Q&A with Ellie Taylor
Category: Press Pack ArticleHow did the job presenting Bake Off: The Professionals come about?
They said: ‘Would you like the job?’ I said: ‘Is there cake? Can I eat it? Yes, please.’ LAUGHS It was a no-brainer. It’s a dream gig. Me and my husband watch the main Bake Off together and, although I hadn’t regularly watched Bake Off: The Professionals, I’d seen bits. I knew it’d be a pleasure to work on and it was. Cherish and Benoit are lovely, Liam’s a delight and the chefs are brilliant. And I've never got to go to work with a Tupperware I could fill up with nice food before. That was a real treat.
Tell us about working with Liam…
I love Liam. He’s an absolute delight of a human and so much fun. We brought out a very silly side of one another. We’re like children. There was a lot of pretending to be Power Rangers.
Did you start carrying a spoon in your pocket at all times?
Oh my God. I didn’t carry a spoon, but I learned where all the spoons were! As soon as I could, I'd be digging into everything. My favourite bit was when a producer would say: ‘Can you ask to try something?’ I'd be like: ‘Oh, this is an absolute nightmare. I have to try something delicious….’
Did you really go for it?
Yeah. Even if you just have a little of everything, that’s quite a lot overall. You think: ‘Crikey, that was a lot of sugar.’ I don't know how Benoit and Cherish do it. They do have to eat a lot of cake, but, you know, it’s cake… there are worse jobs, hey? I tried to get out on a walk every lunchtime because I did eat all the nice food and then I made friends with the home economics ladies. They'd give me jars of my favourite chocolate. Thank God, I only found where the chocolate was hidden on my last day. It could’ve been a disaster. Oh, it was gorgeous… big discs of dulce de leche chocolate. It was like I’d wandered into the Wonka factory.
You burned more than your fair share of calories during Strictly, though. You were just stocking up…
LAUGHS Yeah, I did that very well. It was the perfect antidote really, wasn't it? Workout, workout, workout. Then… eat cake, eat cake, eat cake.
Has it changed the way you eat or appreciate food?
Yes. While we were filming, actually, I went for afternoon tea with my mum and was more mindful of the skill and work involved. Rather than just shoving everything in my mouth, I was noticing what it was, what the flavours were meant to be, where the textures were. You get to grips with the terminology. You can't say it tastes nice, you’ve got to say: ‘I like that flavour profile…’ I found my language changing. ‘What flavour profile have I gone for on my pizza? Cheese and tomato.’ It was so interesting to hear what Benoit and Cherish look for when they critique stuff. And I was constantly astonished by what the chefs made. The things they create out of chocolate and sugar are amazing. The imagination! They're so talented.
Did you taste anything and think, ‘Oh, this is amazing. I want to make this at home…’
I don't want to make anything. I’d like to eat them at home. I’d like them to Deliveroo it to me. Every episode, I’d get out my Tupperware and take some for me and my husband to dissect. One of my friends had a baby during filming. I went to see her and hadn't had time to buy a present, so I took cakes I’d nicked from set. I took some round to Mum and Dad, too. I was sharing the joy. Everyone loved it.
Did it surprise you how exacting Benoit and Cherish are?
Oh yeah, Cherish’s ruler… I love the ruler! They don't mince their words, they don't patronise, they are quite hard taskmasters, but that's because they know the chefs are really good. It was quite nice to see them not holding back and being really brutal at times, but – in so many cases – you could see the development that brought out in the chefs. They’d really listen to the feedback and grow week after week.
Were there many meltdowns or collapses?
There were a few collapses, a few tears, but lots of moments of triumph. When things didn't go to plan, more often than not, there’d be a Plan B. They’d adapt and respond, trying not to crumble. It’s really impressive.
Your job is partly to support the chefs when things aren’t going well…
Yeah. I don’t know how much of a support I am when I come in during a moment of crisis and say: ‘Are you alright? Tell me what's happening…’ The last thing they want to bloody do is tell me what’s happening. The last thing they want to do is talk to me. I feel bad sometimes, but that’s my job: to annoy them at their most stressed. I do always try to do it in a supportive and encouraging way, though. I come from an enthusiastic place of ignorance and just watch on in awe. They were a lovely, lovely bunch.
Have you picked up any skills?
I made a cake the other day and, from doing the show, I knew I should weigh out the sponges so both tins had the same amount of batter. I never would’ve thought to do that before. I felt quite professional putting my tins on the scales. It was a basic Victoria Sponge and it wasn't very good – it was so heavy – but, you know, I showed willing. I learned what yuzu was, too. I’d heard of it, but didn't know what it was. They love a bit of yuzu. Yuzu and bergamot. They love both of those guys.
They make the most precarious-looking sculptures. Did that make you anxious?
God, yeah… especially in the last half-hour. They’re moving things to presentation tables, they're sticking bits together, they’re finessing. You do think: ‘Oh God. Please let that work.’ You were holding your breath.
Were you scared you might knock something over. Cherish did once…
Yeah, I was told that! I’d be so mortified if I ruined someone's presentation. That's what I worried about wandering around nibbling stuff. I thought, ‘Imagine if I gobbled up the crucial component…’
What were your favourite challenges?
I liked the suspended showpieces. As if building them on a table isn't hard enough, let’s get a ladder involved. Ridiculous. I mean, the drama of that. The Safari challenge was good – there was a massive chocolate giraffe head. Anything rhubarb floats my boat and there was something rhubarb in the shape of a pig. Delightful. I really liked challenges where they told a story and took Benoit and Cherish on a journey.
The two groups begin by making either Opera aux Fruit and a Banoffee pie showpiece or individual Prinsesstårta followed by a bread and butter pudding showpiece. Did they impress from the start?
