Sorry Mary Berry, you let the wrong woman win the Great British Bake Off - Sandra Parsons

Sorry Mary Berry, you let the wrong woman win Bake Off, says SANDRA PARSONS

• Final was as tense as it was confusing
• Appeared to be a two horse race between Ruby and Kimberley
• Frances was criticisied throughout for her 'style over substance'

By SANDRA PARSONS

PUBLISHED: 22:36, 23 October 2013 | UPDATED: 01:28, 24 October 2013

As a devoted Bake Off fan, my adoration of Mary Berry knows no bounds. But on Tuesday night my faith in her collapsed faster than an over-beaten sponge. Because the wrong woman won.

The final was as tense as it was confusing. The annoying but undeniably talented Ruby produced a wedding cake that could have been knocked up by a 12-year-old.

Meanwhile, the almost as annoying but consistently excellent Kimberley presented a pie that was nothing short of a shambles.

Worthy winner? Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood thought Frances Quinn deserved the 2013 Great British Bake Off title

As for Frances, to most of the nine million of us watching, she didn't appear to be in the running for the Bake Off crown. It was a two-woman race and there was only one question: had Kimberley ruined her chances with that terrible pie?

So, when the sainted Mary announced that she had 'a winner in mind', I felt nothing but quiet relief. Naturally, she would know who should win.

(As for fellow judge Paul Hollywood, I'm afraid I can no longer respect his judgment since he left his wife for a bit of fondant fancy). Mary, however, is another matter. 

Like her similarly kind, but no-nonsense namesake, Mary Poppins, she is practically perfect in every way. So, how could she have got it so wrong? 

Style over substance: But her wedding cake was undeniably the best when it came to appearance

The final three await the verdict: It appeared to be a two horse race between Ruby, centre, and Kimberley

Frances Quinn is charming and unassuming. Or at least that's how the BBC production team chose to present her - just as they must have decided Ruby would be the Tearful One and Kimberley the Confident One. 

And Frances is certainly creative. A clothes designer, her artistic skills were evident from the start. 

Indeed, by episode five, her canapes (cunningly made to look like carrots and mini cauliflowers) were so astonishing that Paul decreed they were of professional quality.

But Britain's best non-professional baker she ain't. 

Surprise: Frances' victory shocked many viewers

What's more, I'd lay odds that there are dozens of women in every town in Britain who can bake more flavoursome cakes and pies. Throughout the contest, the criticism from both judges - Mary in particular - was that Frances produced 'style over substance', with bakes that looked fantastic, but tasted less so. 

Yes, her wedding cake decoration was vastly superior to Ruby's and Kimberley's disappointingly home-spun efforts. 

But it didn't taste better - and as both of them had beaten Frances in the previous two rounds, not to mention all but one of the previous heats, making her the winner was a travesty. 

If the Great British Bake Off can be won simply by a prettily decorated wedding cake, then all is lost for a programme that's become the nation's favourite precisely because - unlike most other reality shows - it has valued substance above all else. 

In fact, Mary Berry must have been as quietly appalled by Ruby's frequent tears as she was by Kimberley's show-off behaviour. 

Despite her withered left hand (from childhood polio) and the tragedy of her eldest son's death in a car crash aged just 19, she has never been self-indulgent or self-pitying.

She's also modest, despite knowing more about cooking than an entire chef-filled Bake Off tent. 

So, perhaps the real reason why Frances won is simply that she was less irritating than the other two contestants.

As for who should have won instead - oh dear, I was afraid you'd ask me that...

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Frances Quinn wins The Great British Bake Off with rainbow picnic pie and eight-flavour wedding cake

'It was complete and utter shock': Frances 

Quinn wins The Great British Bake Off with rainbow picnic pie and eight-flavour wedding cake

By MAIL ONLINE REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 20:55, 22 October 2013 | UPDATED: 21:44, 22 October 2013

The Great British Bake Off winner Frances Quinn says she was in 'complete and utter shock' after being crowned victor of the TV show.

Children's clothes designer Quinn, 31, beat former model Ruby Tandoh, 21, and psychologist Kimberley Wilson, 30, in the hotly anticipated BBC Two final.

