© Photo: BBCFinally! The new season of The Great British Bake Off is here and it will hit our screens on BBC One on 24 August at 8pm!
12 amateur bakers who will try their very best to impress judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.
Click through our gallery to meet the 2016 bakers:
Andrew
Age: 25
Andrew is originally from Northern Ireland but currently lives with three friends in Derby where he works as an aerospace engineer for Rolls-Royce, designing jet engines. He was taught to bake by his mum and gran and has their safeguarded recipes in his arsenal. He’s a straight A student and went to Cambridge University. Andrew strives to make all his bakes look beautiful, he loves to push the boundaries of design and baking, and for his next big ambitious bake he’s designing a baguette concorde.
Benjamina
Aged 23
Teaching Assistant, Benjamina has recently graduated with a 1st in Economics & lives in south London. Benjamina started baking at the age of 14 just for fun, now it’s a passion, she likes to combine classic, simple flavours with a fresh, modern style. She takes pride in her presentation and follows online cake fashions for inspiration. Benjamina lives at home, she has a brother and a twin sister, who is her biggest critic but her family’s feedback on her bakes helps her to grow and improve. She was a straight A student throughout her time at school and aims just as highly in her baking so isn’t happy when things don’t turn out picture-perfect.
Candice
Aged 31
Born in North London Candice grew up in the pubs her parents ran. She would always chip in when needed, be it pulling pints or mopping floors. She now lives with boyfriend Liam and pug Dennis in Bedfordshire. Since achieving a degree in Sport, PE and Community Studies Candice has now settled into pastoral care and teaching PE at a secondary school. She was taught to bake by her beloved Nan, and strives to emulate her bakes aiming to be “even half the lady she was.” She loves everything vintage and though she usually bakes in her PJs, she has been known to break in a new pair of heels whilst baking too.
© Photo: BBCJane
Aged 61
Jane lives in Beckenham with husband Ray where she designs gardens for a living. She has two children, Amy and Henry who are both at university. When Jane is not in her wellies knee deep in mud she’s donning her leopard print apron in the kitchen. Jane will be up at 5am most mornings getting her bread in the oven, but her favourite time to bake is at the weekend. Jane’s passion for baking comes from her grandfather who owned a bakery in Hastings, in turn her father also caught the baking bug, and as a 6 year old she was in awe watching her dad pipe and ice the cakes. She loves traditional flavours and baking classic cakes, biscuits and pastry but isn’t afraid to try new challenges. She’s calm under pressure so long as it’s not her nemeses, macarons or ciabatta.
© Photo: BBCKate
Aged 37
Mother of two Kate is a farmer’s daughter from Norfolk. She is a qualified nurse and works on an acute respiratory ward, an emotionally and physically challenging job that she finds incredibly rewarding. She thrives on nurturing others, be it her daughters and her husband Dave, her patients or her group of Brownies. She’s had a passion for baking since she was a child and loves using seasonal fruits and produce which she gathers with her children from her parents’ farm. As well as her everyday family baking Kate will work through the night to produce flawless sugar craft creations and although she always strives for perfection if something does go wrong she will always try to maintain her bright and cheery disposition.
© Photo: BBCLee
Aged 67
Lee started his working life as a builder but had a complete change of direction in the mid 1980s and went to study theology. He has worked in various pastoral ministries for the past 30 years, and most recently as the Pastor of a local church in Bolton where he lives. Lee started baking in 1984 when he injured his back playing cricket with his young son. He had to take time off work and found that baking was a welcome way to fill his days, and he hasn’t stopped since. Lee is a father of two and has four young grandchildren. He was very proud when his grandson took a photo of a cake he’d made to send to his girlfriend. Lee likes traditional flavours; cherry, hazelnut, vanilla and chocolate. He doesn’t tend to veer too far from the norm but does enjoy a taste of the exotic every now and again.
© Photo: BBCLouise
Aged 46
Originally from Merthyr Tydfil, hairdresser Louise now lives in Cardiff with her fiancé Simon. Louise loves baking and decorating her cakes with elaborate designs, as well as experimenting with different flours and flavours when baking bread. Louise’s passion for baking has grown in the last 10 years after she started making cakes for the charity bake sales at work. When she’s not baking for family and friends she loves being outdoors and has completed various mountain walks, most notably a four day trek around the Andes.
© Photo: BBCMichael
Aged 20
Michael is from London but is currently living with four friends in Durham where he’s studying Politics and Economics. His family are originally from Cyprus and his heritage has a strong influence on his baking, he’s been making Greek Pastries with his nan since he was a small boy. When he’s not playing for his college football team he’s whipping up cakes but admits it’s not easy in a house of students. The kitchen is often busy so he conjures up his creations during the early hours or late at night. He loves to make big grand cakes and enjoys adding different flavours that aren’t traditionally used together.
© Photo: BBCRav
Aged 28
Rav lives in Erith, Kent with his parents and is from a huge and extremely close family. He has an especially strong bond with his sister who inspired him to bake. Rav studied Criminology at university but took a different career path and now loves his job supporting students at City University London. He has always been passionate about helping people and has volunteered for charities such as Victim Support. Rav is adventurous and experimental with his baking and likes to use a whole range of unusual ingredients. He thinks he has a good sense of flavour combinations, even if they might seem strange to others. He is especially inspired by far eastern cuisine and likes vegan baking.
© Photo: BBCSelasi
Aged 30
Originally from Ghana Selasi moved to the UK with his family 15 years ago and now lives with his girlfriend in London where he works as a Client Service Associate in a Financial Institution. Selasi has come a long way from baking fairy cakes back at University where he studied Economics and Finance. He works long hours, but always finds time to bake and colleagues are often shocked by the delicate cupcakes he makes for their charity bake sales. Outside of baking Selasi enjoys playing basketball, travelling and motorbikes, taking to the open road with his mates in his own ‘Sunday Motorbike Club’. Besides his obvious passion for baking, Selasi enjoys fundraising for several charities. He has recently raised money by running a 10k, half marathon and trekking through Malawi and continues to support two new charities each year through various activities and challenges.
© Photo: BBCTom
Aged 26
Tom grew up in Rochdale but following University moved to London to pursue a career in education. He now works as a Project Engagement Manager for The Royal Society of Arts and specializes in creative learning and development. He lives in East London with his wife, Kate and the pair like to make a real event out of every dinner time. He always finds time to bake, and if he feels that he doesn’t then he will sit down and revaluate, as it means his work-life balance is off. Having lost 30 kilos, his mentality to food is now “have your cake and eat it” – so he still enjoys his bakes but believes in everything in moderation. He is hands on in the kitchen and enjoys making his own cheese and salami. Tom isn’t shy when it comes to flavours and likes to surprise those he’s feeding with unexpected ingredients.
© Photo: BBCVal
Aged 66
Former primary school Head Teacher Val is originally from Conisbrough near Doncaster but now lives with husband Ian near Yeovil. Aged 15 she took over the family baking and has stayed at the helm of the kitchen now for over 50 years. She says her style is traditional and she can make the classics with her eyes closed, but she also enjoys searching the internet, finding new recipes. Now semi-retired, she still works two days a week as a substitute teacher. She loves incorporating baking into her teaching so that the children can grow up with as much passion for it as she did. In her spare time Val loves to exercise and can often be found doing aerobics in her kitchen whilst she waits for her jam to boil or her bread to prove.
