S11.E09: Patisserie Week

[Athena]

Quote

The last four bakers facing three patisserie challenges to decide who will be going through to next week's final. The signature round features plenty of alcohol, while the technical challenge sets the bakers the task of making pastry horns. Finally, for the Showstopper, they must use all the precision they can muster to construct a cake made entirely from smaller cakes.

 

[Aulty]

The nice bits: some baking innuedo and some cute animal shots - the little duckiiies - I missed those. And Peter did pretty well and his bakes looked quite professional.

Everything else: What. A. Mess.

I think a lot of it is down to the COVID shooting schedule, its just not working for this show, I hope they revert to the old format next year if they can.

They need to do their homework and find better stuff for the technical challenge. It should require baking knowledge, not a degree in structural engineering. Its about baking techniques after all.

The editing of the Signature was a bit annoying. They made it look like Hermine just threw everything together in the last couple of minutes, but her babas were actually pretty neat. Overall it also seemed like the lads had a good time on their side of the tent whereas both Laura and Hermine were constantly checking how they were doing in comparison to the other.

Cube cakes? An abomination unto Nuggan. And again no word on the quality of the stand they had to bake aswell.

Noel and Matt chipping in again in the pre-juging chat. Pointing out Laura scraping by for weeks. But it had to be Hermine, its sad, but her Showstopper was crap. Laura is one lucky girl. I am not excited about the final.

Edited November 18, 2020 by Aulty

[Irlandesa]

Noooooo.  Not Hermine.  But I predicted it was probably going to be her.  She had two really good weeks in a row and it just feels like weeks that should be a baker's strength end up tripping them up. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Recipes

Signature challenge
Laura's poached pineapple, kiwi, and passionfruit rum babas
Peter's strawberry and elderflower babas

Technical challenge
Danish cornucopia

Showstopper challenge
Dave's celebration of chocolate cube cake
 

Hermine's exit interview

Adorable anecdote:
 

Quote

Living in the bubble with my son Stephen was amazing, he definitely had the best summer of his life. I could focus on baking and practising more than I could do at home. I did worry that I wasn’t giving him my full attention but he had a great time, and Paul gave him a ride in his car. Stephen left him a parking ticket on his car window for bad parking, and said the penalty was a ride in his car. Paul came to look for him and paid the penalty! It was such a nice thing to do. Prue is such a lovely person as well, and my son Stephen walked her two dogs – he loves dogs so that was an extra treat for him.  Prue left him a lovely thank you note when we left the tent.

 

Edited November 18, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[zibnchy]

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Hermine was my favorite almost from day 1. If Laura goes on to win this I will hate this show (briefly).

Peter for the win now. I think he has some good skills and he seems like a nice young man.

I read somewhere that Noel and his partner just had a new baby in October I think. He also has a toddler I think. So a pregnant partner and filming during a pandemic is probably monster stress and may be a contributing factor to Noel's on show behaviors which have seemed a bit off to some of us this year. Will be interesting to see what next year brings (if we all survive.)

That said I'm grateful we had a show this year.

[weightyghost]

This was nonsense. 

Laura becomes last in the technical and showstopper that looks a mess (AGAIN) and slips through? Just because the judges had higher expectations of Hermine? Laura has screwed up week after week with underbaked and messy bakes and the judges say nothing. It's just mindboggling. They can get rid of a contestant who used a little too much chile pepper but Laura can serve up an underbaked cheesecake that's a blob on the plate and gets excused. 

[Kiddvideo]

DANGIT. Was reading the Daily Mail and got spoiled by a headline. I don’t know exact details of what happened, but I do know the 3 finalists now. That’s twice this season. Errrrgh.

[Aulty]

1 hour ago, weightyghost said:

This was nonsense. 

Laura becomes last in the technical and showstopper that looks a mess (AGAIN) and slips through? Just because the judges had higher expectations of Hermine? Laura has screwed up week after week with underbaked and messy bakes and the judges say nothing. It's just mindboggling. They can get rid of a contestant who used a little too much chile pepper but Laura can serve up an underbaked cheesecake that's a blob on the plate and gets excused. 

