Great British Bake Off

I'm glad I'm not the only one who can't stand Sue Perkins. She is not funny, and I agree completely about that "123 BAKE" thing she does. I don't find her funny in anything she does; I remember her in a light hearted food documentary with Giles Coren and she was awful-crude and unfunny. I just don't understand what we're supposed to see in her.

GBSB has Claudia - that's bad enough!

indinana don't give them ideas. it would be awful if G.B.Sewing Bee had to be 'funny'

I don't know how Sue Perkins got that job in the first place. I will watch it to the end but those cruel silences until the results are announced I switch off. They copied that from Strictly. Normally its considerd polite to tell a loser kindly and quickly that they have lost.

Think it's going to be me

I've been so behind with this series and have only just caught up with it this evening, having watched the last four episodes over the last 4 or 5 days!

I'm not sure that I'll watch the next series. I still love the concept and all the different personalities amongst the contestants. BUT (and it is a big BUT), Sue Perkins is absolutely irritating the hell out of me. Every time she does that stupid '1,2,3, bake' in her ridiculous voice, I want to throw something at the TV.

What on earth is all that about? Why did someone ever think, "Oh I know, baking is hilarious isn't it, so why not have a stupid comedian presenting it and using all her funny (not) voices?" They don't have comedians presenting The Great British Sewing Bee or Masterchef.

Either she goes or I do

I do not like the programme anymore. It has become boring, even going off saintly Mary. Think I am probably on my own though.

I make cheese soufflés quite often.They always rise OK. I think they get a bad press. We tend to eat them with new pots and salad.

The recipes are all online and this is the link to Nadiya's chocolate tart with peanuts

www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/peanut_salted_caramel_64385

I agree this series has had plenty of humour and I missed Sandy when she went, but I think the conversation between Nadiya and Matt is probably my favourite funny moment ever on the show. Nadiya was priceless!

As for Amanda Platell ...

I have only just caught up on last week's episode, so ignored this thread!

I am not sure about Tamal - I don't think he pushes himself far enough. However, he is very easy on the eye so I'll look forward to watching him again.

I really like Nadiya, her facial expressions and her wit - loved the one about filing away the soufflé.

I did make a cheese soufflé once and it was very good - however DH isn't keen so I've never bothered since.

I see the Daily Mail (Amanda Platell) has made sure we know that Tamal is the gay baker (as if that made a difference) and that Flora had to go because she was white and middle class! And there was me thinking one of the joys of the competition is the people who bring bits of their own culture to the dishes.

I would like a recipe for chocolate and peanut tart. It sounds a lovely combination.

I don't agree that it's been lacking in humour, Nadiya's expressions are priceless and Sandy added a lot of zany moments.
The best bit that made me smile was definitely the clip where Matt revealed his icing was yellow because it had been in the oven. Nadiya's comic timing on that was perfect.

There was the incident with the fanned plums, naughty Mel, and Freezer Flora's frequent freezer forays had me giggling for weeks.

Whoever wins will be a worthy winner, all have been Star Bakers, Tamal deserved it more than once for sure, so maybe some justice if he gets it? However, Nadiya is just wonderful, Ian was streets ahead until the others caught up...
Required viewing, anyway.

High spot last year was when sil decided to have a go at a hand raised pork pie. Mmm!! Then he made another.
Definitely time he checked whether he still has the skill!

I watched the semifinals this pm - interesting, but I think the recipes etc are becoming too complicated, so it's hard to imagine making the same things yourself.
That's the main reason I watch the programme, to get cooking ideas.
I wondered too if Nadiya has some professional qualifications.
Soufflées - I once had a vegetarian cookbook which had recipes for veg. soufflées, I made them quite often in our vegetarian days.

Just watching the highlights of last year's Bake Off. This year's has been really boring by comparison. No real characters, no drama and lacking in humour. Even Mary Berry is beginning to look as though she's had enough.

Nadiya has a very good grasp of ingredients and flavours. I wonder if she has some cooking or food science qualifications. I agree about the chocolate and peanut tart sounds too good to be true! and too nice to be good for you.

I'm glad that Nadia and Tamal are in the final too. I really, really want to eat Nadia's chocolate and peanut tart. I am salivating just thinking about it.

After watching Extra Slice, I agree Pamaga.

Round 1
Flora's chocolate tart wasn't a great success, but neither was Ian's.

Round 2
Flora won the technical challenge by a wide margin (can't remember the words Paul used) - even though she'd never made a souffle before either.

Round 3
The judges weren't happy with the amount of different skills Ian demonstrated in his show stopper, whilst it was the fact that the roof of Flora's wasn't all meant to be eaten that they seemed unhappy about.

I'm not a fan of Flora or Ian, but I don't understand why the judges chose Ian.

Ian should have gone rather than Flora. Don't mind who wins between Nadya and Tamal really. Nadya probably deserves it most as she has been star baker three times most recently. Ian peaked early methinks!

Deeda that makes sense.

I don't enjoy cooking or baking, so a souffle has never been on my radar, but I can't count the number of times I have read in novels how hard it is to do a good souffle. So many times it went wrong - didn't rise, sunk or whatever, leaving the hostess wailing! Same with TV shows or films. It is just stuck in my head that a good souffle is hard to achieve.

But knowing they'd made it on to the show, perhaps they should have had a go. The other week Nadiya saw a picture of the technical challenge when she was looking through a Mary Berry cook book. I'll bet there was a souffle in there too, so maybe future contestants should check out Mary and Paul's cook books before the first show.

I gather they have a washer up but it all has to be done after the show as the noise would interfere with the filming.

After 45 years of marriage, including 10 years cooking for a living, I have never made or eaten a souffle. Never seen the point of them really

Pastry I learned from my mum. Cakes too.
But I now make variations on an eggless cake from a wartime recipe!

However, souffles I never tried either.....I don't think I dare. Too difficult.

Sounds exciting - I missed last week's episode, must try to find it on follow-up or whaever it's called.
Even I've made a soufflée - a smoked haddock one and it came out perfect. Too salty though.
I'd be no good at showstoppers, or pastry.