The Great British Bake Off tent has witnessed its second casualty as chartered accountant Keith has become the second contestant to be eliminated.
Keith failed to impress in biscuit week, which saw the bakers tackle a marshmallow biscuit signature round, a classic custard cream during the technical and an illusion challenge for the showstopper – where they had to make their favourite meal out of biscuits.
Participation officer Tasha, 27 – who is deaf – was declared Star Baker during Tuesday’s (3 October) episode, while Keith, from Hampshire, was told he would be leaving the tent.
Following the elimination, the 60-year-old said: “It’s alright I feel fine, there is nothing sad about this moment.
“I have had the most fantastic time. There were bruises up my arm from the first week as I was pinching myself every half hour.
“I don’t know how many hours I will spend the rest of my life banging on about this.”
The accountant noted that he felt his signature and showstopper biscuit bakes had “redeeming features”, but he described his custard creams as “embarrassingly awful”.
Keith— (C4)
However, he said the show had given him the confidence to take on more challenging bakes, adding that he was “determined” to never underbake a biscuit again.
He added: “I’ve learnt no matter how insurmountable a challenge might appear at first, with sufficient energy and application you can overcome it. And not just in baking.”
Keith also admitted that his experience during episode one’s cake week had helped remind him that others can see positives when we think we have failed.
He explained: “The situation with my white chocolate drip on my choc orange cake was really interesting to me. I thought it was messy and made the cake look ugly and wished I could remove it.
“Paul [Hollywood] thought it looked good and improved the overall appearance of the cake.
“Quite often we have things about ourselves that we really dislike and long to change but, unbeknownst to us, others see these as good attractive points or features.”
He added that his favourite moment from his time on the show was the reaction by judge Dame Prue Leith to his alcohol-infused chocolate orange vertical layer cake.
Reflecting on what he would tell those thinking of applying, he said: “I would encourage amateur bakers emphatically yes to apply for the next series of Bake Off.
“Although be prepared to raise your game significantly and be open to learning a vast array of new skills that you’d previously considered to be beyond you.”
The Great British Bake Off continues on Tuesdays on Channel 4.
Additional reporting from the Press Association
