And thank you.
Well, that was a Bake Off series.
Thank you so much for coming to this Guardian liveblog each and every week. I’ve loved reading all of your views, chatting with you all as well as basking in the collective heat of Bake Off frustrations and in-jokes (I forgot how the mango joke started, but we are where we are.)
A quick personal thank you before I go to Kate and Alexi from The Guardian for ensuring that this liveblog worked each and every week, as well as all of their help and guidance along the way.
Let’s all hope that Bake Off learns from its mistakes and knocks it out of the park in 2023. When Bake Off is at its best it is like nothing else on British television. Its optimism and upbeat nature is truly a tonic, and heck we all need a lot of it at the moment.
I’m on Twitter at @scottygb. See you around the internet. x
Updated
“This is the biggest achievement of my entire life.” – Syabira.
Syabira has been an absolute triumph from start to finish. Her baking was consistent. She was the only contestant to win Star Baker three times. In fact, as she has won the whole show (and thus the final episode) I guess that makes her a four-time Star Baker!
Her use of flavours has been exceptional, defying the judge’s initial expectations. And then there are her showstoppers! I’m still thinking about her double helix from last week. Not just because of the design, but because she dropped little facts about it while assembling the layers, because the concepts were so well thought through: “If you untangle your genetic structure, which is your helix, you will have 67 billion miles of DNA,” she said. “How mad is that?”
Yet what makes Syabira such a deserving Bake Off winner is her spirit. She has experienced setbacks in this competition, but she always kept going, returning to the tent the following day with the same upbeat, determined demeanour. Her resilience is something she should be truly proud of. Her knack of taking criticism, learning from it but not ever taking it too personally is truly admirable, especially given what the bakers have had to put up with this series. My word, she deserved this win.
Thank goodness Bake Off got the big call right.
And the winner of Bake Off 2022 is … Syabira!
WHAT A DESERVING WINNER!
Here we go.
And finally … it’s Abdul.
A mixed bag for Abdul. His choux buns are deemed to be “proper failures” by Prue, but his biscuits are a “triumph.”
I think we all know who is going to win Bake Off after that challenge.
Abdul’s ‘It’s All About The Bees’ Edible Sculpture Showstopper for the Bake Off Final. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/0mMjYHDCrT
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 15, 2022
Next up … it’s Syabira.
The face on the orangutan. I cannot get enough of it.
I can’t believe it has been criticised.
Prue thinks it has too much buttercream, but Paul disagrees. She receives loads of compliments: “your flavours are superb,” says Paul. He only wishes it could be neater.
Syabira’s ‘This Is My Home’ Edible Sculpture Showstopper for the Bake Off Final. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/SsFvFpaov4
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 15, 2022
Now it is time for the showstopper judging …
First up … it’s Sandro.
Oh and we’re hearing criticisms among the compliments from the judges.
Words such as “messy,” “chewy” and “burnt.” Oh dear.
Sandro’s ‘The World From Different Angles’ Edible Sculpture Showstopper for the Bake Off Final. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/hMNeUoMs6G
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 15, 2022
It’s time for the picnic! And look, the other bakers are back too.
Holy glockymolo! It’s Carole.
And Dawn! And raccoon tattoo aficionado James.
AND JANUSZ WEARING GLASSES WITH “CAKE TIME” ON THEM.
Janusz reckons Syabira is going to win. He’s been backing her for weeks.
That has to be the most frantic showstopper I have ever seen.
And yes, I’ve seen all the celebrity episodes. That was James Acaster level.
Literally us all. #BakeOff pic.twitter.com/q7Zl4KQ6oK
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) March 12, 2019
The sound effect as Sandro rummages around in the drawers is truly a vibe.
There is burning in the tent … Abdul?
If they toss a coin to determine the winner I swear to god.
Sandro: “I’ll wait until after the judging to see whether to call Paul a plum today.”
Don’t worry Sandro. No need to say it.
Sandro is not using a timer and Syabira is baking something she has never completed before.
Gosh, this series is really going to the wire isn’t it?
Shall we just forget that the technical ever happened?
Now it is time for the showstopper challenge … a large edible sculpture of the planet.
I’M CACKLING. WHAT?
Did they come up with this in a panic?!
Also, didn’t Sandro bake this three weeks ago?! He must be fuming.
How are we all?
