Hello, and welcome to Biscuit Week.
-Oh, Uncle Noel. -Yes?
I've got a couple of facts about biscuits. May I share them?
-Let's hear them. -Okay. Did you know
that biscuits were invented by Sir Morris Biscuits in 1950-12?
And also, did you know
that over 40 biscuits a year are sold in Europe alone?
Did you know that in America, they're not called biscuits?
-Oh? -They are called the sidewalk.
Noel!
Welcome to the Great British Baking Show!
[Matt] This time, it's Biscuit Week.
Whoa.
[Matt] With a sticky signature...
-[exclaims] -[Matt] ...that's tight on time.
What a disaster.
[Matt] A tropical technical that has the bakers bemused...
I've got no idea, mate.
-[Matt] ...and a brittle showstopper... -[Lottie groans]
[Rowan] I might cry if this breaks.
[Matt] ...that leaves the whole tent anxious.
I remember worrying a bit about your very large nuts.
[all laughing]
[Paul sighs]
[opening theme music playing]
[indistinct chatter]
Morning! Another day. Ah! [laughs]
I'm so happy to be back for week two. I don't wanna flap today.
I'm gonna try and be cool, controlled and calm. [chuckling]
We'll see how that goes.
Hopefully, this week, there'll be no more tears.
My mum did say to me, "Stop crying. Don't know why you're crying."
[chuckling] She's so harsh.
I'm excited about Biscuit Week. I'm not shaking, I'm all right.
Terrified. Absolutely terrified.
Biscuits are quite tricky. So, I think it's gonna be a difficult week.
As long as I get through, that's fine. [chuckles]
If I get Star Baker, that's my final.
Bakers, welcome back to the tent for Biscuit Week.
And for your signature challenge, the judges would like you each to make
a batch of 36 chocolate Florentines.
Interesting fact, Florentines were originally called Florentines.
Thank you, Noel. I actually wrote that fact.
[all laughing]
Your Florentines should be uniform in terms of shape, texture and flavour,
and the judges will be expecting a perfect snap.
Your Florentines must be dipped, decorated or coated in chocolate.
You have two hours.
It is time for you to leap onto your marks, please.
And make sure at that point then that you get set.
For it is now time to very much bake!
Chocolate Florentines is all about the snap.
Gotta have a good snap on a Florentine.
Nervous.
Well, not about eating them, but about making them, yes, I'm nervous.
It's Biscuit Week, and we're kicking off with Florentines.
A really good classic Florentine consists of nuts and dried fruit
bound together in a caramelly, buttery mixture.
I mean, they are fattening, but they're gorgeous.
This challenge is tricky. They have to get the caramel right,
they have to get the filling right, choice of chocolate.
I personally think dark chocolate is the way forward.
The sweetness with the bitterness of the dark chocolate
is a beautiful blend.
It would help if I put that bit in.
The perfect Florentine is neat as a pin and small and thin.
Timing is everything.
Half a minute too long, and they'll be burnt.
Half a minute too short, and they won't have that crisp crack.
-[Paul] Morning, Peter. -[Peter] Hello, hello.
You did really well last week. What have you got in store for us?
I'm making sticky toffee Florentines,
inspired by what is in my opinion the best pudding in the world,
sticky toffee pudding. I've got dark muscovado sugar in the caramel.
I've got lots of dates. So, it should have those lovely toffee flavours.
[Matt] After pounding the trails outside his hometown Edinburgh,
proud Scot Peter likes to replace the lost calories
with some good hearty fare.
-Stick in till you stick out. -[all exclaim]
[Matt] Based on his favourite pudding growing up,
Peter's sticky toffee Florentines
contain a gooey mix of dates, sultanas, and chopped nuts,
topped with caramelized white chocolate.
Will they be thin and have a snap to them, or will they be sticky and squishy?
Both crunchy and chewy, 'cause when you bite into the dates,
that's gonna be chewy.
But also, I'm hoping you'll be able to get a snap
from the caramel nut side of the biscuit as well.
-Thank you. Good luck. -Good luck, Star Baker.
Thank you very much. [chuckles]
[Noel] Peter's not the only baker inspired by a childhood favourite.
Traditionally, in Iran, there's this brittle called Sohan,
which is cardamom, saffron and rosewater.
They're flavours I grew up on. They're part of my heritage.
[Noel] When key worker Sura needs to unwind from a hard day at the hospital,
she branches out with a spot of yoga.
Sura's Florentines, containing toasted almonds and pistachios,
will be flavoured with rosewater and saffron
brought back from her trips to Iran.
Alongside her biscuits, she'll serve traditional cardamom tea.
-How are you? -I'm okay.
Are you over the old... [makes swishing sound]
-Yeah, yeah. -The... [makes swishing sound]
-You gonna try that again? -No!
Oh, look! [exclaims]
Oh, stop it, no, no, no.
-It was traumatic. -You were in the corner like this.
[mimics evil laugh]
Laughing to yourself. What have you done on your days off?
Practice, practice, practice, burnt myself out.
-Burnt yourself out? -Yeah, I was really tired.
-I had a nightmare about Paul. -I had a dream about Paul.
He was just in an apron. It was pretty powerful.
[both laughing]
-It's last night, actually. -Stop!
-Good luck, yeah. -You need to go away.
[both continue laughing]
My Florentines are one of my sister's favourite biscuits.
She had a really sweet tooth when we were kids.
When my mum turned her back, I used to quickly eat her dinner and...
[laughs] So she could get to her pudding quick.
[Matt] At the end of a hard day's weeding,
green-fingered Linda and partner Richard
love nothing more than a refreshing pint in their shed.
I don't normally kiss the barman.
[Matt] Decorated with delicate sugar flowers and dark chocolate,
Linda's aiming to give her childhood inspired Florentines a smooth finish.
[Linda] I blend the nuts down into quite small chunks.
That way, hopefully, when they spread, you get a much more even surface.
[Noel] But in terms of texture, Linda's consistency is not for everyone.
In my nuts, I want some bigger bits 'cause you want, obviously, a bite of nuts.
[chuckles]
[Noel] Mark's career has taken him around the globe,
but when at home in Liverpool, he loves nothing more than baking
for friends and wife, Laura.
That's nice.
[Noel] Flavoured with cardamom
and decorated with waves of white chocolate,
Mark's chunky Florentines contain a mix of macadamia nuts and dried mango.
We should sell some, shouldn't we, at lunchtime?
-We can set up a tuck shop. -Set up a kiosk.
-You make fresh, hot biscuits. -Yeah, yeah.
I'll get a kiosk on the go. We'll have it on wheels.
-[Mark chuckles] -Be amazing, wouldn't it?
-It would be. -Make a mint.
-Long way to transport-- -We'll make 37 euros each.
[both laugh]
I love a biscuit, though.
I don't eat them. I like looking at them.
-Okay. [laughs] -I eat with my eyes.
That's why I'm not allowed in restaurants.
[both laughing]
[Noel] But when it comes to the king of fruits, Mark has competition.
I know there's a lot of people in the tent using mango as well today,
so I think it's a bit of a mango-off.
[Noel] Three other bakers are also trying to tempt the judges
with this tropical treat.
It's mango Florentine week, isn't it?
May the best mango win.
This is dried mango. I'm just gonna put this in boiling water,
and let them soak for a bit. Otherwise, it'll be too chewy.
-[girl] Ooh, juicy. -Juicy ones.
[Matt] Not content with work, baking, and taking care of his extended family,
Mak has also found the time to write a novel.
First draft finished.
[Matt] His Florentines feature a trio of classic Indian ingredients,
mango, cashew and cumin.
