This year’s series of The Great British Bake Off is a matter of days away.
Paul Hollywood, Prue Lieth, Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig are returning to our screens on the 27th of August as they make their way into that big, white baking tent once again.
And of course, they’ll be joined by 13 brand new contestants, all hoping to reign victorious and be crowned the series’ Bake Off champ.
So who are the cake, biscuit and bread making lovers set to take on the ultimate baking challenge this year?
READ MORE: The Great British Bake Off 2019: Everything we know so far!
Helena from Leeds
Age: 40
Job: Online project manager
North African born Helena lived in Lanzarote and Spain before moving to Leeds while she was studying for her degree. She developed her baking inspiration from watching her Spanish grandmother cook and also from spending time living with a Mormon family during a school trip to Las Vegas.
She now lives with her husband and baby daughter.
Jamie from Surrey
Age: 20
Job: Part-time waiter
Identical twin Jamie was taught to cook by his family growing up but decided to begin testing his baking skills by tackling a plaited loaf after being inspired by an episode of Bake Off.
He works part time as a waiter in preparation for starting his sports science degree at university but has confessed his friends aren’t aware of his passion for baking and reckons they’ll get quite the shock when they see him sporting an apron in the GBBO tent.
Dan from Rotheram
Age: 32
Job: Support worker
Yorkshire lad Dan’s childhood memories are full of baking, with his mum showing him how to whip up a Victoria sponge as a young boy and his army chef father teaching lessons on bread making at his school.
The tattooed support worker once wowed his then-girlfriend by making her an impressive birthday cake, which must’ve worked as he went on to make their wedding cake!
Amelia from Halifax
Age: 24
Job: Fashion designer
Fashionista Amelia has been honing her baking skills since she was just five years old.
Born to a Carribean father and Polish/British mother, Amelia now lives in London and loves to draw on her northern roots when it comes to baking, making sure to include freshly farmed produce in her recipes.
David from London
Age: 36
Job: International health advisor
David lives in London but is another northern contestant, having been grown up in Yorkshire and never had to settle for a store bought loaf of bread growing up thanks to his mum’s passion for baking.
His own baking prowess was refined by a trip to Malawi, where he learned to build an oven out of an oil drum and invented a cake that could steam cook over a village fire.
READ MORE: Great British Bake Off contestants: Where are they now?
Alice from London
Age: 28
Job: Geography teacher
Geography expert Alice says she has spent a decade dreaming about being picked to compete in the bake off, having learned to bake in her teens while recovering from back surgery to treat scoliosis.
She combines her work with her creative bakes by using cake in her lessons to demonstrate coastal erosion and volcanic activity.
Henry from Durham
Age: 20
Job: Student
English Literature student Henry spends his time studying in Durham but first set his sights on the Bake Off tent when series two of the programme was filmed in his home town of Redbridge in East London.
He would spot Paul Hollywood during his walks to school and now tests his recipes on his university housemates.
Michelle from Wales
Age: 35
Job: Print shop administrator
Welsh native Michelle grew up on a farm and now lives in Tenby with her husband and teenage son.
She bakes nearly every single day and loves to mix up flavour combinations using home-grown veg and local ingredients.
Phil from Rainham
Age: 56
Job: HGV driver
Phil from Essex is the oldest of all the contestants and took up baking just six years ago.
The lorry driver prefers to work early shifts so he has time to hit the kitchen and make treats for his wife, daughters and motorbiking friends and loves to make focaccia, granary bread, brioche, pastry and cakes up to five times a week.
Priya from Leicester
Age: 34
Job: Marketing consultant
Marketing pro Priya confessed she went ‘baking bonkers’ when she was given a mixer as a wedding present seven years ago.
Now she uses baking as a way to relax and often spends time making bread well into the night.
This is her third try and applying for the Bake Off after taking inspiration from previous winner, Nadiya Hussain.
Michael from Stratford-upon-Avon
Age: 26
Job: Theatre manager and fitness instructor
Born in Newcastle, Michael fitness pro Michael also considers himself to be half Scottish having lived there as a child and studied in Edinburgh.
His mother taught him to bake using handwritten recipes passed down from her grandparents and takes inspiration for his baking from his Indian heritage.
Rosie from Somerset
Age: 28
Job: Veterinary surgeon
Animal loving vet Rosie loves to bake to unwind during the night and uses eggs laid by her own ducks and chickens in her recipes.
Her passion began aged five when she was given a book about baking and loves to draw on her rural surroundings for ideas for what to make.
Steph from Chester
Age: 28
Job: Shop assistant
Health conscious shop worker Steph loves to take inspiration from sports and wellness while baking.
Admitting she’s ‘very nervous’ to take on the Bake Off challenges, Steph is already one to mix up her ingredients by making her bakes healthier by adding vegetables or fruit, lowering the refined sugar content and prioritising more nutritional fats.
While you wait, find out everything else you need to know about the upcoming series of GBBO before it hits our screens!
GBBO returns on August 27, Channel 4, 8pm.
