Wow, what an episode that was. Not only are we loving Alison’s joyful spirit and infectious laugh, we had another innuendo, not one but TWO handshakes, and of course an ample number of unreal bakes!

We did see some bakers crumble under pressure during Biscuit Week though, which we’ll fill you in on below!

Signature Bake – Marshmallow Biscuits

We’re starting things off with marshmallow biscuits in the Signature Bake challenge. Keith did face a couple of blunders – his presentation wasn’t quite there, however his flavours were. In fact, his Letter from America biscuits were described as Beauty (for the taste) and the Beast (for how they look), ha!

Rowan included Parma Violets in his marshmallow, something that the young Gen Z crowd may not be familiar with – but Prue described his bakes as “amazing”, “perfect” and “neat as a pin”! Tasha smashed it with her After School Treat biscuits, Saku baked elegant-looking pistachio infused biscuits, and Cristy had a lovely rose embedded in each biscuit, both which were praised by the judges. Nicky was nicknamed as “no jam Nicky” for making a lovely jam, but barely putting it in her bakes! Some of Dana’s marshmallows were breaking once they had come out of the moulds, to which she said “I can hide a lot of stuff with glitter” – great tip!

Winners: Tasha (she got a handshake!) and Rowan

Could do better: Keith, Dana, Nicky

Technical Challenge – Custard Creams 

The bakers were asked to bake delicious custard cream biscuits. A few bakers said they hadn’t actually baked them before. And, we had another scandal! Okay, it wasn’t quite as dramatic as Custardgate, but Doughgate was still nerve-racking at first. During the challenge, Rowan realised his dough was missing from the fridge – Cristy had accidentally taken it! She’d rolled it out to perfection, but once they both realised the mistake, she gave him his dough back, so no harm done! Rowan was later seen rubbing his hands up and down the custard-filled piping bag in a suggestive manor, and when questioned by Cristy, he innocently said he was warming his cream. Ha-ha! The main critiques from the judges for some of the bakers were that some of the biscuits were either too soft, had little definition or uneven filling.

Winners: Abbi was in 1st place, followed by Dan in 2nd place, and Rowan in 3rd place.

Could do better: Keith came in last, followed by Saku and Cristy.

Showstopper – Biscuit Illusion Banquets

The Showstopper challenge was incredible! Probably one of the best Bake Off challenges. Bakers were asked to create an “illusory bake” of their favourite foods. Abbi created a Dim Sum brunch, which looked divine. Saku created a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast which was all the rage! Josh’s Burger and Fries not only looked realistic, but the judges were also blown away by how amazing it tasted!

We saw a couple of pie illusions – Nicky with her steak pie, and Dan with his cheese and onion pie. The judges said Dan’s biscuits were slightly overbaked, but said he was still a triumph! Charcuterie and cheese boards were also popular themes, and they looked impressive. Tasha’s Japanese Katsu and Matcha were loved by the judges! Keith was again critiqued on his presentation for his Seaside Meal Deal, but his flavours were praised. Dana created a floating pizza, which instantly took you back to Nadiya’s levitating pop cheesecake in series 6, and she really impressed the judges!

Winners: Tasha and Josh (he got a handshake!)

Could do better: Keith and Nicky

Star Baker

Tasha was crowned this week’s Star Baker and boy did she deserve it! She really set the bar high this week. Her After School Meal marshmallow biscuits wowed the judges, and Prue commended the texture and flavours of her Japanese Katsu and Matcha. Paul even said, “those biscuits are perfect”!

Highlights

The highlights have to be the two handshakes this week, given to Tasha and Josh! Josh really surprised us all, so it will be exciting to see more of his creativity throughout the show. Rowan was a highlight this week, he did very well in the challenges and had some comical moments too! Nicky kept things chilled with her happy-go-lucky attitude.

Going home

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Keith. Even though he creates wonderful flavours, his presentation skills let him down this week. It’s a shame, as his humble approach was lovely to watch, and you could see he was trying his his best.

We hope you enjoyed our review for Week Two of The Great British Bake Off! Leave a comment below to let us know what you thought of the episode.

While you wait for next week’s episode, why not get yourself down to one of our Mecca clubs and unwind with a bingo session? You can also play any of our online games while you relish on proper British Food!