But while Mak is familiar with his flavours,
his hand-piped peacock feather design will be a step into the unknown.
I've never decorated them before.
So, a world exclusive. [chuckles nervously]
My one's called Feathered Chocolate Mango Florentines.
I really enjoy eating all things mango,
that's why I wanted to put mango in there.
[Noel] When not experimenting with exotic flavours,
Dave and his girlfriend Stacey enjoy walks with their Japanese hunting dog, Yoki.
Come on, then, you pain. He wasn't gonna come back.
[Noel] He's celebrating his love of mango
with Florentines containing a mix of nuts and sesame seeds for added crunch.
He'll decorate each biscuit by feathering three types of chocolate.
I've weighed out each scoop, so each scoop is about 25 or 26 grams,
so, hopefully, they should all come out nice and uniform.
-[Noel] Whether the bakers use moulds... -I'm using these rings.
[Noel] ...or choose to go freehand,
Paul and Prue will demand consistency in size and shape across the batch.
I make my Florentines the traditional way.
So, I've really gotta make sure that I measure out the biscuit.
[Lottie] This is a cake pop scoop to get my quantities right.
Bake Off, supposed to be identical.
[Mark] I'm being precise and weighing 18 grams into each mould.
They want perfection. They want 36 identical Florentines.
About three quarters of a teaspoon to a teaspoon in each one.
Some people measure. I haven't got the patience.
I don't want them too chunky because they won't snap.
I'll be honest, I haven't made Florentines before.
I'm from Gravesend. Hobnobs are posh where I'm from.
[Matt] At home in Kent, Laura isn't the only baker.
She shares her passion and pizza oven with husband Matt.
-[laughs] -Oh, brilliant. Cheers.
[Matt] A self-confessed salted caramel addict,
Laura will coat her almond, pecan and raisin Florentines
in sweet milk chocolate.
[Laura] Because it's quite salty, dark chocolate was too rich,
so I chose milk chocolate as a base.
My family, when I've made these, have just absolutely devoured them.
[Noel] Lottie has also decided to go with a family favourite.
[Lottie] I am making quarantine Florentines
for my grandparents because it is their favourite biscuit.
Nana and Papa.
[Noel] Although Lottie's grandparents live down the road from her in Littlehampton,
it's been six months since she's been able to give them a hug.
-[Lottie] I love you! -[both] I love you, too.
I'll FaceTime you later.
[Noel] Her grandparents' favourite Florentines
are a classic combination of chopped nuts, ginger and sour cherries.
But when it comes to decoration, Lottie's taking an abstract approach.
If you're doing Jackson Pollock-esque splashes,
will they all be uniform?
-[laughs] No. -Absolutely not.
That's why I'm doing Jackson Pollock splashes.
-A uniform mess. -A uniform mess. Exactly, Paul.
Bakers, you are halfway through...
[exhales] Right.
-...your lives. -How's it going?
[Mak] Right. In they go.
[Matt] Because they contain so much sugar,
judging the bake time of their Florentines will test the bakers to their limit.
Those are going in at 180 for seven minutes.
These are going in for 12 minutes.
Eleven minutes on the top shelf and eleven and a half on the bottom.
I have to be really careful about the timing of these
'cause they can go over really quickly.
Twelve and a half minutes. Actually, 12 minutes and 26 seconds.
I don't really do precision, but I realised it's definitely called for.
[Matt] While most of the bakers have their first batch of biscuits baking...
I'm sorry, but I'm panicking.
[Matt] ...Hermine is still moulding hers.
I'm a little bit behind.
[Matt] Born and raised in West Africa on her mother's pineapple farm,
Hermine moved to London almost 20 years ago
and is studying to become an accountant.
Think I've done enough for today. I need a break.
[Matt] She's adding shredded dried mango and coconut flakes
to her Florentines, which she'll coat in ruby chocolate
and decorate with spray-painted trees.
I'm worried about getting the snap because, to be honest,
er, mine were quite chewy.
Apparently, Paul Hollywood likes them with the snap,
so, yeah, bit nervous about that.
[Noel] Perfecting a batch of 36 identical biscuits
will require the bakers to walk a time and temperature tightrope.
In practice, I took 'em out too soon, so waiting for that golden colour.
I'm not quite sure when they're going to be done.
Are they done, are they not?
It's just a hard one to call. Gotta get that snap.
[Noel] Misjudge either...
Let's see how they look.
[Noel] ...and any chance of achieving uniform texture and colour...
-Oh. -[Noel] ...will go up in smoke.
I'm not happy with them.
They're not as brown as I thought they would be at this stage.
Bottom ones just need a minute longer.
[crunching]
[Lottie] That sounded crunchy.
I cooked them for longer today, which gives it a good snap.
[Dave] I'm 90% sure they've got snap.
Second batch in.
They're just great. I'm happy with them.
I'm thinking, are they even?
Is that round?
[Laura] What's Paul Hollywood gonna say?
[Rowan] They seem rather gooey.
Erm, my Florentines, they're inspired by my grandmother,
who had a very lovely garden, and who was a very good, homely cook.
Very beautiful.
[Matt] A keen gardener himself, when he's not pruning,
Rowan can be found bringing out the shine on his large collection of antiques.
That's a bit better.
[Matt] In homage to his grandmother's garden,
Rowan's colourful Florentines feature a trio of vibrant dried fruits.
But when it comes to decoration,
he's had to look no further than his own flamboyant wardrobe.
I'm coating them with modelling chocolate waistcoats.
Which is in honour of your waistcoat collection.
It is. And my garden on the back.
-[laughs] Yes. -[Prue] Oh, lovely.
-How many waistcoats have you got? -About a dozen or so.
I've got an 18th century one, embroidered in France in about 1780,
which is beautiful.
Paul, this is what posh people talk about, isn't it?
[laughs]
This is going right over my head.
[Matt] With their biscuits cooling,
the bakers can turn their attention to chocolate.
Gotta love the smell of chocolate. [chuckles]
[Peter] I'm topping my Florentines with caramelized white chocolate.
You bake it in the oven,
then it takes on a really dark, caramelly colour and flavour
and it tastes so, so good.
[Mak] I'm just melting some chocolate and I'm tempering.
Tempering gives it that snap.
It's a frustrating process, especially for white chocolate.
It's very precise.
Keep stirring this 'cause it's really hot, still.
Couple of degrees out, you have to start the whole process again.
That looks delicious. I'd sort of like to get in that.
I could stick my head in a bucket of that.
If I was an insect, I'd get in that, like a sort of hot tub.
[Matt] But with her Florentines only just out of the oven...
-[gasping] -[Matt] ...Hermine is playing catch-up.
[Hermine] Stabbing the Florentines.
Please!
[Marc] It's, er, ruby chocolate, and I only discovered it a few months ago.
And I was really surprised about the flavour.
Almost like white chocolate,
but then you've got lovely sourness coming through at the end.
[Matt] Now a sculptor,
Marc spent many years working as a landscape photographer,
a passion he now shares with youngest daughter, Rosie.
Brilliant.
[Matt] Not only is Marc using ruby chocolate
to give his Florentines extra flavour,
but he's adding ginger to give his square-shaped biscuits a kick.
What do you think of the shape? Nice, isn't it?
[Noel] I like the square shape.
I've never, ever seen a square before,
so I'm very... Very excited about these biscuits.
-It's a completely new concept. -Yeah.
'Cause I don't... I'm learning shapes.
-You know rhombus, don't you? -[Matt] I know rhombus.
-Cuboid? -I don't know cuboid.
-[Noel] You know circle. -But I don't know semi-circles.
-No. -[Matt] I'm not onto them yet.
-We'll do that later. -We'll learn it later.