The amateur baker wowed judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry with a rainbow-style savoury picnic pie and showstopper three-tier wedding cake, inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, on tonight's show.

Talented: Frances Quinn has been declared the winner of The Great British Bake Off

Towering: Francis impresses with her three-tied cake featuring ginger and rhubarb tier

Champion: Frances beat off competition from Ruby and Kimberley much to her surprise

But she said it had been hard to keep her win under wraps for so long following the pre-recorded last episode.

'I've been back at work and trying to keep a poker face,' Quinn said.

'I remember watching the Wimbledon final the following week and getting so emotional... and thinking at least Andy Murray doesn't have to hide his trophy under his bed for the next three months.

Competitors: Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry pose with Frances Quinn, Ruby Tandoh and Kimberley Wilson

The final three: Kimberley, Ruby and Francis enjoy an embrace for they begin their final challenges

'I'm looking forward to being able to celebrate with my incredibly close family and friends.'

Quinn dismissed reports about chemistry between Hollywood and Tandoh, who was crowned star baker three times, saying: 'We were not thinking about any of that in there... There was no flirtation.'

But she admitted there was some flirtation elsewhere in the Bake Off tent.

'We (the contestants) were each flirting with each other if we needed to, for more parchment paper or another spoon if they were still being washed up out the back,' she admitted.

Group shot: Frances posed up with Paul and Mary and her all important reward

Quinn, who decorated her wedding cake with edible confetti made from beetroot, mango, rhubarb and sweet potato, said she had a rest from baking after winning the show.

'I thought my blood sugar levels would go through the roof. I had a bit of a sabbatical,' she said.
Quinn has been approached by agents and wants to produce a coffee table book.

'I don't know what the future is going to hold but it does excite me,' she said. 'What I'd love to do is combine both passions, baking and design.

The time has come: Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry had a hard task ahead of them as the show kicked off 

Nervous: Francis struggled with nerves as the first task started

Result: Francis presented a rainbow picnic pie in the first challenge

'The baking market is completely saturated so I don't want to do a book that's anything like one that's already out there. I'd like to create a book that's got all my rough sketches and ideas.'

Quinn, who lives in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, said she was not considering leaving her design job any time yet - but any extra cash on the back of her success will go down well.

'I'd start to get a bit more furniture in my house. The kitchen looks very well stocked but the rest of the house, not so much,' she said. 'But forget millionaires, it's going to be about creating more millionaire shortbreads.

Let's go: Kimberley made a chicken and pig pie for the first challenge

Reflective: As per usual Ruby wasn't particularly confident about her skills

Support: Ruby found she had Sue on hand for support during the first challenge

Rare smile: Ruby relaxed a little bit when she realised she had managed to create layers

'Work has been so, so supportive. I'm not going to say yea or nay to anything at the moment. I've got a mortgage to pay.'

Quinn said she could not believe her ears when the judges announced she had won the fourth series of the show, which has seen viewing figures rocket and is set to move to BBC1 next year.

'I don't think I could speak for a little while. It was complete and utter shock. It was so close, such a close final,' she said. 'I think it was the wedding cake at the end that really did swing it.'

Quinn, who had been criticised by the judges for style over substance, said she was persuaded to apply for Bake Off by family and friends.

Second challenge: The contestants had to make pretzels for the technical challenge

Winner: Kimberley impressed with her pretzel and won the second challenge

Struggle: Ruby complained that she couldn't remember what a pretzel looked like

She added: 'I had thought of applying. But it was just, I didn't know whether I was good enough or whether I wanted that exposure. I didn't know whether I should go about it in my own way.'

She insisted there was no antagonism between the all-women finalists.

'We all get on. People want to feel there was more competition than was the case. The emotions you go through in that tent, you never want to see anyone get that criticism. Outside the tent we're just supportive of each other.

Not enough: Ruby's wedding cake was lacking in the flavour it needed

Presentation: Kimberley was let down with the decoration on her wedding cake

Upset: Ruby once again breaks down in tears after her cake isn't quite the success she hoped

Off: Paul told Ruby that the colours of her cake didn't quite work

'It's a reality show but we know the actual reality that went on.'

