The Bake Down - Bake Off Reviewed

It's here...the 2025 Bake Off final. Only three bakers made it here and with three challenges left to go, only one can be crowned the winner. This week, our amazing finalists tackle a doughy signature, a classic French technical and 1.2 meter-long showstopper! Join Sarah, Jane and Howard as they dive into the details of the final and reveal who has won the final accolade of 'Great British Bake Off...

Four bakers remain but only three can get through to the final...it's patisserie week! Our fantastic four must face a puff pastry signature, a fruity technical and a macaron marvel of a showstopper with Paul and Prue watching and waiting for any slipups. Who will make the Bake Off final and who will fall at the final hurdle? Join Jane, Sarah and Howard as they discuss all things Parisian in this p...

It's dessert week for the quarter-finals, and our five remaining bakers must tackle three sweet challenges to get them that step closer to the illustrious Bake Off final. This week we have a cheesy signature, a reversed technical and a free-standing showstopper, and, as always, Paul and Prue are watching for any mistakes...who of our Famous Five will be sent home? Join Sarah, Jane and Howard as th...

For the second time this year, we've got a never-before-seen theme: meringue week. The bakers must whisk their way through three sticky challenges if they are to be crowned Star Baker. We've got a tarty signature, a technical on the rise, and a chilly showstopper - all opportunities to impress the judges and make it through to next week. Join Sarah, Jane and Howard as they discuss all things merin...

Seven bakers remain but only six can make it through pastry week. With both sweet and savoury challenges, our magnificent seven face a plaited signature, a classic technical and a sculpted showstopper. Paul and Prue will be on the lookout for the perfect flake and no one wants to have a dreaded soggy bottom. Join Sarah, Jane and Howard as they discuss pastry week and reveal which of our intrepid b...

It's gooey, it's delicious, it's chocolate week! We join our eight remaining bakers as they take on a bubbly signature, a pastry-encased technical, and a melting masterpiece of a showstopper. Join Jane, Howard and Sarah as they discuss the ups and downs of chocolate week and find out about the mysterious first-time appearance of the Gingham Pantry. The big news once again from Bake With A Legend i...

In a first for the Bake Off tent, we're sending the bakers Back To School to tackle three testing challenges: a lunchbox snack signature, a canteen classic technical and a showstopper fit for the school fete. Paul and Prue will be keeping a careful eye on their students and hopefully no one will be put in detention. Join Jane, Sarah and Howard as they look over Back To School week and discuss who'...

The Chairman of the (bread) Board, Mr Paul Hollywood is on the lookout for the perfect loaves in bread week. The remaining 10 bakers must impress both Paul and Prue as they face a monkey bread signature, a glazed doughnut technical and a sweet celebration showstopper. Join Howard, Jane and Sarah as they discuss bread week; who rose to the occasion and who is toast. The big news once again from Bak...

It's biscuit week and the heat is on in the kitchen. The remaining eleven bakers battle it out with three biscuit challenges: a hidden design signature, a chocolate-coated technical and a showstopper filled with precious memories. Prue and Paul are on the lookout for another star baker but someone will also have to say goodbye to the tent and their dreams of the Bake Off final. Join Sarah, Howard...

And we're off...! Cake week begins another year of The Great British Bake Off with 12 new bakers and three new bakes: an imprinted Swiss roll signature, a Fondant Fancy technical and a Landscape Cake showstopper. Our class of '25 have to face the pressures of the tent, as well as the judging of the King and Queen of the kitchen, Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. Join our Bake Down podcasters Jane, Ho...

It's everyone's favourite time of year as once again The Great British Bake Off returns for 2025, marking 16 years on our screens. Join Howard Middleton, Jane Beedle and your Bake Down Host Sarah Taylor, as they assess this year's candidates and try and gauge who could be our finalists for 2025. The big news once again from Bake With A Legend is that not only are we still having great fun hosting...

This week we caught up with the delightful Gill Howard, semi-finalist from The Great British Bake Off 2024. Listen to our brand new episode to hear Gill chatting to Sarah, Howard and Jane about her time in the tent, her family-inspired bakes and her love of The Great British Bake Off. If you want to bake along with a Bake Off star, we have plenty of virtual classes on sale now for you to enjoy and...