Sweet, lovely bakers, you do be having 30 of minutes remainings.
[high-pitched] Yes!
How marvellous.
[blows raspberry]
Oh, I'm melting chocolate. No time to think.
[clicks tongue] I put some colour in this chocolate.
It's just gone a bit solid, so I'm gonna reheat them.
I'm just slightly short of time.
[Rowan] Lots of little waistcoats.
There's a huge amount of work to do. I'm always very ambitious.
[Lottie] I'm just going for the standard dunk. Dunk and wipe.
[Peter] A dip, a swipe and trying to make them as neat as possible.
[Marc] What I'm aiming to do is just get a really thin layer on here,
sit the biscuits on, and then the chocolate will set beautifully,
but they won't give me any stress.
-[clattering] -Oh, gosh.
It's going well, isn't it? [laughs]
[rapping] ♪ Bakers You've got 15 minutes left ♪
You see if you communicate through rap...
-Right. -...the kids really take it in.
-They take it in better. -Yeah.
Let's get them decorated.
[Linda] I like to make flowers.
It's very therapeutic.
And I strive to get them as fine as I can so that they look real.
-[Matt] Look at these. -[Hermine] Ooh!
I like foods that are pink. Apart from taramasalata.
-How's it all going? -[Hermine] Not too well.
I don't know if they'll set in time.
[Marc] Not bad.
I went to art school for this.
Slightly tight, to be quite honest.
[Rowan] Speed is of the essence.
[Sura] How long have we got?
Bakers, you have... one minute left.
Hiding the worst ones at the bottom.
They look identical. Very happy.
It would've been nice to finish more of them.
What a disaster.
-[Mark] Want me to count them? -[Lottie] Could you?
-[Mark] You need one more. -One, two, three, four, five.
It's 36, isn't it?
Thirty-five, thirty-six. I've got 37. I'll eat one.
Bakers, your time is up.
Step away from your chocolate Florentines.
Get them on your plate quick.
-Mak. -Sorry.
[exhales]
-Wow. -Looks good, looks good.
[exhales tiredly]
[Hermine] Oh, mine didn't go well.
No?
They look good, though.
[Matt] The bakers' Florentines will now be judged by Prue and Paul.
-Hello, Dave. -Hello.
[Noel] It's like a Magic Eye poster.
[all laugh]
'Cause of my jumper, thought I was back on the rave scene.
You've done well with the feathering. Three colours is quite difficult.
-[Paul] Good snap. -[Noel] Massive snap.
You have the snap. Flavour's good.
You can taste the nuts and mango. It all works.
Sesame seed, too, which I love.
I just think you needed more texture in there.
Yeah.
I love the dark chocolate. It's a nice biscuit.
-Thank you. -[Prue] Good.
Looks a little bit lumpy. Too lumpy.
Yes, I remember worrying a bit about your very large nuts.
-Mainly because... -[all laughing]
[Paul groans]
Right.
It snaps, though.
The white chocolate is quite dominant.
It needed something else. Maybe a bit more fruit in there.
-Could be better. -Okay.
Thank you.
-That's a pretty classic Florentine. -[Laura] Yeah.
[Prue] Snaps quite well.
-I love that for flavours. -Yes!
I think the issue is you want something bitter.
If you'd kept it to dark chocolate, you would've been on a winner.
But otherwise, that's a great Florentine.
-Thank you. -Great, thank you.
-Well done. -Thanks.
[Paul] Have you practised these?
-Yes. -Have you done them in the time?
-No. -Right.
Do you remember what we said last week?
-Entirely. -So my question is why did you do it?
-Course I have. -Because I like them.
[Prue] Anyway, it certainly does not snap.
-No. -I love the flavours of it.
-It's not baked enough. -The idea of the waistcoats, I love.
But, honestly, that modelling chocolate ruins the biscuit.
-[Rowan] Okay. -[Prue] It's so sweet.
Great flavours. Again, simplify things to get it done in time.
He's a dreamer. Don't stop dreaming.
-But thank you anyway. -[Prue laughing]
[Prue] They look so sweet, like little boats.
[Paul] Looks amazing.
Mmm!
The crunch from the nuts is gorgeous. You get a bit of saffron in there as well.
You've created a beautiful, well-balanced Florentine.
It's lovely. The only problem is we asked for a...
-Snap. Yeah. -[Prue] Snap.
-And what's the tea? -[Sura] Cardamom tea.
-[Paul] That's delicious. -[Prue] Lovely.
-Can I take it with me? -Thank you so much.
You've got the colour of a sticky toffee pudding.
-[Peter] Yeah. -Smells like one, too.
[Paul] Ooh, bit of a bend.
The flavour's delicious. I've never had anything like it.
Particularly like that white chocolate.
I love that caramel flavour.
You're clever with your ideas.
You've come up with something that's truly unique. Thank you.
[softly] That was touching, mate. That smells delicious.
But as we all know, eating's cheating, so...
[chuckles softly]
[Paul] They're a bit scruffy.
Time wasn't on my side.
[Prue grunting]
-[laughs] -You needed slightly longer in the oven.
There's something tough in there. Is it the mango?
Probably, yes.
Hmm.
-It's like leather. -Oh, God, this is agonising.
The mango needs to be soaked 'cause it's just too chewy.
-But love the flavour of it. -Thank you.
[Prue] It's very pretty and neat as anything.
Unique. Unusual to use the ruby chocolate.
-Yeah. -I do like the uniformity.
-Thank you. -[Prue] It isn't going to snap, though.
[Marc] Yeah.
[Paul] Ruby chocolate's quite tart and blends well with ginger.
You've got a nice flavour.
I love the sour cherries. Very surprising, very original and very delicious.
-Brilliant. I'll take that. -[Prue] Well done.
-Well done. -Thank you.
I think you've lost in the appearance what a Florentine is.
You should be able to see much more texture.
You're not getting that, it's flat as a pancake.
[Prue] I bet it tastes nice.
And it has a snap.
[Paul] Ginger tastes strong, which I like.
It's like having, erm, ginger brandy snap.
It's a delicious biscuit, but it is not a Florentine.
-Okay. -[Paul] Thank you, Linda.
What's the decoration?
Supposed to be, er, a sort of, of a peacock effect.
Peacock? Thought it was a tennis racquet to celebrate Wimbledon.
Yes, it was.
[Paul laughs]
[Prue] They're gooey.
Could've stayed in there another five minutes.
-You soaked your mango, didn't you? -Yeah.
I imagine that contributed to a sort of sogginess.
I like the flavours, but it's not a Florentine.
Never mind. Thank you, Mak.
-Thank you. -Thank you.
I have to say, I think they look good.
Thank you.
You've got a good tempered chocolate, and I like the top, classic Florentine.
You've got a nice shine, it's busy,
and that's what a Florentine should look like.
Bit of a snap.
It's chocolatey, it's nutty. Love the sour cherry.
It's delicious.
The ginger and the cherry with the dark chocolate is just fantastic.
And it does snap, it's nice and thin.
Can't find fault with them, really.
[Lottie gasps]
-Well done. -Thank you.
I'll take that one with me. Thank you.
[Noel laughs]
[exhales in relief]
[softly] What?
As if!
[in normal voice] Completely mad. [gasps]
Imagine, me?
Never gonna wash my hand again.
I like my fruit chunky, but what can I say?
They're the experts. If they're not right, they're not right.
I'm just disappointed.
[Dave] That went well. I did get a snap.
That's what I was going for, the snap.
[Rowan] The concept was good, but too ambitious.
I shall endeavour to take the advice.
It could've gone better. I've just gotta stay calm.
Just put this morning behind me
and look forward to this afternoon.
