The Bake Down - Bake Off Reviewed

Hurrah! It's back again! Bake Off returns in the UK on 26th September and in the USA on 29th September and we hope we'll be your perfect accompaniment to the new series. Host of Bake With A Legend Sarah Taylor, is joined by Bake Off legends Jane Beedle, Howard Middleton and Dan Beasley Harling to assess our new dozen as we try to work out who the potential winners could be from the limited biograp...

Just three bakers have made it to the 2013 Bake Off final: Kimberly, Frances and Ruby now have three final challenges to face before one of them can be crowned the winner. The tremendous trio face picnic pie signatures, perfect pretzel technicals and wonderful wedding cake showstoppers, as Paul and Mary judge their bakes one last time and announce a final star baker. Join Sarah, Howard, Dan and Ja...

It's the semi-finals and the tent's gone all continental for French week. The bakers are set the challenges of a triple canape signature, a Charlotte Royale technical and an opera cake showstopper in the last push to reach the glorious Bake Off final. With only three spaces available, who will fall at the final hurdle and miss out on a chance to be crowned 2013's Bake Off champion. Join Sarah, Dan...

This week's five remaining bakers tackle Alternative Ingredients week, baking wheat-free signature loaves, a gluten-free technical dacquoise and a dairy-free vegetable showstopper cake. Who will make it to the semi-finals and get one step closer to being crowned 2013's winner, and who's vegetable cake has missed a beet? Join Sarah, Jane, Dan and Howard as they dive into Alternative Ingredients wee...

With the quarter-finals only one week away, it's all hands to the pastry bags for this week's challenges: an old-school suet pudding signature, a toppling choux nun technical and a trio of flaky golden puff pastries, for a last show-stopping chance to enter the quarter-finals. Join Sarah, Howard, Dan and Jane as they discuss preferred pastry techniques, favourite flavour combinations and wonder ju...

This week the magnificent seven face sweet dough week, whipping up delicious treats in the tea loaf signature, couronne technical and European bun showstopper. With the competition getting harder, the bakers will have to step up their game to try and impress the judges and win a place in the final. Join Sarah, Jane, Howard and Dan as they revisit Bake Off’s season 4, and find out what Mary Berry r...

We're halfway through the series and the remaining 8 bakers are being watched ever closer by Paul and Mary, as this week we see tray bakes in the signature, tuiles in the technical and biscuit towers in the showstopper. Only 7 can get through to next week and one step closer to the treasured Bake Off final. Join Sarah, Jane, Howard and Dan for Bake with a Legend's Series 4 Throwback Podcast as the...

With nine remaining bakers, the pressure is on to avoid the dreaded soggy bottom in Pies and Tarts week. The challenges being faced this week are: a double crusted fruit pie, egg custard tarts and a fiendish filo showstopper pie. Will their custards have the right amount of wobble? Will their fillings be flavourful? Does anyone besides Ali hate apple pie!? Join Sarah, Jane, Dan and Howard in our S...

It’s dessert week in the tent and Paul and Mary have set some custard-tastic challenges for the bakers this week: a trifle signature, a floating island technical and a petit four showstopper. Join Dan, Howard, Jane and Sarah for another series 4 throwback episode as they discuss the infamous Custardgate ‘scandal’ and find out where Mary Berry likes to spin her sugar.  The big news once again...

It's week two in the tent and the bakers are put to the test baking breadsticks, English muffins and decorative loaves. Under the watchful eyes of Paul and Mary, the bakers tackle bread week as they create their signature, technical and showstopper challenges and try not to crumb-le under the pressure. Join Sarah, Howard, Dan and Jane for another episode of The Bake Down's season 4 throwback as we...

Let's start at the very beginning...cake week. 2013 saw a baker's dozen enter the tent for the first time and there was plenty of drama to go round with deflated angel food cakes, melting chocolate and lots of work for the tent paramedic! Join host Sarah and our trio of Bake Down panellists Jane Beedle, Dan Beasley-Harling and Howard Middleton to discuss the rises and falls of cake week from seaso...

The Bake Down is back but we bring you a little something special this year: we will be heading back to 2013 and reviewing The Great British Bake Off season 4 (or season 2 in the US.) We'll be reviewing each episode, week by week, and looking back at the brilliant bakes brough to us by the class of 2013. For this introductory episode, Bake Down host Sarah will be talking to Mr Custardgate himself,...

Happy New Year listeners! The first Bake Off of 2023 brings us some famous faces from seasons past: Chigs Parmar, Manon Lagreve, Anthony Amourdoux and Lottie Bedlow. The bakers are given some fantastic festive challenges to ring in the New Year: a savoury Wellington signature, a vegan Baked Alaska technical and a Buche de Noel entremets showstopper. Will they be able to relive their tent triumphs...