She said of the judges: 'We didn't really have that much time to spend with them. We got to know (presenters) Mel and Sue a lot more. A lot of people said that the judges were quite severe with their criticism but I took it as constructive.'

Quinn's savoury pie contained two types of trout and five different vegetables, while her wedding cake consisted of ginger and rhubarb, lemon sponge and raspberries and a third tier of carrot, orange, pistachio and apricot.

Deliberating: The judges sit down with Mel and Sue to discuss how they have fared over the competition

Prestigious: Frances was able to walk away with the coveted Bake Off stand

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The Great British Bake Off: why did our show attract so much vitriol?

A finalist in the TV baking show takes aim at the response of angry commentators on social media and in the press

• 
• • Ruby Tandoh
  • The Guardian, Tuesday 22 October 2013 21.08 BST

All smiles at the start of the series: contestants including Ruby Tandoh, second from left, with presenters Mel Giedroyc, Sue Perkins, Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry. Photograph: Des Willie/BBC/Love Productions

Ten weeks of frenzied baking culminated in a great pastel-coloured explosion of flour, bunting and puns. Within the confines of our little picket-fenced tent, we threw ourselves into the challenges of picnic pies and pretzels, shaking, terrified, dosed up on adrenaline and Rescue Remedy.

Of course it is the hyperbolic silliness – the make-or-break trifle sponge, custard thefts, and prolonged ruminations over "The Crumb" – that makes Bake Off so lovable. It is your nan's biscuit tin, a village fete and picnic in the park. It converts banality – the efforts of a gaggle of amateur bakers in a tent in Somerset – into a national spectacle.

That's why I am surprised at just how much nastiness was generated from the show. Despite the saccharin sweetness of the Bake Off, an extraordinary amount of bitterness and bile has spewed forth every week from angry commentators, both on social media and in the press. Many took to Twitter decrying the demise of the show, voicing their hatred for certain bakers, and asserting (week after week!) that they would "never watch it again" if X or Y got through that episode. Online hordes massed, brandishing rolling pins and placards, ready to tear down the bunting and upturn the ovens. How did a programme about cake become so divisive?

The criticism ranged from the gently cynical to the downright obnoxious, but as the series went on I noticed an increasing degree of personal vitriol and misogyny. We (female) finalists are supposedly too meek, too confident, too thin, too domestic, too smiley, too taciturn … If I see one more person used the hackneyed "dough-eyed" pun I will personally go to their house and force-feed them an entire Charlotte Royale.

I am tired of defending myself against the boring, inevitable accusations of flirting with Paul Hollywood, of emotionally manipulating the judges and of somehow surfing into the final on a tidal wave of tears. I'd rather eat my own foot than attempt to seduce my way to victory, and even if I had any intention playing that card, it's insulting to both the judges to suggest that they'd ever let their professional integrity be undermined in that way.

Of course this is TV – it is meticulously manufactured – but the judging was always fair. Much of the groundless criticism and claims of cupcake conspiracy are the inevitable consequences of Bake Off's success with viewers.

But I think there's more to it than just this – so much of the criticism levelled at the bakers is gender-specific. My self-doubt has been simultaneously labelled pathetic, fake, attention-seeking and manipulative.

Raymond Blanc waded in on the commentary to so helpfully deride the "female tears" on the show. (What are "female tears", anyway? Are they more fragile and delicate than male tears? Do they wear pink?) Kimberley's self-assurance – a character trait so lauded in men– has been rebranded as smugness, cockiness and even malice.

There have been the sadly predictable comments on the bakers' weights (as though it's unfathomable that anybody could enjoy food and yet be slim), and charming debates on which of the finalists is the most "shaggable".

And then there's the broader background of misogyny and gender politics against which this has all played out. It's a culture of frilly baking versus macho Michelin stars, of real chefs versus domestic goddesses. Food has become divided and gendered, torn between the serious sport of haute cuisine and the supposedly antithetical world of women pottering around in home kitchens.

