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Although it's weeks after the fact (US viewers are lucky; Canadian Netflix does not carry GBBO, and while prior seasons are available here on CBC's Gem app, they have not yet broadcast this season in Canada), I thought I'd chime in on Suffolk Pond Pudding as I'd heard of it before but couldn't remember where/when. The late novelist Laurie Colwin put out two lovely cooking memoirs called "Home Cooking" and "More Home Cooking", collections of short cooking-related articles, and SPP pops up in the aptly-titled chapter "Kitchen Horrors" in the first. Colwin found the recipe in a Jane Grigson book which entailed four hours (!) of steaming. By that point, the lemon is "soft and buttery", easily cut, and is submerged in a "lemon scented buttery toffee". Each serving contains a portion of crust, a slice of lemon, and some sauce. Colwin loved the result; her dinner party companions did not. My host said: "This tastes like lemon-flavored bacon fat." "It looks like the Alien," said my future husband. "I'm sure it's wonderful," said my hostess. "I mean, in England." The woman guest said: "This is awful." The ridiculous lack of cooking time reminds me that two prior winners, Edd Kimber (s 1) and John Whaite (s 3), both criticized the show on social media for setting clearly insufficient time for contestants to complete challenges. I suppose it's done to amp up the drama.

Also at their website, where I'm watching it. I hope they don't plan on cutting out the technical every week. I really enjoy the technical as I think it shows the contestants' natural aptitude/talent for baking since they're all making the same thing. As for the showstoppers, Yan's bowl of ramen, Flo's watermelon and Steven's baker's lunch were all spectacular looking. Wow.

CBC will be airing GBBO starting Wednesday, July 11th at 8:00 p.m. As their website offers bios for Prue, Sandi and Noel, it must be UK Season 8 which they'll be showing.