Are we ok?
We are not OK.
Here are the rankings: 4. Bake Off itself. 3. Sandro. 2. Syabira. 1. Abdul.
Paul said Abdul shouldn’t be clapped for his result, even though this is his first time winning a technical!
What an absolute mess! My god! The worst technical of all time. Worse than the time Rahul had to bake over an open fire. Gosh.
Bring back vertical tarts. All is forgiven.
It’s the technical challenge judging … and Prue is now saying that they should have boiled the vegetarian gelatine.
WE WERE ROOTING FOR YOU PRUE. WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU.
All of their bakes are a bit of a failure. The biggest failure is the show, though.
At least he’s taking it with a bit of humour: “Finesse!”
Syabira is not that much better, so she’s laughing with Sandro. Bless.
Sandro looks gutted.
“It’s all about science, innit” he responds.
Nope, it’s about instructions that are not written out properly.
Sandro’s jelly is not set, so he’s just having to present it as a syrup.
He doesn’t have enough time to try it again.
My rage is so huge I can barely type.
Bake Off has completely lost the plot this series.
Syabira and Abdul have decided to boil the vegetable gelatine.
SANDRO HAS NOT.
Sandro: “I have to follow the instructions, because when I don’t, things go wrong.”
SANDRO WILL FAIL.
His bake is now going to fall apart because Prue’s instructions did not specify to boil the vegetable gelatine. He’s now going to experience huge consequences, over a small technical detail in his baking. I’m so angry!
And they have to use vegetable gelatine, which they have to boil. And of course, they haven’t specified this in the instructions! So, of course, they are setting them up to fail!
How infuriating. Why do they do this? This has been an enraging series of Bake Off.
I am going to go on a walk during the ad break.
In something that hasn’t happened on Bake Off before (and should have stayed that way), the bakers have to use the bread they also baked in the signature for the technical.
This feels … harsh? It’s not great to have the baking of one challenge influence another.
The technical challenge is to bake … a summer pudding bomb.
Oh and for some reason Paul Hollywood is quoting Lose Yourself by Eminem.
Syabira: “They said the flavours were unusual. I hope they mean it in a good way.”
If only we had a klaxon for every time she has said that this series.
Meanwhile Abdul: “I hope the technical challenge will contain some instructions.”
God help us, everyone.
Syabira appears to be in the lead for this challenge, I reckon.
Her bakes look incredibly uniform, her flavours are “unusual,” the pies are robust, the pastries look delicious.
The criticisms? Needed a bit more salt and she needed to control the rosemary.
Sandro’s bakes look absolutely massive (when are they not). Yet they receive a “heavenly” review by Prue. Abdul watches on with pride.
And alas no handshake for Sandro. He hasn’t had one all series. Bless him.
But he’s just given Paul and Prue some prosecco.
It’s signature challenge judging time … starting with Abdul.
One compliment, followed by three criticisms from Paul, before he even eats anything!
Some of the judging this series has been so frustrating, but thankfully Abdul has received a lot of compliments after they have all been eaten. A decent job, with great flavours it seems.
Sandro appeared a bit flustered towards the end, but they all seem to have finished.
Let’s agree on one thing: that was a showstopper challenge … not a signature.
Updated
Matt Lucas in the tent: “You have half an hour left until the judges crush your dreams.”
Sounds about right.
Now Syabira, who met her partner on a dating app posing with a cake. In another photo she hugs a tree! Simply glorious.
Entering the show has been Syabira’s dream, too: “It’s like a lottery jackpot, but you have to work really hard for it.”
Now a video from Abdul’s parents, who are in Pakistan.
To Abdul, what has mattered just as much has been the bakers at home: “For the past 12 weeks we have been together, with each other, supporting each other, helping each other.”
Also nice that family and friends can head to the tent tomorrow for the final, the first time that’s been allowed in three years!
Now we’re seeing the moments guaranteed to make us feel emotional – deep dives into the finalist’s lives, one-by-one.
Starting with Sandro, who talks about what it means to be in the final: “It’s bigger than me, getting here. It shows other young boys and other young girls from the same background that they can also do it.”
Sandro’s Mum: “I’m very proud of him.”
Lovely.
Matt: “Do you want it?”
Sandro: “I do want it bad.”
Matt: “...”
Sandro: “Wait, what are we talking about actually?”