Even within baking there's the view that a spelt sourdough is somehow more sincere than a miniature macaron. It's all nonsense, of course, but as long as this needlessly gendered rift is maintained, both men and women will suffer for it. Of course Bake Off is silly, and of course there's nothing life-or-death about making trifle in a tent. But it is no more frivolous than any other reality TV cooking show, and its contestants are no less serious about what they do.

Well, I'm done with apologising. I have apologised for my bakes, and I have apologised for apologising. I have shied away from the more decorative side of baking for fear of being dismissed as silly.

I've served every bake with a side of self-deprecation as anything more than total meekness may be mistaken for the sort of confidence that other bakers have been lambasted for. I have defended myself against accusations of being a "filthy slag" based solely on me being a woman on a TV screen.

If a show as gentle as Bake Off can stir up such a sludge of lazy misogyny in the murky waters of the internet, I hate to imagine the full scale of the problem. But it's not something I'm willing to tolerate. Sod the haters. I'm going to have my cupcake and eat it, too.

The Great British Bake Off :Three Bake Off contenders set to battle it out for the title in tonight's final

Whisks at the ready! Three Bake Off contenders set to battle it out for the title in tonight's final

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

PUBLISHED: 01:00, 22 October 2013 | UPDATED: 08:28, 22 October 2013

It has been a turbulent few months of soggy bottoms, Twitter tantrums and tears - lots of tears.

But now the end is in sight - and the much anticipated final of The Great British Bake Off will air this evening.

In preparation, we take a look at the last ladies standing.

Finalists: From left to right - Top bakers Ruby Tandoh, Kimberley Wilson and Frances Quinn

At the beginning: The 13 participants in the fourth series of the show with presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins plus judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry

The tearful novice

Ruby Tandoh, 21

Dry your eyes: Ruby Tandoh

Who is she? The eldest of four children from Southend, Essex, with a brain to match the good looks which saw her become a model in her teens.

She spent a year at King’s College, London, before transferring to University College London to study philosophy and history of art.

She is still close to her parents (from time to time helping out on her father’s allotment) and maintains she has been baking for only two years, having never made bread or pastry until last summer.

She lives in a student house in south London and says she brought her baking up to scratch by revising all day, then slaving away in the kitchen until 2am. She would then set an alarm for 5am so she could get her bread out of the oven.

Strong suit: Her looks. The most visible of this year’s GBBO contestants, not least because of the camera’s tendency to linger on her delicate features. So obsessed are her male fans, one has created a shrine on the internet entitled: ‘The many faces of Ruby Tandoh.’

Weak spot: Apart from her  tendency to burst into tears, her appetite. During GBBO, she would put on 3lb a week tasting her practice bakes, then lose it all in the stress of filming at the weekend. Not, as she rightly points out, a healthy way to live. 

Bake for victory? As well as bursting into tears, Ruby is known for her looks and her Twitter tirades

Favourite: The History of Art student from South End is odds-on favourite to win the series - much to the annoyance of many GBBO fans

Quote of the series: To a detractor who accused her on Twitter  of being unable to handle criticism: ‘It’s not real criticism though, is  it? It’s the unfounded, unfiltered, lazy ranting of a bitter old witch. Do pipe down.’

Odds: 6-4

The confident cookie

Kimberley Wilson, 30 

Confidence is key: Kimberley Wilson

Who is she? A self-made woman who can seemingly turn her hand to anything.

She was raised on benefits in Haringey, by a mother with multiple sclerosis. Her mother’s disability prompted nine-year-old Kimberley, who has an older brother and a younger sister, to teach herself how to cook. Never one to underestimate her talents, she has penned a ‘philosophy of baking’ and confesses that she wrote  in a childhood diary that she  saw herself as a young Adrian  Mole, adding: ‘I think I may  be an intellectual.’ Only she misspelt intellectual.

As her mother’s condition deteriorated, she found solace in baking and excelled at school, becoming the first member of her family to go to university.