Another podcast episode and another star of The Great American Baking Show: season 7's Jenn Reyes. Jenn chats to Howard, Jane and Sarah about her experiences in the famous tent, her time with Bake with a Legend and, most importantly, her beautiful dog London. Does being a dentist and a sugar-loving baker go hand-in-hand? Listen to find out! If you want to bake along with a Bake Off star, we have p...

Welcome back for more baking chat on The Bake Down Podcast. This week, Sarah, Jane & Howard are joined by The Great American Baking Show winner and former Bake with a Legend alumnus, Kim Goldfeder Clarke as they discuss everything from cakes to caramels, biscuits to batter and the inspirational message that Kim shares through her cooking. Listen in for more tales from the tent, and find out wh...

The Bake Down is back for another summer season, and what better way to kick things off than with a lovely interview with the delightful Adela Mou, finalist on season 8 of The Great American Baking show. Join Great British Bake Off stars Howard Middleton and Jane Beedle, and host Sarah Taylor as they chat with Adela and discuss technical terrors, star baker surprises and how British ingredients ju...

It's here, it's the final of The Great British Bake Off 2024 and we are three challenges away from crowning our fifteenth winner. But before that, the finalists must face a classic teatime signature, an afternoon tea technical and a summer-inspired showstopper. Dylan, Georgie & Christiaan have all worked so hard to get to the final, but only one can be the winner. Join Sarah, Jane, Howard, and...

It's the semi-finals and it's patisserie week. The remaining four bakers face an Eiffel Tower of delicate French desserts in this last final bid to get to the final of the Great British Bake Off 2024. Patisserie week this year brings us a laminated pastry signature, a layered cake technical and a fruity illusion showstopper. With only three places in the final, who will reign supreme as this seaso...

Grab your flares and your disco balls cos it's Bake Off's first Seventies week. With five remaining bakers and only nine more challenges of the series, the stakes have never been higher, so it's all to play for if the bakers want to be Stayin' Alive. This week, the fabulous five must face a towering choux signature, a sweet pie technical and a vintage gateau showstopper. Who will be crowned the ne...

It's dessert week in the tent and the bakers have to face some very cheeky puddings to make it to the next round! With a sweet meringue signature, a steamed pudding technical and an Italian classic showstopper, our remaining six must steady their nerves as well as their hands and they whip and pipe their way through a very sweet week indeed. Join Howard, Jane and Sarah as they discuss dessert week...

We're past the halfway mark as we head into week six with Bake Off's very first Autumn week. The remaining bakers will be bringing the flavours of fall into the tent as they tackle a comforting Autumnal signature, a spicy Northern technical and a celebratory festival showstopper. Who will win the Star Baker award and make it one step closer to the revered Bake Off Final? Join Sarah, Howard, Jane a...

One of the tent's trickier weeks is back to befuddle the bakers: pastry week. This year the remaining eight bakers are pushed to the limit with three new challenges: a frangipane shortcrust tart signature, a Greek filo pastry technical and an elevated choux pastry showstopper. Paul and Prue will be watching the bakers closely to see whose shortcrust will crumble and whose choux will fail to rise....

It's caramel week in the tent and the nine remaining bakers must up their game if they're to avoid meeting a sticky end. The three challenges facing the bakers this week are a caramel biscuit signature, a tarte Tatin technical and a caramel mousse cake showstoper. Join Jane, Howard and Sarah as they discuss the sweet treats of caramel week. The big news once again from Bake With A Legend is that n...

It's bread week: the week everyone fears...! As the remaining ten bakers line up their loaves to be prodded and probed by King of Bread Paul Hollywood, the tension as well as the dough is rising in the tent. This week the bakers must face a Savoury Buns Signature, a Plaited Wreath Technical and a Plentiful Cornucopia Showstopper. Join Howard, Jane and Sarah as they discuss this year's bread week a...

On to another classic of the Bake Off tent this week as we celebrate the joyous union of sugar, butter & flour in biscuit week. Still going strong with twelve bakers, our intrepid contestants must face a Viennese Whirl signature, a mint cream biscuit technical and an edible puppet show showstopper. Join Howard, Jane and Sarah as they discuss the piping panics and the tempering triumphs of bisc...

It's everyone's favourite week in the tent: cake week! A chance for 12 new bakers to show off their skills, baking some delicious dishes in a loaf cake signature, a brand new Battenberg technical and a hyper-illusion cake showstopper. Our 12 new contestants are ready to go and are whipping up a frenzy to try and claim the first Star Baker award of 2024. Join Sarah, Jane and Howard as they discuss...