[Matt] The bakers were able to practise their signature bakes,
but have no idea what technical mystery lies ahead.
Bakers, it's time for your technical challenge,
which today has been set by Prue.
Prue, any words of advice?
This is a classic.
So read your recipe, no going off-piste.
[Noel] Your technical challenge will be judged blind,
so we're gonna have to ask the judges to leave the tent.
Off you pop.
Let's say things about them while they're gone.
[Noel and Sura chuckle]
Prue would like you to make 12 hand-shaped coconut macaroons.
Six of them must be drizzled and filled with chocolate
and six of them must be piped with a delicious mango curd.
[Matt] Sounds quite involved.
If I were you, I'd just go out and buy some, much easier.
-It doesn't work like that. -Oh.
-[chuckles] -[Noel] They must be crispy
and golden on the outside, but chewy on the inside.
You've got an hour and 45 minutes.
-On your marks. -[in opera voice] Get set.
Go to the shops.
-Or bake. -Or bake.
[cutlery clattering]
[Rowan] Oh, Jesus.
Macaroons? I've got no idea, mate.
I don't think I've eaten one, let alone made one.
This is gonna be interesting.
I'm familiar with macaroons
and I've made them once a very long time ago, but not filled.
I've made these, er, with my mum before, but donkeys ago.
[Rowan] Haven't had macaroons for years.
They're okay, but they get stuck in your teeth.
Prue, macaroons as a technical challenge, good choice.
-A favourite of mine. -I know. I love them, too.
They look so simple and if you read the recipe,
it's, "Oh, no problem with that."
But I think they're trickier than they sound.
It's important to get the mixture right.
We've given them coconut flakes
which they need to put in a processor, briefly.
If they overdo it, they won't get this nice, rough edge,
they'll get a smooth paste which will stick together
and won't be nearly so pleasant.
I think these look beautiful.
They're all the same size, regardless whether they're mango or chocolate.
I think I'll try the mango first.
As soon as you bite into it, there's coconut.
The mango is beautiful as well. It's just the right consistency.
Smooth as anything, but it's set. It's not running.
You have to pipe a wall around the edge.
If you don't get high enough walls, you don't get enough mango curd.
Moving on to the chocolate.
-Very neat lines on the top. -[Prue] Hmm.
And a good decent lump
-of chocolate in there. -[Paul] Mmm.
It's gorgeous blended with the coconut.
We've squeezed them a bit on time to get this done. It is a challenge.
The most important thing is timing in the oven,
because they need to be just golden brown,
crunchy on the outside, slightly chewy and sticky in the middle.
The test is the colour. Take it out when it looks like that.
[Paul] There's nothing better.
It takes me back to when I was a kid.
Perfect with a great cup of tea.
First instruction, make the mango curd.
[Laura] It's a little mean.
Trying to refresh my memory of how to make a curd.
So you've got mango puree in there, caster sugar,
you've got one egg and two yolks,
bit of lime juice and a bit of unsalted butter.
And then very carefully cook it over gentle heat.
What I don't want is scrambled egg.
Mango-flavoured scrambled egg.
[Linda] Curd can take a little while to thicken up.
[Lottie] Smells nice.
[Matt] Have you made macaroons before?
No, I've made macarons before, but not macaroons.
-[Matt] They're a different food. -Yes.
They've added an extra letter and called it "macaroons".
They have.
Next year, people will have to make macarooons
-'cause they'll add another letter to it. -[chuckles]
My curd is starting to thicken.
It should be quite drippy, but quite thick.
It's important that I do well in this challenge,
so that's why I'm gonna be... extra careful.
[Laura] I think that looks okay.
Let's add the butter.
If you add the cold butter and then just keep whisking it in,
it should go really nice and silky and smooth... I think.
Either that or I'm talking out my arse.
[Rowan] It's thickening nicely now. That doesn't look too bad.
Mango curd has to chill. Keep it chill.
[Laura] I'm trying to cool it quickly by putting it in the freezer.
My mango curd is in the fridge.
"Using the round cutter as a guide,
draw 12 circles on the rice paper and then cut out the circles."
[Lottie] Is this rice paper?
-[Matt] Rice paper does look delicious. -I never tried that.
-You can... Yes, it's edibubble. -[Hermine chuckles]
[Mak] So far, so good. I'm good at drawing circles.
I'm just waiting for my curd to thicken a bit more.
Still a bit runny,
and so I really need to crack on with everything else.
[sing-song] Glasses on.
Mean business.
Why is that? Hand shake?
Come on, spill the dirt.
-How did it feel when Hollywood... -[Lottie] I--
...his big, sausage-y fingers gripped your pale...
-Yeah. Thanks, yeah. -...ET-like fingers?
How did it feel?
-I felt nothing. -Angry?
-I just felt shocked... -You felt nothing?
-And like-- -Cold, dead inside.
No, I'm not dead inside, I just went numb.
-I didn't know what was happening. -[laughs]
That's it, that's the pivotal moment in your baking career.
Yeah, that's it. I've peaked for sure.
"For the macaroons, tip the shredded coconut into the food processor
and blitz until the flakes are small enough to pipe."
It's been very clear in the recipe to not over-blitz the coconut,
so trying to listen to that.
I think that'll do.
It's hard not to lose your nerve when you look around
and everyone else is miles ahead.
But I was really worried about leaving this curd for too long.
I'm gonna go with that.
"Add the almond extract, rice flour, condensed milk and pulse."
This is condensed milk, nice and sticky. I love this.
-[Matt] Could you drink that? -[Mak] I have.
-You've drunk condensed milk? -I have.
-[Matt] Really? -I love it.
I leave you in disgust.
[chuckles]
"Carefully fold whisked egg whites into the coconut mixture."
It's just gonna help raise and keep them light.
So, I guess it'll be kind of like a meringue-y, chewy texture.
[Mak] Now, I think that is done.
[Matt] Bakers, you are halfway through.
So basically, you have 52 and a half minutes left.
[Mark] I'm running behind.
So at the minute, I'm adding the coconut.
I think there was time in the recipe to make the curd properly,
so I hope that I haven't just wasted that.
[inhales sharply]
"Spoon half of the mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large star nozzle."
The mixture looks yummy. I kinda want to just eat the batter as is.
Mmm, I'd quite like a bit of rum in there, I think.
Overall, mmm, nice.
"Pipe a ring of coconut around the edge of the rice paper."
"Pipe a small amount of mixture into the hole."
[Rowan] So, you're making a little dish, really, for the curd.
I'm worried about how deep the hole has to be in order to fit a filling in.
It's quite pipeable, so it's holding its shape.
Come on, Laura, you know how to pipe. I feel like mine's too thick.
I wonder whether I haven't made it fine enough.
"For the remaining six macaroons,
place a spoonful of coconut mixture on the remaining discs and flatten."
"Place a square of chocolate into the centre of each coconut circle."
Then I'm going to place a spoon of the mixture over the top
and create a dome.
[Linda] If you don't get the chocolate covered up,
it's gonna start running out of it as it's cooking.
I'm just trying to make sure that it's all covered in now.
[Mark] I'm just trying to get them as even as I possibly can.
Save some time now.
On the recipe, it tells us to "bake".
Er... so, useful.
[Marc] Gonna pop those in the oven now. [sighs]
[Lottie] I genuinely have no idea on timing.
It's on 130.
-Gonna start with ten minutes. -[timer beeping]
Starting with ten minutes, then I'll check them, see how they go.
With how much time's left,
it's an indication that it's probably a longer bake than what everyone reckons.
I reckon 25 minutes in the end.
[Mak] They're in. Thirty minutes.
It's a low and slow cook.
I do feel a little up against it.
