the series,  I was so excited I was jumping around in the street,  I really couldn’t believe it at first.  This was the first time I had applied and I was amazed when I won.

‘When they announced I was the winner it was a surreal moment, I felt like I was in a dream and had to pinch myself to remind me that this was actually happening!   I felt shocked and really excited at the same time, it was like a dream that had come true!

‘The best moment for me was the final party, I would love to do that all over again as I enjoyed it so much, it was such a memorable great day for me.    My two baking disappointments were when my crepe went wrong on Dessert day and when my thanksgiving cake fell apart on American day.   It felt tragic at the time but now I just find it really funny.

‘I even got my gecko Gizmo Gandolf Graham on the show when I made him in biscuit form.  I didn’t get to eat him, as Rav ate him and I thought that was funny!   Gizmo wouldn’t eat it because he only eats insects. 

‘Another funny moment was when I sneezed and Liam said you are blessed instead of bless you!  In the judging he made some really funny faces and you couldn’t work out whether he loved it or not - usually he did like it.  One of the best moments for me was when Rav said my first cake was textbook perfect, that was very good to hear especially on my first episode and gave me baking confidence.   I collect hats, so I really loved it in one episode when the judges wore my mini sombreros when they were judging -  that was so special!

‘Harry was so funny all the time, and we had a lot of banter in the tent when he did his walk rounds.  I put his wrinkles on my biscuit for a bit of fun, and at the Final he was showing me his magic tricks with an empty paper bag.  I really got his sense of humour, I am a big fan.

‘My profiteroles on Pastry day were my favourite bake and I made them in the likeness of my hero Sir David Attenborough, I hope he watched the episode and saw how passionate I am about animals.  My favourite animal is a capybara, the world’s largest rodent.   I love my gecko and my dog Bella who is a French bulldog.  Someday, I would like to be a campaigner for the environment and make a documentary with Sir David as I am such a massive fan, and hopefully help to save the world.  

‘I would love to thank my family and especially my Auntie Lauren who taught me a lot about baking, she helped me with my home practices and recipes. And of course also my nan who taught me how to bake as a little girl.  I am very lucky to have such great bakers in my family!

‘I was diagnosed with Ceoliac disease only a few months before I went into the tent.  I got used to not being able to eat some of the bakes and it didn’t stop me having the best time of my life on Bake Off.  I will never forget it.

‘When we weren’t all in the tent, I loved going shopping with the other bakers, having great dinners and playing cards.  Another favourite part of the experience for me was that I learned so much about what happens behind the scenes on a programme.  From the team that provide all the ingredients and the production team to watching the cameramen change the lens.  I didn’t mind the cameras at all, infact I actually quite liked being filmed!

‘My bedroom is about to be redecorated and the trophy will sit on a brand new shelf.  I am going  to crochet some green leaves to hang from the ceiling, so it will look like I am sleeping in a jungle!

‘I watched the final episode with my family at home, and I made some Cheese Twists for everyone to nibble on, as they are my favourite savoury bake.

‘When I grow up I would really like to be an actress who also rides horses and bakes wonderful cakes, and eventually I would like to write a gluten free cookery book.  I feel like I have learned so much as a baker through my time in the tent.  It was such an amazing experience and I am really grateful for the opportunity.’

Q&A with Tilly:

*Why did you want to apply for this series of Junior Bake Off, and how many series have you watched?

 I have watched pretty much every episode and always wanted to take part in it myself. It’s been my dream for so long. This year was the last year I would be able to apply because of my age so I decided to go for it. I never imagined I would get a place on the show!

*What was this year’s location like, and how soon did you make friends with the other bakers?

 It was absolutely beautiful, I saw loads of rabbits and deer in the grounds and was amazed when I saw the tent and was actually in it myself! We all made friends with each other almost instantly. It was so lovely to meet other children with the same interests as me and we’ve all kept in touch which is great!

*How long have you been baking and what is your speciality Bake?

 I started baking little cup cakes when I was around three but I didn’t really get into baking properly until I received my Coeliac disease diagnosis last year, I found it difficult to find delicious gluten free treats so I decided to start making my own instead. My speciality is large cakes! I love assembling a huge cake and decorating it to look beautiful. There’s also so many different ways to flavour a cake, my speciality flavour is caramel!

*What cake do your family ask you to make for a special occasion like a birthday?

 We all love peanut butter in my family so I always make a huge gluten free peanut butter cake on any birthday!

*Being on Bake Off – was it better than being at school?

 Of course!! Being on Bake Off was better than anything, even being on holiday!

*Favourite class at school?  

 Drama and art.

*How hard was it to keep it a secret from your friends?

 I found it pretty easy to keep the secret but my family members found it harder as they were so excited and proud of me!

*Did you love meeting Harry and was he funny?  Out of the judges Rav and Liam who did you want to impress the most and why?

 I found Harry hilarious, he is really good fun and so kind and friendly. I really liked both of the judges but I would probably say Rav as she’s really supportive and gives lovely feedback and I also love her style! Her outfits and hair are always amazing.

*When you aren’t baking what are your other hobbies?

 My biggest hobby outside of baking is horse riding! I also love climbing, pottery, playing guitar, anything outdoorsy or involving animals and I’ve just started crochet. I’d like to get good enough to make my own clothing. I love to collect hats too and I’ve been teaching myself Spanish. 

*Music that you bake to?

 I love listening to instrumental versions of pop songs. For example Taylor Swift, wildest dreams - violin version!

*Who is your favourite popstar you would like to make a cake for and why?

 I would love to make a cake for Billie Eilish because I love her music and plays guitar which is very cool!

*If you were a cake at a children’s party what would you be and why?

 Well I’d have to be something gluten free so that I wasn’t unwell! A pink and pretty cake because pink is my favourite colour.

*On your castaway desert island what utensil would you take with you?

 I’d bring a spatula with me because they are very useful and you never know when you might need one!

*Baking wise what do you feel you learned the most from JBO and has it helped you in your baking?

 Basically it taught me it’s important to follow recipes properly. The whole experience also taught me that things don’t always go the way you want them to go or how you expected it to but it’s good to stay calm and carry on and often- you can turn it around! Even if things aren’t perfect, it’s still ok.

*What do you think you learned from the whole filming experience?

 I’ve learned how to be on camera which is something I hugely enjoyed, I loved the experience of getting mic’d up and ready for the day and meeting so many different people, it’s really cool because everyone was so great and treats you as an equal not just as a child.