Yeah, she is very lucky that the technical counts for nought these days. I thought they were pretty even:

• Hermine's mess of a showstopper <>  Laura's mess of a technical
• Hermine's well executed but poolry decorated techical <> Laura's well baked signatures that Paul didn't like the look of and said where overspiced
• Hermine's signature that was lauded for its taste but slightly underproofed <> Laura's tasty but ugly showstopper

at that point Hermine's SB from the previous week should have given her the edge, especially after Paul told Laura yet again that she needs to up the precision. Hermine was the quiet steady worker that gets tripped up by a bad week. But Laura is the more interesting contestant from a reality competition's point of view - she brings the tears and the drama. And they way Paul talks to her she seems to strike a chord with him.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I accidentally got spoiled about who was eliminated before I watched this episode but I was still shocked by how poorly Laura did. How did she manage to squeak by?

Hermine really jinxed herself. Don't all reality show contestants know that if they say, "_______ is my thing! It's going to be my week!" they are just setting themselves up to fail? And then she made things worse by (1) changing her showstopper receipt at the last minute - remember how well that worked for Lottie? (2) admitting that she wasn't following her new recipe. When she said that, my reaction was GURL, WHY?!

I could not believe how much gelatin she used. I was not at all surprised when it came out so solid.

Silicone molds can be tricky to get pieces out of so I thought Peter's strategy of using a regular tray and then cutting everything was the prudent decision. Then they cut to Dave telling Noel or Matt that each of the individual cube molds he used cost 9GBP and then he sliced each one open. I know you want to win but that seems so wasteful!

[weightyghost]

56 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Then they cut to Dave telling Noel or Matt that each of the individual cube molds he used cost 9GBP and then he sliced each one open. I know you want to win but that seems so wasteful!

They weren't individual cube molds - they had 8 per sheet (Hermine had the same ones) and when he was talking about how costly they are, he had already cut them up into the individual cubes and then was slicing them open. So he wasted 27 pounds... rather than 216 😄

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I know there's only one more episode left, but I am definitely going to miss Hermine pronouncing French words correctly in the finale. The savarin comments this week were cracking me up!

Just now, weightyghost said:

They weren't individual cube molds - they had 8 per sheet (Hermine had the same ones) and when he was talking about how costly they are, he had already cut them up into the individual cubes and then was slicing them open. So he wasted 27 pounds... rather than 216 😄

That makes me feel slightly better but still what a waste to have all those silicone molds that can't ever be used again!

[jpgr]

I had no problem with the judge's decision. Hermine's signature had the wrong texture (underproved), and looked worse than Laura's, which weren't perfect but had great texture and flavor. And in the showstopper, it was only the mirror glaze that let Laura down. Even though she did all one flavor, there were many layers which all had the proper textures and great flavors.

I am astonished by how messy Laura's bench and apron always are - that mirror glaze spilling all over must have taken quite a while to clean up! But I did appreciate her reiterating that she is a home baker, and these increasingly hard bakes are really challenging her. I love that she doesn't give up.

I said earlier that I never warmed up to Hermine, but I don't actively dislike her, and she is obviously a great baker.

I was very happy for Peter, he had a great attitude throughout. Love that he didn't use alcohol in his Savarin but still wowed the judges with flavor, and I was really impressed with his showstopper.

Was Dave the only one who baked his support/trays for the showstopper? He also did well but I am rooting for Peter over him in the final.

[Dessert]

I am increasingly disappointed in this season. Most of the baking doesn’t measure up at all. They completely lost me when no one could make brownies. 

I understand that finding contestants who could participate must have been a challenge. Everyone seems nice, but now the few competent bakers are falling by the wayside. The humor has also been god awful. I think I’ve had it.

[Kiddvideo]

Apparently viewers are so upset with Laura’s advancement to the finals that they’ve become abusive on her social media accounts, and both Hermine and Paul have issued statements defending her. One thing I learned: Paul only gives handshakes in the Signature bakes (with one exception for a showstopper.)

