The Great British Bake Off judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith have crowned contestant Matty the winner of the 2023 competition.
There were twelve bakers who entered the tent at the start of the competition, but only one could take home the trophy... or should we say... the glass cake stand.
After hearing about his win, 28-year-old Matty, who is a PE teacher from Cambridgeshire, said: “I don’t know what to say, everyone said ‘you should go on Bake Off’ and I thought it was a throwaway comment and never really listened to it.”
However, after applying for the series and careering through the 10 weeks of competition, Matty was pleasantly surprised by his own performance.
“There have been so many ups and so many down. So many times when I had to be pulled through by the people closest to me. I cannot imagine I have been that much fun to live within the last 10 weeks. I am happy for them as much as I am for me. It still doesn’t feel real.”
The two runners-up in the tense final were Dan and Josh, who both congratulated Matty and said that he was a “worthy winner”.
“It was quite a tough final,” Matty added. “We were all aware of how close we were in baking skills. Dan and Josh were great to have as fellow finalists, but it was a shock for everybody when Tasha went at the semi-final. She was such a good baker and equally such a lovely person, we were all so sorry to see her go.”
Matty said that the students at the school he teaches at were “impressed” when they found out about his penchant for baking.
GBBO finalists Matty, Josh and Danny— (Channel 4)
“I watched the final at home with my fiancée Lara and friends and family It was a lovely evening we had some bubbles to celebrate and needless to say...I made some bakes,” he said. “I have kept the trophy hidden away in a box in the loft but I think it will have pride of place in the dining room from now so everyone can see it.”
“The pupils at school were I think a bit impressed that I was in the series and I did get some really nice comments at school. I know they will think it’s cool that I have won but at the same time they will be really surprised. They have invested in me throughout the series so there will be a sense of pride with them all of sharing the win with me.”
Matty added that while he was “the official underdog” of the series, he had faith in his baking skills, which he learnt from his grandmother.
“My nan is my baking inspiration, she was an amazing baker. There are two stand-out bakes she made for me,” he said. “One is a chocolate teddy bear cake and the other was a South Pole-inspired cake she made at Christmas.”
Matty hard at working during the GBBO final— (Channel 4)
Judge Prue Leith said of the winner Matty: “I have never met a more cheerful, smiling uncomplaining and willing baker. He was just having such a good time, learning as much as he could, taking on board everything either of us said.”
Meanwhile, judge Paul Hollywood added that Matty’s skills just got “better and better” throughout the series.
Pointing to Matty’s success in the final challenge, Hollywood said: “That chocolate cake was one of the best chocolate cakes I have had for a long, long time.”
Throughout the 2023 competition, the bakers have made everything from a vertical layer cake to a menagerie of animals, which included a fan-favourite infamous “Beaver cake”. During pastry week, the bakers avoided soggy bottoms as they produced mini picnic pies, a dauphinoise potato pithivier and a decorative sweet pie display.
Matty had a standout moment when he received a prestigious handshake from Hollywood after he won the judge over with his “delicious” sausage rolls. He was praised for the flavour, colour and texture of his creation.
He told Channel 4 that his next big bake is making his own wedding cake for when he marries his fiancée Lara.
Matty will join Jo Brand and Tom Allen and all the other bakers, on The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice on 30 November at 8pm on Channel 4.
If you think you’ve got what it takes to be in the tent, you can sign up for Bake Off here –applications close on 2 January 2024 at 1pm.