Yes, I have already written this out, but there is absolutely no harm in writing it again.
Sandro is incorporating elements of his bakes that have been criticised in the past to show that he has learned from his mistakes. That’s a bold and risky strategy, because if he hasn’t improved when Paul and Prue taste his signature then it highlights his weaknesses.
He’s baking extra items too! Of course he is.
A bit random that they have only just mentioned now that all the baking will not include any meat in order to be more sustainable.
Was it decided by the bakers or was it a rule by the judges? It’s pretty unclear.
Yes, I know it doesn’t matter. I’m overthinking it.
In case you are wondering, this episode of Bake Off drops on Netflix in the US on Friday.
Prayers for Syabira after attempting an American accent there.
Paul: “Welcome to the final.”
Syabira: “Thank you.”
My heart.
The theme of this final is to raise awareness of our planet, so they have to use sustainable, British ingredients as much as possible. To be honest, it’s not a bad theme for a week, even though the Bake Off final does not traditionally have a theme.
Still, it’s a bit weird that to illustrate the environment they have placed a giant fake polar bear outside, in the blistering summer sun.
What a metaphor for our climate crisis.
The signature challenge is a … seasonal picnic from across the UK.
It has to consist of six mini cakes, six vegetarian pies and six finger sandwiches, all of which have to be made from a white loaf they also have to bake.
That’s 18 individual bakes. It is the most complicated signature challenge of all time!
I know. I know.
*stares into the distance then pours a glass of wine*
Noel won’t be here today as he is unwell. It appears he took Syabira’s instructions from last week literally, then.
The Bake Off Plot Twist we were not expecting. #GBBO pic.twitter.com/9iv4OjSVnz
— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) November 8, 2022
The fact that the bakers are hugging each other at the start of the competition, rather than just at the end after they survive it, is why the bakers are by far the best thing about this series.
Anyway it’s time for the final, which starts with the exchange to end all exchanges.
Matt: “Do you want it?”
Sandro: “I do want it, bad.”
Matt: “...”
Sandro: “Wait, what are we talking about actually?”
*THROWS WATER OVER ONESELF*
Whilst we wait, I had a thought about a Bake Off All-Stars season. Who would you have on as a contestant?
They should do an All-Stars series of Bake Off, with all the bakers who deserved to win but never got the chance.
— Scott Bryan (@scottygb) November 15, 2022
Janusz, Liam, Kim-Joy, Val, Norman, Richard (he had a pencil behind his ear), Andrew, Yan, Michael, Crystelle Hermine and Jürgen.
#GBBO
Before the final episode starts, let’s take a look at our finalists.
First, Abdul. He has been the underdog, but what an underdog. Constantly improving and progressing through the competition, incorporating the (often unnecessarily harsh) feedback from Paul and Prue along the way. Last week not only was his krokan showstopper deemed to be “delicious,” he also won his very first Star Baker. That places him well going into the final.
Syabira is a force to be reckoned with. Her flavours, sometimes leftfield, have constantly wowed the judges. She very rarely gets it wrong. And just look at her double helix bake from last week’s semi-final. In my opinion it is one of the best bakes this show has ever had. Many viewers, myself included, put it up there with the iconic Bread Lion from Bake Off 2015.
Sandro is also a worthy finalist. His ambition and resilience has been something to adore. That freestanding globe during custard week? Astounding. The challenge he faces here is trying to rein in some of his ambition, just because of the (often very harsh) time constraints.
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s Great British Bake Off liveblog. And … it’s the final!
Whew, what a series. My review of it can be summed up as … we got through it.
The bakers have been fantastic. Just look at the last five contestants: Abdul, Sandro, Syabira, Janusz and Maxy. Their standards have been so high it has been near impossible to predict which three were going to make the final. After saying goodbye to Maxy in pastry week, and (sob) Janusz last week, we are left with Abdul, Sandro and Syabira competing for that trophy.
Yet so much else about this series has made it a frustrating watch. Just look at last week. The bakers had to make vertical tarts in the technical challenge. What on Earth is a vertical tart? You wouldn’t be alone if you had never even heard of these. The bakers hadn’t either.
In fact, I did a Twitter poll and 96.9% of responses said that they have never heard of them. Even Nigella Lawson got involved, tweeting: “I thought horizontal was the whole point!”