[SemiCharmedLife]

Wow!  That was a real upset...I was sure Hermine would shine on Patisserie week and end up in the Finals with 3 Star Baker weeks.  Having said that, I do believe it was a fair decision, based on judging week by week.  I literally yelled in anguish at my tv when Hermine flubbed her Showstopper so badly.  Up until that point, Laura had a better Signature bake and Hermine had a beautiful Danish cone.  Laura's showstopper had five layers, all very delicious, according to the judges, and the failed mirror glaze (don't get me started on her messiness!). Hermine's gelatin cubes seems inedible to me - I would have passed.  It is always so difficult to lose a favorite baker on a disappointing Showstopper, as we have seen with Mark, Lottie, Marc, and now Hermine.

Also, I feel that the timeline imposed by the pandemic has really stressed the bakers.  There is just no downtime to de-stress and enjoy the process.  The perfectionists baker types don't have a week to fit in lots of practice bakes.  It just seems like it's steamrolling to the final.  They all deserve to be very proud of their efforts.

Edited November 20, 2020 by SemiCharmedLife
spelling error

[ShortyMac]

So happy for Peter - he crushed this week; he did so well. His decision to use a cake mold and cut the cubes after was smart. 

I have really warmed to Dave - he's great. His showstopper was awesome. Chocolate galore and gooey, oozy caramel (Paul was right - the precision on that was amazing, it runs out, but, it's not too thin), and a coffee/chocolate biscuit base. Heaven to me. 

I figured those two would make the final. Would love to see either of them win it all.

Laura, eh. She's not my favorite. Her constant drama irritates a smidge.

I also want to echo others who have said they are tired of seeing so much passion fruit; I agree wholeheartedly.

Excited for next week...!

[Kiddvideo]

Laura, if you’re bored with the judges’ usual comments, “Tastes nice, looks a mess” then maybe you should do better. And it’s not simply explained away that she’s getting an edit that shows her struggling. We can see in her final products that she’s struggling. I worry she won, and the edit monkeys have been setting-up a redemption arc.

Noel, c’mon man. Talking to Peter about how he should’ve gotten some guy’s phone # to hook up and try on his clothes? And then asking Hermine if they should pretend the horn was a penis? I can understand it to some extent: They’ve been isolated together for weeks and they’re going to relax and build friendships, but is that the best content to air?

Even after seeing the episode, I think Laura should’ve been eliminated. Dead last in signature and technical, and a chocolate bloodbath of a showstopper. Hermine lost because of the judges’ expectations not her performance.

[Rammchick]

5 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

Even after seeing the episode, I think Laura should’ve been eliminated. Dead last in signature and technical, and a chocolate bloodbath of a showstopper. Hermine lost because of the judges’ expectations not her performance.

Keep in mind, however, that despite how it looked, Paul and Prue raved about the taste of Laura's showstopper, whereas Hermine made rubber.

[TVbitch]

Another disappointing episode. I didn't even pay attention during the "horn of plenty" technical, cuz it seemed pretty silly and only chosen so there could be lots of penis jokes, starting with Paul asking Prue if she wanted to "sample his horn" and she replying "just the tip". Eeeewwww!!!!

Never heard of cube cake, but well done to the boys. 

[dleighg]

I laughed at the fact that at least one person (Dave?) had no idea what a "horn of plenty" looks like, and had it standing up on its end. I think pretty much every American kid has to cut one out of construction paper in elementary school for a Thanksgiving decoration, LOL. 

It did seem like interpreting those instructions would have been absolute torture though. 

[MerBearHou]

I do like that, for the judges, it's not a popularity contest -- it's who they see as doing the overall worst for that round of 3 bakes.  Every once in awhile -- especially early on -- they keep someone who's a bit more interesting (i.e., the charming older gent who was always too ambitious) but as time goes on, it's about how the baker did in the round and they aren't afraid of cutting someone very well-liked such as Hermine or Lottie.  