They'll probably take 20 minutes to bake, so it doesn't give me a lot of time.
My curd better be good.
[chuckles]
[softly] Bakers, you've got half an hour left.
Don't wanna wake Matt up.
Half an hour.
[annoyed] Come on.
It's taking so long.
[Laura] They're not even toasty.
They did say that they wanted a nice golden top.
Mine aren't golden.
I don't know, man. What is golden, know what I mean?
Golden can mean anything, really.
[straining] I just don't know.
These are not gonna get golden brown, I don't think.
Lordy, lordy, lordy.
[Laura] It's really intense.
-[Noel] I find it strangely relaxing. -Do you?
Watching everyone else stress?
[Noel] Seeing their dreams slide away.
[both laugh]
[sighing] Oh, God.
[Lottie] I don't have any patience.
[Peter] Certainly not looking golden,
but I think it'll take a really long time to get golden.
What do you reckon?
Least another five minutes, I think.
[Mark] They're taking ages.
[Linda] They are, aren't they?
-[Marc] A lot longer than I expected. -[Linda] Mmm.
I think I shouldn't have come down here.
I don't know if I can get back up.
-[Laura laughs] -That's what I think.
[groaning] Oh, my Lord!
[in normal voice] I'm all right.
Might go in with those. Let's have a look.
I think maybe one minute longer.
[Rowan] These are looking rustic, but not too bad.
I've gotta get them cool.
I might pull mine, you know.
I'm gonna get them out now.
[Laura] They're nice and golden.
Think I'm happy.
[Hermine] Don't know what they should look like,
but I think they look all right.
[Matt] Ooh, they look good.
Now, these ones are quite a lot larger than those ones.
-[Sura] Yes. -[Matt] Is that intentional?
Well... no.
Right. You should've said yes. Oh, we'll do it again.
So these ones are a bit larger than those ones. Is that intentional?
-Yes, they've got chocolate inside. -That's... Right.
That's a good... approach.
[laughs]
I think the colour's looking good, but I just don't think they're ready yet.
I think I'm at 28 minutes now. I reckon a couple more minutes.
[Mak] Just need five more minutes, I'll be done.
[Mark] Maybe they are ready.
How long have we got?
Bakers, you have five minutes
until we tell you that you have ten minutes!
Matt.
You have 15 minutes.
-[both laughing] -[Laura] That was mean.
I'm bad.
Gonna give them a bit longer.
[Lottie] What am I supposed to put in this?
"Spoon a small amount of set curd into each ring."
Okay, set curd.
[Hermine] That's the consistency I would have
if I was making a lemon curd.
They're finally coming out.
Ow, ow, ow.
Dave's look rather sophisticated.
[Dave] I like them.
Does look as if the cat's had an accident.
"To decorate the chocolate macaroons,
pipe fine lines across them with melted chocolate."
That's what I'm going for, nice and neat.
[Rowan] That's more like it. Bit more freestyle.
Putting the mango curd in the middle.
[Mark] Ideally, I'd want them to be cool, 'cause I'm conscious I'm quite behind.
Bakers, it's basically too late now, you've got one minute left.
[Marc] Chocolate season.
-[Mark] It's seized on me. -[Lottie] Have mine.
[Mark] Cheers, you've totally saved me.
[Sura] There's not enough space for all six.
[timer beeping]
Bakers, your time is up.
I think they're beautiful.
You can see the influence of fine French patisserie.
[laughs]
Please bring your trays forward to the front
and put them behind your photograph.
Sura, hang back a little bit.
[laughing] I'm joking.
[Noel] Prue and Paul are looking for 12 uniform coconut macaroons,
six filled with mango curd and six filled with chocolate,
crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle.
So, let's have a look at the first one.
-[Paul] I like them to be the same sizes. -[Prue] Yeah.
[Paul] They look very similar.
They could've done with a little bit longer.
It's delicious, but not quite crisp enough on the outside
-and a bit too squashy. -[Paul] Hmm.
Let's have a check of that mango.
It's not bad.
Like to see more of a ridge there to create a...
-A well. -A pond in the middle, yeah.
Let's move on to the second one.
The chocolate ones look a bit untidy.
[Prue] They're different sizes.
-That one's much smaller than that one. -Yeah.
-Needed a bit longer those, actually. -[Prue] Hmm.
[Paul] I like this decoration, the lines.
[Prue] They're very different sizes. These ones are tiny and these are big.
But does taste very good.
[Paul] Slightly underbaked.
The piping's a little peculiar.
-[Paul laughing] It is. -[Prue laughs]
That one's a sort of squirt.
Mmm.
It's too soft.
The coconut that's underneath the mango is almost like it went into the oven.
[Paul] Yeah, but moving on.
I like this one 'cause you've got
-a nice caramelisation... -Yeah.
...from the coconut. There you go.
[Prue] Delicious.
Crispy on the outside, soft in the middle. Mango's tasty as well.
-Moving on. -[Prue] Right.
[Paul] I like these as well.
They're uniform, they're all the same size.
Nice browning effect.
-[Prue] Decent amount of curd. -[Paul] Yeah.
-Good flavour. -[Prue] Curd's nice, too.
It's a little liquid.
[Paul] And moving on.
They're equal, bit small, a bit undercooked as well.
[Prue] Definitely underbaked.
Lovely mango, just needed longer in the oven.
These are very neat. I love these lines like that.
It's well baked as well.
That's got lovely flavour.
The curd is perfect, it cuts, it doesn't just flow.
It's a good one.
[Paul] This again, quite a decent one.
However, they over-blitzed the mixture.
[Paul] Quite smooth.
-And it's good. -[Prue] Hmm.
[Paul] And this one's well baked.
Could do more of a wall.
It's a bit hard.
-And they're quite chewy. -[Paul] Yeah.
Last one, neat, tidy, but underbaked.
But it's the colour, you can see how pale that is.
[Prue] It's going to be really squashy.
-Shame, 'cause that's neat. -[Prue] Hmm.
[Matt] Prue and Paul will now rank the coconut macaroons from worst to best.
In eleventh place is this one.
Rowan. Bit underbaked,
not very good piping, a little uneven.
And in tenth position, we have this one. Whose is this?
Down to colour only, Peter.
In ninth place is this one.
This is a really common problem of not baking it quite long enough.
In eighth, we have this one. Whose is this?
They were very small and needed a little bit longer in the oven.
[Noel] Laura is seventh.
Sura, sixth.
Hermine, fifth, and Linda's fourth.
And in third place is this one. Who's that?
-Mak, these were absolutely excellent. -Thank you.
In second, we have this one.
Loads of texture, nice chocolate on the top.
Spot on.
Which leaves...
this one. Dave.
Really excellent macaroons.
Curd nice, even perfect.
Thank you.
[all clapping]
[imperceptible]
Came first in technical. What an improvement from ninth last week.
Makes me feel more confident going into tomorrow.
Spring in the step for the morning.
It's a bit of a fall from grace after this morning.
And now I'm just terrified for tomorrow.
I can't believe what just happened, second.
I was chaotic, I was running behind everyone else.
So, I'm delighted.
[Rowan] It wasn't my best moment.
They did slightly look like the cat's lavatory.
[Mak] I'm feeling much better after that.
I think I've clawed a bit back from this morning.
Er, so, it just gives me hope for tomorrow.
[Noel] There's just the showstopper challenge left
before Prue and Paul decide who'll be leaving the tent
and who's destined for Star Baker.
Hello, bakers. Welcome back to the tent. It's time for your showstopper challenge.
Today, the judges would like you to make a 3D biscuit table setting
from a memorable meal you once had.