A BA in Manchester was followed by postgraduate work at Roehampton University and the Tavistock Institute. She is now a chartered psychologist, as well as managing the psychology service for Holloway Prison. Her dream is to own a not-for-profit cake shop which organises parties for children who can’t afford them.

Strong suit: Determination. The same guts that saw her through  depression in her teens, during which she was referred to a counsellor and resolved ‘One day I’m going to do this better than you’, have driven her through the series. 

Tiny treats: Kimberley waits anxiously for Paul and Mary Berry to pass judgement on her bakes

Tough challenge: The baker from Haringey during last week's technical challenge

Fabulous four: Kimberley, second left, is known for her determination and confidence - which can be a little overbearing from time to time

Weak spot: Over-confidence.  She wants to win so badly you can taste it.

Quote of the series: ‘No dish is an island. Home cooking isn’t about stand-alone meals with “one night only” ingredients then left to desiccate (sic) at the back of the cupboard, or spawn new life in the salad drawer.’

Odds: 11-8

The slow burner

Frances Quinn, 31 

Design savvy: Frances Quinn

Who is she? Raised by bookshop owners in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, snaggle-toothed Frances has been a slow-burner  on GBBO.

According to her parents, her  talent is inherited. ‘Her grandmother, who died before Frances was born, was the most wonderful baker and I’m convinced that’s where she gets it from,’ her mother Deirdre told the Mail yesterday. ‘Frances has been baking since  she was five years old and she’s incredibly creative.’

Frances puts that creativity to good use in her day job, as a designer for fashion brand Joules.

With a BA in textile design from Nottingham Trent University, she has also designed clothes for the likes of Marks & Spencer, Primark and George at Asda.

Work has taken her to Vancouver and London but she is now settled back in Market Harborough, where she lives alone near her parents.

Among her recent designs for Joules is a two-piece romper suit, in regal red, blue and gold, following the birth of Prince George.

Strong suit: Her incredible sense of style, which means that, however underdone her creations are, they always look impeccable.

Triumph: Frances' posh canapes featured in last week's semi final, went down so well that she even earned a handshake from Paul Hollywood himself

Ever the style queen: Frances' selection of canapes looked like a veritable garden of treats

Weak spot: Cannot cook without her own equipment. During filming, she would lug two Ikea bags stuffed with ladles and cookie cutters on the three trains from Market Harborough to Bristol.

Quote of the series: ‘My key ingredients are … a dollop of randomness, a teaspoon of wonder, a pinch of eccentricity, a drop of serendipity, a handful of curiosity, a fluid ounce of fun. All mixed together with quintessential quirkiness to produce a deliciously different bake.’

Odds: 5-2 outsider, before a flurry of betting prompted bookies to suspend bets.

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It's bye bye Beca as Kimberley is finally crowned Star Baker: Jim Shelley on the Great British Bake Off semi-final

By JIM SHELLEY

PUBLISHED: 21:15, 15 October 2013 | UPDATED: 22:20, 15 October 2013

For weeks now, even those of us who buy their bread from Greggs, have known that the three finalists in the final of this year’s Great British Bake Off would be Kimberley, Frances, and Ruby.

Raised by her grandmothers to cook a whopping Sunday lunch every dinnertime, Beca’s recipes were far too homely, substantial, and, well, Welsh, to have a chance of winning. 

Sure enough, she duly departed with the injudicious choice of banoffee pie sealing her fate, not surprisingly perhaps as it was French Week. Calling it ‘Le banoffee pie’ wasn’t going to fool anyone.

Bye bye Beca: The Welsh star failed to make it through to the final of The Great British Bake Off as she was voted off the show on Tuesday night

Emotional: Beca struggled to control her tears after the decision was made

So in the absence of any real competition, in recent weeks most of Bake Off’s seven million viewers have had to entertain themselves as best they could.

They have done this mostly by watching for signs of suggestive body language, sexually-charged innuendo and blatant bias between judge Paul Hollywood and winsome contestant/ex-model Ruby Tandoh.

Studying the flirtatious female whiles, coquettish preening and doe-eyed flattery on display has made GBBO like a human version of Springwatch, and Ruby hasn’t been much better. 