Edited November 20, 2020 by MerBearHou

[dleighg]

On 11/18/2020 at 8:10 PM, weightyghost said:

They weren't individual cube molds - they had 8 per sheet (Hermine had the same ones) and when he was talking about how costly they are, he had already cut them up into the individual cubes and then was slicing them open. So he wasted 27 pounds... rather than 216

Laura was also cutting hers up. It does seem very wasteful, even though of course this is a "once in a lifetime" situation.

[Kohola3]

I know that they have often said that nothing before each episode counts but I cannot believe Hermine, as star baker twice, was booted off just because of the poor show stopper.  She has been so consistently good from the beginning and Laura always just manages to squeak by.  I don't get it.

On 11/18/2020 at 11:01 PM, jpgr said:

But I did appreciate her reiterating that she is a home baker, and these increasingly hard bakes are really challenging her.

They are all home bakers.  There isn't a professional among them.

8 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

Noel, c’mon man.

Indeed.  While not quite as egregious as last week, Noel and Matt have just got to STFU.  I am so sick of both of them.  Stupid and inappropriate humor and getting in the way, wasting time.

16 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

Apparently viewers are so upset with Laura’s advancement to the finals that they’ve become abusive on her social media accounts, and both Hermine and Paul have issued statements defending her

That is absolutely ridiculous.  I would be a happy, happy person if all social media went away forever.  The anonymity gives people the feeling that they can be abusive without consequences.  Absurd.

[AZChristian]

8 hours ago, Kiddvideo said:

Noel, c’mon man. Talking to Peter about how he should’ve gotten some guy’s phone # to hook up and try on his clothes? And then asking Hermine if they should pretend the horn was a penis? I can understand it to some extent: They’ve been isolated together for weeks and they’re going to relax and build friendships, but is that the best content to air?

Had this show been produced in the US or by a US company, Noel would have been fired, and Hermine would have filed a sexual harassment suit, with every viewer as witnesses.  NOT acceptable, especially on what is considered to be a family friendly show.  And don't get me started on "I like patisserie, I eat it in my lingerie."  Grow up, Noel.  

Hermine also didn't seem to enjoy Noel's advice to snap Laura's neck or kick her.  She replied "That's not nice." 

2 hours ago, TVbitch said:

Another disappointing episode. I didn't even pay attention during the "horn of plenty" technical, cuz it seemed pretty silly and only chosen so there could be lots of penis jokes, starting with Paul asking Prue if she wanted to "sample his horn" and she replying "just the tip". Eeeewwww!!!!

Never heard of cube cake, but well done to the boys. 

I just replayed the episode.  She did not say that.  She did give him a little eyebrow raise at his offer to "sample his horn," though.

I kind of understand why Dave plated his the way he did.  In the description, Matt said to make the rings and "stack" them on the plate.  Kind of confusing.

I loved Hermine, but I thought the judging was fair.  

[krankydoodle]

On 11/18/2020 at 8:10 PM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I know there's only one more episode left, but I am definitely going to miss Hermine pronouncing French words correctly in the finale.

Noel won back some of my affection by asking Hermine to say apricot. And Matt had a really nice moment when he offered Laura support during that painfully complicated technical.

I thought it was a little odd that Peter had to ask Paul to try the third type of cube cake he made in the showstopper. It seemed like a set up for Paul's fake-out, but I'm probably just paranoid and hypercritical from sleep deprivation. I still enjoyed it and was happy for Peter.

I'll miss Hermine, but I'm still looking forward to next week despite my issues with the show this season.

Edited November 20, 2020 by krankydoodle

[bilgistic]

They're in a "bubble" but Noel got a haircut between last episode and this one? I guess "hair and makeup" could conceivably cut hair on set, but Prue's hair always looks a fright, so...?

Dave's cakes looked AMAZING, because I LOVE chocolate.

Edited November 20, 2020 by bilgistic

[dleighg]

4 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

They're in a "bubble" but Noel got a haircut between last episode and this one?