They want you to sculpt your biscuit dough
to make highly decorative and realistic looking biscuits
that deceive the eye
into thinking they're teapots or cups or knives, etc. You get my drift.
You can use any type of biscuits, any flavours,
but remember this is a showstopper,
so it can't just look good, it has to taste fantastic.
You have 100,000 hours.
-Four. -400,000 hours.
-Just four hours. -Just four, you'll never make it.
-On your marks... Bake! -Get set...
I'm feeling really good. Gotta keep my cool. I'm pumping.
Yeah, I'm feeling relaxed. I'm just gonna enjoy it.
I have so much to do, and I am absolutely... bricking it.
It's the showstopper, we're asking the bakers to complete a dinner set,
but it must be moulded.
Rather than having straight biscuits,
I'd like to see something that shows they're utilising their biscuit
to shape 'round something, to mould, to sculpt.
We want the bakers to use their dough as clay
to get this balance between beautiful objects and delicious biscuits.
The big issue the bakers are gonna have
is almost the volume of biscuit needed to create the set.
It's bulk, batch-baking.
It's not going to be easy.
-Rowan, how you doing? -Hello. So far, so good.
[all laughing]
-Right, table setting, what are you doing? -Table setting.
I am doing a 90th birthday breakfast tray for my great aunt.
So, the chocolate pot is in the form of a lighthouse.
-Right. -Hopefully with a flashing light.
-And then there are a couple of shell... -[laughing]
...er, little plates.
[Matt] Rowan's aiming high again,
with a maritime masterpiece he's hoping will keep him clear of disaster.
His lemon biscuit lighthouse hot chocolate pot
will be adorned with Viennese biscuit sea creatures.
-You've practised this? -I have.
-[Paul] You've done it in the time? -No.
Brilliant.
[laughs]
You will finish this challenge, okay, in four hours.
I wanna see what you can do.
-That's what's frustrating. -I know.
-Do you understand? -I know. I'll do my very best.
[Laura] I'm just adding my spices.
I'm gonna put an extra little bit in for good luck. [laughs]
[Noel] To create a showstopper that will wow the judges...
[Dave] This is extra brute cocoa powder.
Gives it a richer chocolate taste.
[Noel] ...not only must their biscuits be packed with flavour...
There's 20 tablespoons of coffee. Keep me going till lunchtime.
[Noel] ...it's vital they're strong enough to hold their shape.
Whenever someone says a moulded biscuit or a structure with biscuit,
everyone jumps to gingerbread,
so it's gonna be tough to stand out today.
[Matt] Peter's aiming to grab the judges' attention
with a gingerbread haggis,
filled with Scottish raspberry and oat cranachan cream.
It is Scotland on a plate. Scotland as a plate. [chuckles]
[Noel] Mark's taken his inspiration from much further afield.
[Mark] My table setting is an Ethiopian coffee ceremony.
I love it. Erm, every time I'm in Ethiopia,
I have quite a lot of coffee. I love coffee, yeah. Yeah.
[Noel] Decorated with striking geometric icing,
Mark's ceremonial coffee set will be made of a cinnamon and coffee dough,
darkened with edible charcoal powder.
This is where it gets messy. [chuckles]
This recipe suits me quite well
because I'm a messy baker, so it feels nice to get stuck into something.
[Matt] But he's not the only baker opting for a dark dough.
I am making a Viking table setting.
Vikings are just so cool, they're just so badass.
[Matt] Lottie's creating a charcoal and gingerbread dining set fit for Valhalla,
the great hall in Norse mythology,
where heroes slain in battle are welcomed into the afterlife.
-Are you a Viking? Are you from-- -Secretly.
-No. I'm really not. -No?
I'm 98% British.
-It's upsetting and boring. -[Prue and Noel laugh]
If you mess this up, you won't get into Valhalla, you know that?
And that's what worries me the most.
Let's see if we can open the gates of Valhalla later.
[laughing]
[Laura] The shaping is important.
It needs to look realistic, not like a five-year-old's done it, which,
I'm not gonna lie, is a challenge. [chuckles]
[Noel] Sculpting biscuit dough will not only test the bakers' creativity...
[Lottie] This is what stresses me out the most.
[Noel] ...but will push their technical know-how to the limit.
These are gonna stay in its mould,
and when it's baked, it should release straight away.
[Noel] Not only is it tricky to shape, but can easily become tough if overworked.
[Rowan] This is the lighthouse,
so I have found, if you foil it first, it'll hopefully hold it all together.
[Mark] This goes beyond baking knowledge
and takes you into the realms of how to be a potter.
[Matt] While most bakers are shaping then baking,
Mak is taking a unique approach.
[Mak] I'm not gonna be using moulds.
So, that's interesting. So, instead of moulding your biscuit,
you are making all the pieces flat.
-So they'll be like hexagonal. -Well, square-shaped.
[Matt] Mak's using flat pack
to create an art-deco style chai tea set
with oblong teapot and cuboid cups.
How've you got on in practice?
To be quite honest with you, I have struggled.
That's why I've actually pared it down somewhat in the final bake.
It's better to do something which you can achieve.
That's right, yes.
[Noel] In contrast, Dave's aiming to conjure up some magical curves.
An Aladdin's saucer.
So, they're gonna look very similar to that.
If I rub them, I'd wish for Star Baker.
[Noel] Taking his inspiration from a trip to Mexico,
Dave's coffee jugs will be part of a chocolate and coffee flavour table setting
decorated with the colours of the Mexican flag.
[Dave] Gotta have the flavour,
but high detail, I think, what they're after as well,
so if I keep my cool, should be good.
Are actually going in.
[Matt] Getting the larger pieces into the oven as quickly as possible is vital...
One down, two to go.
[Matt] ...to give the bakers time to prepare
the multitude of smaller biscuit bakes.
[Lottie] This is the brandy snap. Looks super healthy, doesn't it?
I've got this embossing mat. It gives a lovely lacy detail to the biscuit.
[Linda] Just lift it up and gently place it in the middle.
Try to keep it as neat as you can.
[Dave] This is the amoretti biscuit.
Want it to look like a woven sort of placemat.
These are delicious biscuits. They've got cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger,
and black pepper, so they are amazing.
[Noel] Sura's Ramadan tea set will be made from a Dutch-style speculaas biscuit,
each piece elaborately decorated with intricate patterns.
[Sura] During Ramadan, we always have people over.
You break your fast, after that you sit down for tea,
and that's what it's based around, that social vibe.
[Matt] However, favouring a more solitary dining experience is Marc.
[Marc] This is the mug, knife and spoon, and plate.
Just a basic breakfast tea set for one.
[Matt] Marc will use his experience as a sculptor
to fashion his spiced ginger biscuit set,
complete with toast rack and toast.
I've worked with woods and metals for most of my life.
It's different making something out of biscuit. [chuckles]
-[Rowan] Right. Press on. -[Hermine] They're ready to come out.
[Dave] They look good. Gotta keep my eye on stuff,
lots of different things going on at once.
[Peter] This is my haggis biscuit.
It's still a bit bumpy, but it is a sheep's stomach after all.
[Rowan] How does it look? Rustic. Rustic's all right.
[Mak] Before it cools down, I need to make my shapes.
[Marc] They're looking okay.
As long as it keeps going okay, I'll be all right.
[Mark] I'm happy with it. I'll be decorating it in colourful icing.
[Matt] Colourful icing? That was vague.
-[Mark] Yeah. -[Matt] Which is good.
If you don't get it all done, you say, "I was only supposed to do one blob there,
a nipple there and a nipple there."
-Exactly. -They are like breasts.
They are. There's no denying that.
Just gonna get the next things in now.
[Matt] To create all the elements for their complex biscuit constructions...
