The Great British Bake Off: The First Two Bakers Leave The Tent
Category: Press PackIn Tuesday’s night’s episode of The Great British Bake Off on Channel 4, Sumayah was named Star Baker and Jeff and Hazel were the first two bakers to leave the 15th series.
In Week 2 it was biscuit week and the 12 bakers had their second opportunity to impress the judges and battle it out for Star Baker.
In the signature they were challenged to produce the perfect Viennese Sandwich biscuits. Next, under the fabled gingham cloth, were the ingredients for the technical, and they were asked to recreate a retro minty family favourite. Finally, a biscuit showstopper that featured a Biscuit Puppet theatre which gave the bakers a chance to blend comedy and tragedy as they crafted their skills. There was plenty of drama unfolding in the tent too.
At the end of the second episode Noel announced that Sumayah was Star Baker and Alison had the difficult job of telling Hazel that she would be leaving the tent, whilst Jeff, still feeling unwell, left earlier in the episode during the technical challenge.
Hazel said: ‘That’s ok I did expect it, all my bakes went wrong. Maybe I won’t make biscuit puppet theatres anymore!’
Jeff said: ‘I am fine, but this time around it just wasn’t right for me. I have really enjoyed it, everyone has been wonderful, there’s a great group of bakers in there. I didn’t make it very far, but there you go, it was wonderful so thank you very much’.
Biography Hazel 71
Kent
Former Nail Technician
Married to her childhood sweetheart for 51 years, Hazel has four children, one of whom still lives at home while the other three, and her ten grandchildren, all live close by. She loves nothing more than to gather everyone together for dinners and parties, and especially loves their get-togethers at Christmas. Ask Hazel to make you a birthday cake and it may well come with working parts – she has made several ‘car’ cakes with remote-controlled wheels and working lights. Her granddaughter’s seventh birthday cake was a carousel with 500 edible diamonds that took Hazel two weeks to make! When she’s not baking or entertaining her family, Hazel will be exercising her competitive streak, playing bingo.
Biography Jeff 67
West Yorkshire
Former University Lecturer
Originally from the Bronx, in New York, Jeff arrived in the UK in 1979, when he emigrated with his English girlfriend (now wife), whom he’d met while she was hitchhiking her way across America and he was a sports coach for a summer camp. They have lived in Yorkshire since 1987. A keen and competitive sportsman, Jeff has now hung up his basketball boots, but still loves swimming, going to the gym and long countryside walks. He began baking in earnest when his children were little, having learned the basics from his grandmother and Hungarian great-grandmother when he himself was a child. As you might hope (and perhaps even expect), he makes a mean New York Cheesecake.
Hazel talks about her experience after leaving the tent:
*What do you feel that you have learned the most from your experience in the tent?
That I am easily distracted and like to bake alone with no-one else around me.
*Overall what was your best and worst moment in the Tent?
Best moment was my Showstopper Handbag, and worst moment was my Puppet Theatre.
*What’s next for you in the baking world?
I hope to be baking on Instagram
*Favourite challenge overall and why.
Peppermint biscuits, they were easy to do and didn’t turn out too bad.
*Worst challenge and why?
Mini Battenberg cakes as there wasn’t a recipe and I was frozen!
*Can you describe how you felt when the presenter announced that you would be leaving how did your fellow Bakers cheer you up.
I felt really sad as I didn’t get the chance to show what I could really bake or show my skills….
Sumayah and Mike cried so I had to cheer them both up. But everyone was really lovely.
*Funniest moment in the tent throughout your time there?
Dylan falling off his stool trying to pick up his water bottle, that was very funny.
*What do you love most about all your fellow bakers
They are all the sweetest friendliest bunch of people I have had the pleasure to meet. I know we all feel the same about each other.
*What will you take away from your experience on Bake Off?
Companionship and how much I love baking and how good I have become and how much I have learnt.
*Would you encourage other home bakers to apply for the next series?
Don’t hold back, just apply. You are better than you think you are. Be brave and just go for it. The experience is beyond words.
Jeff talks about his experience after leaving the tent:
*What do you love most about all your fellow bakers
They were all lovely people and I enjoyed their company even in the short time that I got to know them.
*Best and worst moments in the tent?
The butter cream I made for the loaf cake didn’t work because it was unseasonably cold in the tent so that wasn’t a high moment, but I did get good praise from both Prue and Paul for my flavours so that was a good moment.
*What was it like baking in the tent?
It’s very different in the tent to when you are practicing at home, because you are not in your own kitchen. And when you are at home you just start again, but you can’t do that in the tent! That is the whole element of the competition I guess which makes it watchable TV!
You do make mistakes when you are in the tent under the pressure of time, and you forget to do even simple things, it wasn’t just me either!
*What do you think you learned from your time in the tent?
I think if I had stayed longer in the tent I could have learned more as a baker but I do think I learned a lot about the whole process.
*Are you still baking?
I am still baking and I am busy planning the wedding cake for my son’s wedding. He is getting married in October. It will be three cakes: a lemon, elderflower and almond cake, a red velvet chocolate cake and a carrot and parsnip cake. They will all be iced with swiss meringue butter cream. I will enjoy making them as I will make them in stages and freeze them, and it’s not overwhelming that way.
*Do you still enjoy baking?
I find baking very therapeutic. I put on my classical music, and I put all my recipes out and it’s nice because you are making for friends and family.
*Will you keep in contact with the other bakers?
I want to keep in touch with all the bakers, I don’t really dabble with social media though! They are all great people and I will be watching it each week as I have a different insight.
*Would you encourage amateur bakers out there to apply for the next series?
If you are ready for it and you enjoy the baking then apply for it.
AN EXTRA SLICE
Both Hazel and Jeff will join Jo Brand and Tom Allen on The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice on
Thursday 3 October on Channel 4 at 8.00 pm.