I noticed that as well

[AZChristian]

The place where the cast and crew stayed - isolated from the rest of the world and with no other guests - was the Down Hall Hotel & Spa.  Pretty sure they'd have a hair stylist available as part of the approved staff.  If I remember correctly, there was a staff of 20 from the hotel that stayed in isolation with them as well.

[DkNNy79]

Rooting for Peter.  I prefer Hermine to Laura but I thought the judging was fair based on the judge’s comments on their 3 dishes.  I had a feeling Hermine was going to get the boot.  It’s sucks for Hermine because she has been very consistent but as we’ve seen it only takes one bad weekend to kick a good baker out.

[dleighg]

24 minutes ago, DkNNy79 said:

I had a feeling Hermine was going to get the boot.

At least from the camera shots they showed at the end, it looked like Hermine was pretty sure she was leaving as well. I don't think she had any hope at all.

[Crs97]

Interesting to hear that the contestants seem to enjoy the bits that we find annoying from Noel and Matt.  Matt’s pep talk to Laura was lovely, and then she passed it on to Hermine.

I think we all know by now that flavor wins over looks, as it should.  As soon as Hermine’s was compared to rubber, we all knew she was done. It has also been made clear that each week is judged on its own so the nonsense about how well or poorly the contestant did earlier was exactly that - nonsense just for drama’s sake.  Laura reminds me of Allison, who always needed to pull off the showstopper to move forward.  
Rooting for Peter, but like Dave as well.  If Laura pulls it off, I’ll be okay with it, too, I guess.

[Pepper Mostly]

On 11/18/2020 at 11:01 PM, jpgr said:

I had no problem with the judge's decision. Hermine's signature had the wrong texture (underproved), and looked worse than Laura's, which weren't perfect but had great texture and flavor. And in the showstopper, it was only the mirror glaze that let Laura down. Even though she did all one flavor, there were many layers which all had the proper textures and great flavors.

I am astonished by how messy Laura's bench and apron always are - that mirror glaze spilling all over must have taken quite a while to clean up! But I did appreciate her reiterating that she is a home baker, and these increasingly hard bakes are really challenging her. I love that she doesn't give up.

I guess I'm in a minority but I like Laura. I love how she's always up to laugh, and pokes fun at herself. She seems to be a happy, cheerful person, and I get the feeling that the competition is taking a lot out of her. She's seemed less bouncy the last couple of weeks. I also love her exchanges with Matt--I know she's a fan and it must be such fun for her ton trade quips and just casually say "Hey, Matt, can you get me a spoon?" or whatever. 

I think Peter will win, and I'd be fine with that. I was sorry to see Hermine go.

[festivus]

I like Laura too. I'm more interested in things that taste good rather than look good although it's nice if you can do both. I think that's what did Hermine in.

Dave's cornucopia cracked me the hell up. As an American I'm plenty familiar with what one looks like but I can see not really knowing if you're British. It cracked Paul up too and that might be the most I've ever liked him.

Noel however, is on my last nerve this season. And I really liked him before.

[Crs97]

Yes, Laura may have had only one flavor, but the cakes had 4-5 layers and the judges loved them other than the mirror glaze.  She did not play it safe.  She seems quite sweet; I am unhappy that people are bullying her for something completely out of her control.

[krankydoodle]

I like Laura, too. I wonder if the fact that we see her fumbling or struggling more than the other bakers (dropping her cornucopia, spilling the mirror glaze, and crying during the technical) is contributing to some viewers feeling she should've gone instead of Hermine.

I wish we had found out what Hermine's original idea for her showstopper was and why she had to abandon it, or why she seemed to be completely winging it at one point. Even though she didn't have time to practice it, I was surprised when it seemed like she was just guessing at the amounts for some ingredients. I also wanted to know what Dave did differently to finally succeed with his caramel since they made a point of showing him fail at making it twice.

[BradyB66]

I so sympathize with Laura.  I’m a bit clumsy too, and when I’m under pressure and rushing, it often results in stupid disasters.  I hope she can put the social media trolls in perspective.

I got such a kick out of Noel doing his damndest to distract Dave with his humor, and Dave calmly ignoring him and getting on with his work.