The course of True Love does not, however, run smoothly as we know, and this week relations seem to have turned... sour.

Winning: Kimberley finally earned Star Baker after a successful week

In particular, Paul and Ruby fell out over saffron. Well which couple hasn’t ?

‘Why have you used saffron in this ?’ Hollywood asked pointedly about Ruby’s almond praline Opera Cake.

‘I just like saffron,’ Ruby muttered, coyly, practically sucking her thumb.

Paul wouldn’t let it go though, provocatively baiting her like Othello with Desdemona, suggesting that the saffron was going to be fighting with the almond praline and the chocolate.

Starting off well: Frances' posh canapes went down so well that she even earned a handshake from Paul Hollywood himself

Ever the style queen: Frances' selection of canapes looked like a veritable garden of treats

What do you think? Kimberley waits anxiously for Paul and Mary Berry to pass judgement on her offerings

Delectable: Pea purée tarts were among the items that Kimberley presented to the judges

‘Well you’ll get a bit of it,’ she sulked.

When it came to the baking, she tipped some extra saffron into the syrup saying like wounded, spurned lover: ‘just to spite Paul. He thinks it’s not going to work.’

It was bordering on a saffron tantrum. But it worked. You could taste the saffron Hollywood said, although whether this was a good thing is anyone’s guess. 

When he didn’t like what she called ‘the beetroot stuff’ (jelly) in her choux buns filled with goat’s cheese and caramelised red onion and walnut, she looked so sulky and so in need of sympathy, she almost gave a little sniffle and was reduced to tears during the Technical Challenge.

Welsh talent: Beca waits to see what Paul and Mary will make of her delights

Unusual combination: Beca opted to combine beetroot and salmon for her Choux puffs

What happened? Paul talks through with Ruby just where she went wrong

Not full enough: Paul wasn't impressed with how much space there was in Ruby's tartlets

No amount of favouritism could protect her entry, which was her worst of the series.

Charlotte Royale comprises slices of Swiss roll forming a dome round a Bavarois fruit custard filled with pink mousse and covered in weird transparent gloop. It looked like a giant brain from Doctor Who.

‘It’s got to be sheer perfection,’ said Mary, which was easier said than done.

Tough challenge: For the technical challenge the bakers were asked to make a Charlotte Royale

Perfectionist: Kimberley ensured that there were no holes that her custard mixture would seep through

‘The bakers can go wrong on any level with an opera cake,’ said Paul, enthusiastically.

Sure enough, Ruby forgot to line the bowl with cling film (schoolgirl error) and produced a bloody-looking, jammy mess that had ‘issues’ Hollywood said, as if it needed therapy.

‘The jam is one of the biggest issues, the height is the other one. I don’t quite know where all the mousse has gone.’ 

When it came to the judging, he said: ‘Last place is obviously this one,’ adding with a decided, gratuitous frisson, as if he knew it was hers, ‘Oh dear!’

Struggling: Ruby found herself in trouble after forgetting to line her bowl for the technical challenge

Calm down, dear: One of the presenters dabbed Ruby's nose with a tissue as the pressure got too much

Falling flat: Ruby failed to get the height needed for the technical challenge

The camera cut to Ruby, pouting defiantly like a girl from a Flake ad from the 1970s.

‘Why can I not work at the same pace as normal people?’ she asked the camera. ‘I feel like I’m going full speed and somehow I’m just behind everyone.’

Poor Ruby, so disadvantaged. She’s only got one denim jacket for a start.

She was lucky that Beca was her competition. If Beca had gone last week, as she should have, Frances might well have knocked Ruby out. 

But Beca was not up to it, totally lacking in the subtlety or complexity required. 

This week’s challenges began with Savoury canapes.

Judgement time: Paul and Mary decide which of he Charlotte Royales is the best

Varying degrees of happiness: Kimberley won the technical challenge, Frances came second and Ruby came last

‘There’s so much that can go wrong with canapes,’ said Mary. Mary, there’s so much that can go with everything. With life. 

‘It’s about precision. They’ve got to all have the same size,’ said Paul, the choux Nazi.