Right. Going in.
[Matt] ...the bakers must manage numerous batches...
[Peter] That's the trencher that my haggis will sit on.
[Matt] ...if they're to stand any chance of finishing on time.
[Linda] They've come out nice.
You've gotta be so careful because they split very, very easily.
It's very, very delicate biscuit.
[Noel] Inspired by a high tea she had in Amsterdam,
Linda's one of the few bakers swerving sturdy gingerbread,
gambling instead on a delicate rosewater shortbread.
Everything you make is going to be out of this very fragile short biscuit.
-[Paul] Okay. -[Prue] That's brave.
-[chuckling] -It is very brave.
-You've gotta be brave. Go for it. -Absolutely.
Oh, God, I've got to unmould this.
[Mak] I just need to ease it into the plate.
I don't wanna be giving them a flat disc. [chuckles]
[Noel] The bakers now face the critical task
of separating the delicate biscuit from the mould.
[Lottie] If this does break, I can stick it back together badly with caramel,
but I don't have time to faff about with it.
[Noel] They only get one chance.
[Lottie] I just wanna get this out.
[Noel] If the biscuits shatter,
so will their showstopper dreams.
Collateral damage. That's why I made extras.
[Rowan] I might cry if this breaks.
Oh, for goodness sake!
[Mak gasps] No!
Broken there slightly.
[Rowan] This is very delicate.
Hardly dare breathe. [chuckles]
[Lottie] Oh!
[Mak] I may have just overbaked it by a minute or so.
[Lottie] No way this is happening.
Bakers, you have 200,000 hours left.
-Time is ticking. -[Noel] Two hours, you're halfway through.
200,000 hours.
Can't believe it's been two hours already.
I'm gonna let that cool. It has a bit of a shape to it.
Oh.
-[Laura] Let's get this tuile out. -[Rowan] That looks done.
I want to put it somewhere safe, now it's made.
[Dave] That's my amoretti placemat.
As it cools, that'll go really nice and crunchy.
-[timer beeps] -These are done. Perfection.
See how they've cracked at the top?
[Linda] Happy with that.
[Marc] Almost good enough to eat.
[Hermine] My last one going in.
[Mark] I had hoped to be finished all my baking by now,
but I've still got some things to finish.
[Lottie] I'm terrified because I've completely lost track of what I'm doing.
All I know is I've got half a boat there.
Yeah, I've got so much to do.
[Laura] I'm in a good place.
I'm making a three-tier cake stand,
and I'm trying to replicate an afternoon tea
that I had for my lovely nan's 80th birthday.
[Matt] Keen to do justice to the family celebration,
Laura's gingerbread and brandy snap bake
comes with an extra sprinkle of commitment.
[Laura] I've probably practised 15 times in total.
I've changed the recipe, I've changed the design.
I just hope it tastes nice.
[Noel] But Laura's got stiff competition when it comes to tea time.
Sugar lace, I'm gonna use for my tea canister.
It's a showstopper so one needs to be ambitious.
[Noel] Hermine's creating a Japanese style tea set
also in gingerbread,
adorned with hand-painted flowers and cherry blossom.
Hermine said earlier she enjoys my, er, comedy shows.
Do you enjoy Noel's comedy shows or are you not sure who he is?
[laughing]
-I didn't know Noel did comedy. -Oh.
[all laughing]
Well, I'm being honest.
Noel is one of Britain's most popular children's entertainers.
-[Sura] This is my last bit. -[Mark] That's my baking done.
Turning the oven off, that feels really great.
[Matt] As their biscuits cool,
the bakers can turn their attention to decorations.
I'm prepping the egg glaze. It'll give that terra-cotta look.
[Laura] I've made my own fondant out of marshmallows.
I think that is spot-on.
In here I've got some oatmeal, whipped cream, raspberries, honey, whisky,
and that's gonna be my cranachan cream filling.
I'm making really soft-set jam. I want it to look like blood.
-Bit dark. -How long have we got left?
-Bakers. -[mimics echo] Bakers, bakers...
-You. -You, you...
-Have. One. -Have, have... One, one...
-Hour. -Hour, hour...
[both] Left, left, left...
Echoey in here, isn't it?
[Mak] That's my teapot.
If somebody can just hold it all the way through... [chuckles]
[Dave] This is what's gonna glue everything together.
[Paul] The bakers this year are very talented.
I think it's quite a tricky challenge.
It is. What I like is the theme.
We've got a Ramadan tea and we've got a Valhalla, Viking.
If it sticks, great. [grunts]
-[Paul] Ethiopia. -[Prue] Ethiopian one.
[Mark] I hope they don't say they can't taste the coffee.
Viennese lighthouse.
[Rowan] Slightly ragged but I'll trim it afterwards.
They are very imaginative. It's nice.
I made a spoon.
No spoons today.
A lot rides on this for a few people. I'd like to see them all finish on time.
[Lottie] I'm currently running six minutes over.
Yeah, this is tight. Like, every minute counts.
[Rowan] I'm hoping I haven't given myself too much to do.
Go as fast as I can without panicking.
Bakers, you have half an hour left.
This is gonna be a tight finish.
Just wanna curl up in a ball and die quietly.
I've got to decorate everything.
It's not really on right. [grunts]
[Mark] It's about getting the angle right.
[Mak] Caramel, it's difficult to work with.
It sticks really quick and if you've not got it right, it ruins it.
Argh, look at this. I need to wash my hands.
[exhales]
Do you know what, it's not perfect, but at this stage it's the best I can do.
[Linda] I'm just airbrushing a bit of silver on them
to try and build colour bit by bit.
The colour's the most important bit, 'cause Mexico is vibrant and colourful.
Putting some royal icing on my cups.
Green is the colour of the tea set I was given.
[Rowan] This is royal icing. It dries very quickly.
This is meant to be rough.
[Mak] I'm not happy with this. I've gone for a terra-cotta,
but it's looking like a pinky-orange.
[Linda] Oh, this is my favourite part.
[Noel] This could be your challenge.
I hope so. Depends what it tastes like, Noel, doesn't it?
-[exhales] -And breathe.
[Lottie] Let's just decorate.
[Mark] Rushing, hate this.
[Laura] Can't stop my hand from shaking.
[Sura] No, I'm not working to a design.
I don't know what I'm doing, if I'm honest.
Hopefully I can put a bit of fondant rim on it once it dries.
I'm doing a semi-flood on this biscuit.
[Rowan] Oh, it's cracked.
It's been in a storm, this pot.
It's getting more and more rustic.
Good. Let's try and work quicker.
[Marc] Just got the red dots to add. Attention to detail.
-[exhales] -I enjoy the finishing touch,
make it look pretty.
I've literally had to say in my head, "Green, white, red. Green, white, red."
The spout was always a risky part. Oh, dear, dear, dear...
[Lottie] This looks like a child's done it.
This is the most stressed I've ever seen you.
-Yeah, yeah... -Shall I go?
-Could you? -Is that what you're trying to say?
Just be blunt with me,
-I'm thick-skinned. -I'm ready for you to leave now.
-You're just in the way. -[laughs]
I'll get that on my CV, "You're just in the way."
The teapot is so gaudy, they're gonna say, "This is disgusting."
[Laura] Right, come on, last push.
-That's my structure. -[Linda] This is my teapot,
very delicate.
[Matt] They look square.
-[Mak] They are square. -Square teacups?
-[Mak] Yes. -[Matt] Is the tea square?
It's sort of a loose leaf.
[Rowan] Okay, that feels fairly robust.
-Fingers crossed. -[Peter] I'm filling my haggis
with some cranachan, and that's it.
[Dave] They're all done now.
