Sophie Faldo has held on to her Great British Bake Off crown after winning the 2023 Christmas special.
The Christmas Eve special of the Channel 4 show saw six previous contestants return to the tent to take on a signature challenge of mince pies, a technical task of cinnamon snowflake loaves and a showstopper redemption cake.
After the three festive rounds it was announced that Faldo, who won series eight of the competition in 2017, had maintained her reign.
Following the presentation of her winner’s dish, she said: “What a lovely way to start Christmas. I’m going to take this home and enjoy some mince pies on it.”
The special opened with a sketch which paid homage to Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol as judge Paul Hollywood was awoken from his sleep in a bed outside the tent by host Alison Hammond saying: “Ebenezer Hollywood”.
She revealed he would be visited by six bakers from previous series, with co-host Noel Fielding adding that they were “the ghosts of Bake Off past”.
For the first challenge, the bakers had to make 12 mince pies with any pastry but the mincemeat had to contain flavours which had held festive memories for them.
Carole Edwards from series 13 opted for a tropical variation on the Christmas classic with orange flavoured pastry and a tropical fruit filling which received high praise from Hollywood who said: “Fantastic, what a great way to start Christmas”.
A number of bakers went for a Cherry Bakewell inspired batch with George Aristidou from series 12 utilising almond lacquer, cherry and pistachio in his mincemeat with orange and cinnamon pastry, which Hollywood said was “delicious”.
Sophie Faldo, who won the competition in series eight, added frangipane to her cherry and almond pies which impressed judge Dame Prue Leith who said she “loved the combination” of flavours.
Dan Beasley-Harling, who got three handshakes when he competed in series nine, had some difficulties with his cherry and almond pies as Hollywood said he was not “overly keen” on the filling.
Elsewhere, Linda Rayfield, from series 11, went for a traditional shortcrust and mincemeat with 3D marshmallow snowman piped on top.
Hollywood noted that she was so “petrified about overdoing” the pastry that she had underdone it while Dame Prue said the combination of flavours was “delicious”.
Amelia Le Bruin from series 10 went for a panettone-infused pastry and spiced apple mincemeat which Hollywood said was “rough and ready” but felt the zest in the flavour was “perfect”.
For the technical, the bakers were tasked with creating an intricately-shaped cinnamon snowflake tear-and-share loaf.
Faldo came out on top with Hollywood praising her bake for having “consistency throughout, good height and great flavour”.
While Edwards came last with Dame Prue describing it as the “worst of a very good bunch” and noted that her shaping of the loaf was a “bit all over the place”.
The showstopper task allowed the bakers four hours to make a cake which was inspired by a themed week or bake which previously let them down in the tent.
Faldo sought to redeem her lack of experience in bread week by making a chocolate, hazelnut and spiced pear loaf in the shape of a wreath with a Russian honey cake in the middle.
Hollywood said the bread was dry as it was overbaked but felt the cake was “exceptionally good”.
Edwards opted for a five-tier plum and ginger cake in homage to her failed steamed pudding which Dame Prue said looked “absolutely sensational” and that the flavour was “very nice”.
Beasley-Harling remade a spiced pear and chocolate cake, which previously melted on him, that Hollywood branded as “delicious”.
Rayfield attempted an elaborate creation of a pineapple opposite-down-cake and a chocolate, chilli and ginger cake which were put on top of a lemon cake alongside choux pastry swans, having previously struggled with a number of components.
Dame Prue said the design was “effective and simple” and Hollywood felt the cake redeemed her from her previous bakes.
Aristidou improved on the mini-rolls which melted in her series by creating a vertical, ginger swizz-roll topped with a spiced apple cake.
Hollywood said the presentation was “a bit wonky but effective” and that he had never had the flavours before but he enjoyed them.
Le Bruin hoped to redeem her chocolate biscuit bars which previously did not set with a pistachio and orange cake decorated in ganache, with Hollywood describing the taste of the final outcome as “beautiful”.