I’d never heard of a Prinsesstårta. I thought I knew my cakes, but clearly not. Straightaway, you see the level of skill and knowledge involved and that carried on right through the series.
Like Liam, you found fame competing in a reality show – Show Me The Funny. Did knowing how hard it is to take part in a contest when you’re not used to TV help you with your Bake Off role?
Yeah, I’d hope it gives me a bit more empathy. I really do know what it's like. It really is intimidating – especially if you don't like public speaking or you're not the loudest person in the room. It's a big ask to not only do your job to a high professional standard, but also deal with people talking to you and the camera being on you when you’re doing intricate work. It's a really big ask to hold your nerve. During filming, it's hard to take it all in, but I really hope the chefs are chuffed with how they did and how they conducted themselves. They did themselves proud, not only as chefs, but as people.
Did you learn any lessons competing on Strictly, too?
When you're in the show, it feels like it's never going to end, but it is finite. It isn’t going to be forever. You can just dig a little deeper and, before you know, it'll be over and you'll say: ‘Oh, gosh, that was amazing, wasn't it? Wish I could have another go.’ Just try to gobble up the experience. Throw yourself into it as much as you can and enjoy it… which is a hard request when you're so stressed.
You’ve done Strictly, Mastermind, Celeb Bake Off. Are you a feel-the-fear-and-do-it-anyway person?
Yeah, increasingly, it's about filling your pot with exciting experiences… things you won't get chance to do again. If it's an opportunity to do something a bit weird and wacky you wouldn't have previously imagined yourself doing, then I think: ‘Take it!’ Why not? What’s the worst that could happen? That you're rubbish? That’s alright. I’m rubbish at most things anyway.
Were you terrified going into the Bake Off tent for Stand Up 2 Cancer?
No, but I should’ve been. I was a bit too confident. I went in thinking: ‘Well, I know how to make a roux. I'm sure I've got this sorted…’ But, no, it was a lot harder. I crumbled under pressure in a way I didn't think I would. I'm a flappy person anyway, but crikey, in that tent, everything went tits-up. It was really good fun, but very stressful with people talking to you all the bloody time. Go away! I found an extra level of panic, chaos and mess. At one point, I put cooling trays on the floor because I'd run out of space. I had cake on the floor. I was like, ‘This is what all professional bakers do, right? They cool stuff on the floor…’ It was not my finest hour. But what an experience – to have a go in the Bake Off tent and for a brilliant cause.
You were a stand-in Pottery Throw Down host in 2022, so the only show in the family you’ve not appeared on now is Sewing Bee. Can you sew?
Absolutely not. I did a bit of cross-stitch when I was about nine and that's about it. I don't think I’ll be trying Celebrity Sewing Bee unless I can use a stapler. Pritt Stick and a stapler.
Do you do much cooking and baking at home?
Not loads. I like cooking, but I don't have super amounts of time, so I don't do a lot. I like having people over. Making pudding, that’s my favourite. I'd rather make a pudding than the main course. I’ve got a very sweet tooth. I had people over yesterday and made a chocolate pavlova. Choccy Pav… delicious! I did GCSE Home Economics. I got an A, thank you very much. I made a focaccia, I remember.
What would Cherish and Benoit have thought of it? Was it good?
Probably. Any homemade bread is delicious, isn't it? Home-baking is different from professional patisserie. I made that cake recently for my mum's birthday and it was so heavy. If you'd had it in a shop, you wouldn't have been impressed, but because it’d been made with love at home, it's the best cake, isn't it?
Do you bake with your little girl?
Yes. She loves baking, but mostly because she likes licking everything: the bowl, the whisks, the spatula. I’d have barely got the flour out of the cupboard and she's saying: ‘Can I lick the spoon?’ She was helping me make the pavlova and I had to physically wrestle the sugar off her. She’s got a sweet tooth like her mama. We’re cake and biscuit mad in this household.
Valentina must’ve been thrilled by the Tupperware containers that kept coming home…
No, she didn't get anything. They’re all quite fancy and she’s not gonna like yuzu. She just wants a KitKat.
If you're in a cake shop, what do you buy?
A chocolate eclair or an iced bun would sort me out. I’m a simple woman.
You're back as Sassy in Ted Lasso. Ted famously brings biscuits for the boss. Can Jason Sudeikis bake?
I have no idea. I’ve never tried a biscuit, so I don't know what they're like. I'm sure he can whip up a biccie or a cookie as they’d say in America. He’s a multi-talented man. I’ve no idea who actually bakes them.
If you could have tea and cake with anyone, who would you choose?
Oh, Victoria Wood. That would’ve been lovely. She was a huge inspiration growing up… not that I knew it at the time, but looking back. She was one of the only women on TV who was silly and she liked playing with words. I really love playing with language in my stand-up and writing and being a wally…
Victoria showed you could make a living out of those things…
Yeah. I loved Dinnerladies. At University, I was studying English Literature and writing and performance and remember buying all the Dinnerladies scripts. It was lovely to pore over them and see how they were constructed. They’re perfectly crafted. Her precision with language! I didn’t get to meet her, but I was in the same room as her once in Edinburgh. I wasn't brave enough to say hello and I wish I had. She was amazing.
What are your plans for the rest of the year?
I’m doing some more acting at the moment. It’s sort of a comedy, but it’s action. There’s a lot more stunt work than Bake Off needed. I didn’t need a stand-in for tasting. I’m happy to eat all my own cake. I’ve got fight scenes. I’m learning all that , I don’t know how I've managed to start doing action roles when I’m getting on for 40, but I just thought: ‘Oh, why bloody not?’
Do you feel like Wonder Woman?
Not yet, I don’t, but it is fun and it’ll impress my daughter.