-[Mak] I know it's not brilliant. -Bakers, you have one minute left.
What can I do in one minute with gold leaf?
[Laura] Just shaking so much.
[Mark] Is time about to be up?
Bakers, your time is up.
[exhales]
[Lottie] I think that'll do. [blows raspberry]
[Mark] God, the pressure in this tent doing that.
Super happy. That went really well.
I think Paul will be pleased. It's largely finished.
[Noel] It's judgement time for the bakers' showstoppers.
Rowan, would you like to bring up your showstopper?
I'm calling this Worse Things Happen at Sea.
[all laughing]
-We did get your flashing lighthouse. -You get the flashing lighthouse.
[Paul] It looks like a lighthouse.
It does look a bit smaller than a lighthouse.
-[laughing] -[Paul] Little bit.
-[Matt] Yeah. -[Prue] Is this gingerbread?
It's all a lemon...
Biscuit.
Lovely flavour.
[Paul] That's been worked so much.
-[Prue] Too thick. -Tastes like rubber, it's a shame.
'Cause the flavour's not bad.
[Prue] I feel it's not your best, Rowan.
I know you can do more. It's a bit disappointing.
It's got a bit of a Roger Hargreaves vibe.
-[Matt] Hmm. -[Paul] It looks brilliant.
The toast, the rack, the knife,
the way that you've done the buttercream and that, looks great.
Thank you very much.
Because it's thick, which it needed to be for the middle of the toast,
-it's squishy in the middle. -Okay.
-[Prue] But I like that. -Overall,
-you've done an amazing job. -Thank you.
[Paul] They're a bit clumsy, but they're all uniform
and I like the colour on the outside.
It's beautiful. It looks as if you sprayed it on.
Thank you.
I'm not convinced on the flavour.
It's all quite bitter, isn't it?
See, it's gotta taste good as well as look good.
Underneath this is a stand which you've just put this on the top of.
I'm not convinced that that's had a lot of work in it.
-Lovely flavour. -[Paul] The flavour of the biscuit's nice.
It's got a kick to it from the spices, but in four hours,
I'd wanted something a little bit neater.
[Prue] You've certainly made it very pretty.
It really is extremely well done.
The biscuit has been worked a little bit too much.
The texture's not quite there.
It was always gonna be an issue with shortbread,
but I think the design is very pretty.
-[Prue] It certainly looks very African. -Scruffy, but it looks the part.
[coughs] Love it.
[laughing]
-Strong, innit? -[Prue] It's lovely.
-Very strong coffee flavour. -I like that flavour, don't you?
-[Prue] Hmm. -[Paul] Never had anything like it before.
You'll be awake all night, Paul.
I love the colours.
-It's so Mexican. It's beautiful. -Yeah.
[Paul] That is remarkable.
We were looking for form and shaping and moulding,
-I think you've done an amazing job. -Thank you.
It's very believable.
That is lovely.
Thank you.
-Mmm. -That's actually delicious, yeah.
Overall, you've done a really good job.
Thank you.
We were looking for moulding, you've gone flat.
I know that the teapot's not moulded,
but I like the look of it.
That looks a bit bendy.
I like the flavour.
[Paul] Not much ginger.
It's not a bad flavour, though.
I just think the whole thing's a bit clumsy.
You needed more care, to be more precise.
-Thank you, Mak. -[Mak] Thank you.
[Paul] It looks rushed to me. You're normally very neat.
That's not neat.
-It's just the icing that is rushed. -I agree.
Great flavour, though. Great snap.
-[Sura] Thank you. -Really crispy. Delicious.
-Hmm. Very good. -Really nice.
-[Prue] Thank you. -Thank you.
I like that. It looks very neat. It's quite effective.
-[Prue] So that's the cranachan. -Mmm-hmm.
The mixture of oatmeal, whisky, raspberries...
Honey and cream.
-Mmm. It's delic... -[chuckles]
You couldn't finish the word delicious, it was so delicious.
-[Noel] Prue's in ecstasy. [chuckles] -[Prue] It's very witty.
And actually, the biscuit's beautiful.
It's well baked, it's tasty.
-I think you've done a great job. -Thank you very much.
[Prue] It's very impressive.
I think the boat's there, it's a shame you ran out of time
'cause it's gone all over the place, but you've moulded it nicely.
Erm, the plate looks a bit rough.
It is Viking, it's been under the ground for the last 500 years or something.
Thanks, Prue.
[Prue] It's good gingerbread.
Very crisp, lovely flavour, lots of ginger.
It has got a nice flavour to it.
-Overall, you've done a decent job. -Very good.
I think they could see the vision, which is reassuring.
[exhales]
I reckon I got away with that. Flavours might pull me through.
[Mak] Biscuit Week wasn't my strongest.
If I do make it through this round, it'd be some kind of miracle.
Hopefully, you know, the judges will look favourably upon me.
[Rowan] I think my position is more than precarious, really.
I think it's completely tipped over onto the slidey slope to,
er, oblivion.
[Matt] It's decision time for Prue and Paul.
Who'll be named Star Baker and who will leave the tent?
So who do you think did the best in that last challenge?
-[Paul] David's was very good. -Absolutely lovely.
I adored it and then I liked...
-[Noel] Mark R. -...Mark.
-His Ethiopian tea set. -[Matt] Marc E had a really good week.
-I really loved that. -Very clever.
The texture, the look, it's very neat.
-[Matt] Hmm. -So the Marks...
Top marks for the Marks.
[laughing]
[Paul] We've got a few people in the mix
-for Star Baker. -[Matt] Hmm.
But when it comes to who's going home,
it's difficult between Mak and Rowan.
Which of those two do you think is the most likely to improve if they stay?
Well, I have to say Rowan doesn't seem to take any advice.
Paul has been saying to him,
"Try not to promise too much."
"And, for goodness sake, finish."
[chuckling] He hasn't done it once yet.
You just want his execution to be better
-because he has great ideas. -I know.
On the other hand, Mak is steady, good...
-But he's not blowing your mind. -Yeah.
I sense that you're torn.
We'd better leave you to make your decision.
Fortunately for me, I've got the great job of announcing
who is Star Baker.
And Star Baker this week is...
Dave.
-[all clapping] -Thank you.
Well done, you.
Thank you. Thank you.
So it falls to me
to announce who will be going home this week.
I've never done it before and I've been dreading this moment.
I will say that it was very close.
And it involved a lot of discussion.
But I'm afraid to say the baker going home this week is...
-Mak. -Thank you.
[Mark] Sorry, man.
I was expecting that, thank you very much.
-Unlucky, Mak. -Okay, no, no, it's okay.
I just felt in my bones that it was me.
I know that I gave everything.
-Thank you. -I'm gonna miss you.
It was a privilege to be here,
meeting new people, making new friends.
It's just been amazing.
Oh, Mak, honestly, I'm astonished.
My ideas saved me this week.
-The last, last chance saloon. -I did my... I tried my hardest.
Just rein it in a little bit.
[Rowan] Going into next week,
I'll hope to manage the technical side of things rather better.
I'm happy that I'm through but I'm really gutted that Mak's gone.
He's such a lovely guy. It hurts.
I'm gonna miss him.
Can't believe it. I'm through! [laughs]
The coffee was strong and they got a kick from it.
It's nice to hear that I'm probably keeping Paul and Prue up all night.
[laughs]
It's been a good week for me.
I'm ecstatic. That was amazing. Super happy.
Yeah!
I'm Star Baker this week.
-[woman over phone] Oh, my God. -I know.
-No way! -Yeah, I can't believe it.
I'm so proud of you.
[Dave] What an end to the week.
[cheers] Well done!
[closing theme music playing]