And the winner is………….

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So it was time for the Final of The Great British Bake Off this week! Where did the nine weeks go? It seems like just yesterday that the new series started in the tent that once belonged to me and the other 2014 bakers.

You can watch BBC’s Catch up with the Bake Off Class of 2014 here.

I found this series a bit slow and repetitive at first, but in a couple of weeks, just like the whole nation, I was gripped. The tent definitely seemed to be missing the banter this year and it felt more competitive than in previous years. In the end the 3 most deserving bakers got a place in the final. You can read my blog on the series and finalists on Digitalspy.

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The first challenge of the GBBO 2015 final was Iced buns.

Nadiya looked calm while both Ian and Tamal had their fair share of struggles. Tamal had timing issues again and ended up doing a Flora impression by trying to use freezer to save his bake. Ian forgot to put the sugar in his buns which resulted in them not being baked properly.

The technical challenge was to bake Raspberry Millefeuille. It was obvious that the judges wanted to challenge the bakers with pastry as they had struggled with these in previous weeks. Paul thought Tamal’s looked a mess and Ian’s pastry was a bit underdone. Nadiya struggled with her basic maths while making the layered pastries, which reminded me of my issues with counting the layers in the schichtorte last year!

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Nadiya won the technical challenge while Tamal came last. At this stage Nadiya looked in control and the title was hers to lose.

The last showstopper challenge of The Great British Bake Off was a Classic British Wedding Cake with a minimum of 3 tiers.

Tamal’s 3 tiered Sticky Toffee Pudding cake had the classic British theme of an ancient abandoned Chinese fishing village. Obvs!

Ian made his own stand for his 5 Tiered Colossal Curry Carrot Cake with a waterfall effect for his icing. At this rate, next year he will be featuring in the Grand Designs!

Nadiya’s Big fat British Wedding Cake was made with lemon drizzle cakes and featured influences from her wedding in Bangladesh. She had obviously been watching last year’s Bake Off and made her own marshmallow fondant.

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In the end Nadiya and her cake won the hearts of the judges and the nation. She was, very deservedly, crowned the Bake Off Champion of 2015!

And just like that The Great British Bake Off has finished for another year!

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Food with Chetna

This week you can learn to make beautifully soft home made Chapatis on Food with Chetna These flat breads are really straightforward to make. Once you have tasted these you will never eat shop bought wraps again. Enjoy!

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