For her Stilton and walnut macaroons, Beca just made a macaroon and then dumped a slab of Stilton in the middle.

She didn’t even ‘melt it with a blow torch’, with sounded like fun if nothing else.

Her Welsh rarebit tartlets were drowned by the taste of ale – which Paul seemed to think was a bad thing.

Final chance to impress: The four contestants were given the chance to create an Opera cake for the Showstopper

Disappointing: Ruby narrowly avoided being voted off the show after her poor opera cake

Mary Berry joined in saying her beetroot choux buns ‘weren’t that memorable’ – which seemed to be asking a lot of a beetroot choux bun.

It was Beca’s Opera Cake that clinched it though.

As soon as she said it was going to be based on flavours of banoffee pie, Mary did not look happy. 
Beca was making banana and caramel buttercream, sandwiched by banana-flavoured sponge cakes and topped with ‘more bananas’. To make sure it had some texture, she added dried banana chips. 

So the ingredients were basically bananas, a description that summed up the recipe.

It was at best a mediocre idea, but not if you didn’t like bananas.

Original twist: Ever unique, Frances decided to create a 'soap opera' cake

Finishing touches: Frances finished the top of her cake with a white chocolate ganache

‘Good luck Beca !’ cheered Paul, meaning ‘good bye.’

‘She’s using banana essence,’ said Mary, meaning ‘how common’. ‘Are those layers going to have style and class?’ – a rhetorical question if ever there was one. 

When they tasted it, amazingly Hollywood said: ‘it’s not banana. It’s artificial banana and it’s a gravelly banana.’

This did not sound good.

‘I wondered how you’d get that banana coming through,’ agreed Mary. ‘You wouldn’t really know there’s banana in there.’

This was quite an achievement, considering the ingredients. 

Winning design: Kimberley pulled out all the stops to impress with her offering

Decorative delight: But while Kimberley's cake looked impressive, the judges said it tasted bitter

As for this week’s Star Baker, Kimberley’s croutons sounded incredible: Pea and Parma ham puree short crust tarts, elongated choux buns filled with a crab and wasabi mayonnaise and Chinese chicken steamed buns. There were some pickled lotus fruit as decorations in there somewhere too. 

They looked immaculate and apparently they tasted good too, which is always a bonus. 

Frances matched her though with choux pastry tomatoes filled with smoked trout pate, and tiny cauliflowers made from scones topped with cheese and cauliflower puree which must have been either delicious or like baby food. 

Her spicy carrot canopes were even carrot shaped and filled with humus - ‘because you normally have carrot sticks and humus.’

Bananas all the way: Beca went slightly overboard with her banoffee flavoured opera cake

Too much: Paul and Mary insisted the finished product was too sweet

Hollywood couldn’t help smirking because there is nothing he enjoys more than telling Frances she has favoured ‘style over substance’.

When he tasted them though, he offered her his hand - not in marriage although Frances was so happy, she probably would have accepted. 

The looks of disgust from Beca and poor Kimberley who probably wondered what she had to do to win Star Baker were something to behold. 

Frances messed up on the Showstopper Challenge however, using white chocolate for her Opera Cake and (horror of horrors) lavender.

I did it! Ruby was reduced to tears when she found out she had been saved for another week

Making her exit: Beca gets a hug from Paul after she's voted off

Paul worried the lavender was going to ‘overwhelm everything’, which must be a first.

In fact, it didn’t taste of very much at all but then Kimberley’s Lime and Passion Fruit tasted of dark chocolate. Kimberley’s ganache had less shine than Frances’s – as it were.   

Kimberley must have won Star Baker for her Charlotte Royale brain, which did look incredible although not that appetising. It was about time. 

And so we await next week’s final. 

Ruby will have to hope she and Paul are getting on better and that this week’s squabbling was all part of the dance, because frankly, she isn’t in same league as Kimberley and Frances.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2461731/Its-bye-bye-Beca-Kimberley-finally-crowned-Star-Baker-Great-British-Bake-Off-semi-final.html#ixzz2hpaCUd27
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