Merry Christmas everyone! The Bake Down Bunch are back with a special Christmas episode. It's time once again to induct 5 new celebrity bakers into the Bake Off tent, taking on a festive signature, technical and show-stopper to try and win the title of Christmas Star Baker 2022. This year, to mark the anniversary of Channel 4, we see entertainment icons Terry Christian, Claire Sweeney, Gaby Roslin...

***As mentioned at the start of the podcast we'd love you to join our free webinar on Saturday 26th November (9am PT / 11am CT / 12pm ET / 5pm UK.) The brilliant Dan Beasley Harling (GBBO series 9) will be teaching live from London, all the skills you need to master his delicious Pumkin Spice Whoopie Pies. Click here to sign up , it's completely free.*** It's week 10 and our intrepid three final b...

The four remaining bakers try their hand at posh patisserie, making mini desserts, teetering tarts and a nutty showstopper spectacular. There will be wobbles, crumbles and overbaked biscuits, as Paul and Prue decide which of the Fab Four will make next week's final, and who will fall at the final hurdle. Join Jane, Howard, Dan and Sarah as they discuss the ups and downs of patisserie week and find...

Our fantastic five face pastry in the tent this week with Paul and Prue keeping their beady eyes open for laminated layers and soggy bottoms! The bakers have to tackle a puff pastry signature, a fried pastry technical and a pie scene showstopper. Who will survive to the semi-finals and who will flake and crumble under the pressure? Join Howard, Jane, Dan and Sarah as they discuss pastry week and t...

With the quarter finals only one week away, we enter the tent with our remaining six bakers to tackle the nail-biting world of custard: a frozen custard technical, a set custard showstopper and a sea of custard in the signature, surrounding an island of poached meringue…. or fried chicken! Join Jane, Dan, Howard and Sarah as they discuss this week's wobbles ask the question: “can you ever have too...

Only seven bakers remain in the tent as we experience Bake's Off's very first Halloween week. There's frights and delights as the bakers tackle Autumnal favourites with an apple cake signature, a hanging lantern showstopper and a technical guaranteed to leave you wanting S'more. So, join the terrifying trio: Jane, Dan and Howard, and Sarah, your ghostess with the mostest, as they discuss Halloween...

Only 8 bakers remain in the tent as this week they tackle desserts: a steamy signature, a tart technical and moussey showstopper. It wasn't all sweetness and light though, as the bakers had to deal with stodgy puds, rubber jelly and the dreaded soggy bottom! Join Sarah, Dan, Howard and Jane as they discuss the ups and downs of dessert week and try to find out the precise nature of 'chinchilla crea...

It's week 4 in the tent and we have the first of this season's international themes: Mexican week! The 10 remaining bakers brought their favourite Central American flavours to the gingham alter, as they were asked to bake Pan Dulces, Corn Tortilla Tacos and Tres Leches Cakes. With the potential of two eliminations looming and the promise of 'star baker' only a few challenges away, it was all to pl...

Bread week is here, and the bakers have been kneading, proving and rising under the watchful steely blue eyes of King of Bread, Paul Hollywood. Whether it’s crispy pizzas, fluffy pan au raisin or the show stopping Smörgåstårta, the remaining bakers were ready to roll up their sleeves and roll out their doughs. We hope you enjoy our bread week episode, and we’ll leave it up to you to deci...

Welcome back to The Bake Down! It’s biscuit week in the tent and this year gave us illusion Macaron signatures, Garibaldis for a technical challenge and spectacular biscuit masks in the showstopper. We had a new star baker and another sad exit as well as a double handshake. Join Sarah alongside former contestants Dan, Jane and Howard as they see which way the cookie crumbles as they discuss biscui...

***As mentioned at the start of the podcast we'd love you to join our free webinar this Saturday (9am PT / 11am CT / 12pm ET / 5pm UK) in memory of Her Majesty, the late Queen, Elizabeth II. The brilliant Howard Middleton (GBBO series 4) will be teaching live from Sheffield, UK all the skills you need to master his delicious Chocolate Tiffin, a treat believed to be a favourite of Her Majesty. Clic...

Hurrah! It's back again! Bake Off returns in the UK on 13th September and we hope we'll be your perfect accompaniment to the new series. Founder of Bake With A Legend Josh Landy is joined by Bake Off legends Jane Beedle and Dan Beasley Harling to assess our new dozen as we try to work out who the potential winners could be from the limited biographies and photographs that are shared ahead of the s...