Val Stones and Selasi Gbormittah have been crowned winners of The Great British Bake Off’s new year special.
Gbormittah and Stones, who appeared on the seventh season of the baking show while it was still on BBC One, returned to the tent as a duo for the special on Channel 4.
The pair impressed the judges by making a Christmas tree pie display, new year’s-themed entremets and a festive biscuit tower for their showstopper.
Upon winning, Gbormittah said: “There’s not much to say except it’s been great.”
Among the other competing pairs were Andy Ryan and Nelly Ghaffar, both from series 15, and series 14 competitor Tasha Stones, who was paired with Briony May Williams, from series nine.
Completing the line-up on The Great New Year’s Bake Off were Giuseppe Dell’Anno, who won series 12, and Rahul Mandal, who was crowned champion of series nine.
For the first challenge the bakers were tasked with making at least 12 savoury pies from shortcrust pastry and shaping them into a festive design.
Gbormittah and Stones made three pie fillings; gochujang spiced chicken, chicken and mushroom and three cheese and onion.
For the technical challenge, which was won by Gbormittah and Stones, the bakers were asked to make six new year’s-themed entremets featuring a hazelnut joconde topped with a white chocolate bavarois and chocolate and hazelnut praline mousse.
Judge Paul Hollywood said Gbormittah and Stones’s mirror glaze was “good” and Dame Prue Leith said the mousse and bavarois were “perfect”.
The showstopper saw the bakers recreate a scene from their favourite Christmas film.
Taking inspiration from 2003 film Elf, Gbormittah and Stones made the Empire State Building, which could be the tallest showstopper in Bake Off history, according to Hollywood.