[dbell1]

It’s sad people are sending Laura hate. This show has been my Friday night break for weeks. I make a good dinner, grab a dessert and settle in to watch posh bakes with unfamiliar ingredients (except passion fruit, I never want to hear that word again). The group was supportive of each other, and we got a show during a pandemic, where the bakers left home to voluntarily quarantine. So many people gave up a lot to get this on air. 

I thought Matt was lovely to Laura when she was melting down. 

Sorry to see Hermine and her beautiful accent and bakes go, but when she made up a new recipe and then started winging it, everything went wrong.

I’m going to miss this show after the finale. 

[cherrypj]

I’m rooting for Dave. Shoulder shimmies FTW!

[springbarb]

On 11/18/2020 at 12:19 PM, weightyghost said:

This was nonsense. 

Laura becomes last in the technical and showstopper that looks a mess (AGAIN) and slips through? Just because the judges had higher expectations of Hermine? Laura has screwed up week after week with underbaked and messy bakes and the judges say nothing. It's just mindboggling. They can get rid of a contestant who used a little too much chile pepper but Laura can serve up an underbaked cheesecake that's a blob on the plate and gets excused. 

This seems harsh. Laura's had some bad bakes, but they all have. Her MO seems to be lacking in the presentation, but good flavors and generally good bakes, too. She's been scraping by, but isn't that bad.

 

9 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I know that they have often said that nothing before each episode counts but I cannot believe Hermine, as star baker twice, was booted off just because of the poor show stopper.  She has been so consistently good from the beginning and Laura always just manages to squeak by.  I don't get it.

Hermine has had some not great weeks--and honestly, Hermine's second Star Baker was between her and Laura. This season has come down to show stoppers a lot; it seems like there's been a decent amount both of people saving themselves with show stoppers and dooming themselves. Hermine not having a set recipe she'd done before was her downfall, I think.

5 hours ago, Pepper Mostly said:

I guess I'm in a minority but I like Laura. I love how she's always up to laugh, and pokes fun at herself. She seems to be a happy, cheerful person, and I get the feeling that the competition is taking a lot out of her. She's seemed less bouncy the last couple of weeks. I also love her exchanges with Matt--I know she's a fan and it must be such fun for her ton trade quips and just casually say "Hey, Matt, can you get me a spoon?" or whatever.

Obviously, I like Laura, too. She seems to have a good attitude about everything, and I also just keep thinking about how much she must appreciate being able to hang out with Matt Lucas.

I'd be VERY surprised if Laura won, but you can never tell. Peter seems like the favorite, and I like Dave, too.

[iwantcookies]

Social media spoiled who went home. I’m sad she left. But she messed up badly. 
 

Peter the cute little rabbit will win. He really is adorable.

 

Davids horn resembling a penis and Paul laughing was hilarious. 
 

 

 

[SemiCharmedLife]

11 hours ago, dleighg said:

I laughed at the fact that at least one person (Dave?) had no idea what a "horn of plenty" looks like, and had it standing up on its end. I think pretty much every American kid has to cut one out of construction paper in elementary school for a Thanksgiving decoration, LOL. 

It did seem like interpreting those instructions would have been absolute torture though. 

As a long-time  kindergarten teacher, I made sure each of my students made the obligatory horn of plenty each November!  I really laughed at the results of this challenge, although Hermine nailed the shape perfectly!

[iwantcookies]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/entertainment-arts-54998859
 

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/entertainment/amp34728559/great-british-baking-show-laura-hermine-finale-reaction/

[MisterGlass]

The cub cakes seemed like a variation on entremets, but stacked in tiers.  Dave's looked tasty, and Peter's were very pretty.  I also liked his rectangular savarins.  That was distinctive.

I'm sorry it was Hermine, but I wasn't surprised.  I saw the jiggle of her cube as she set it down.  It was as gelatinous as the gelatin showstoppers the other week.  What a sweet story about her son angling for and getting a ride in Paul's car.

I also like Laura, and hope everyone settles down.  I would pick flavor first, and her showstopper sounded good.  I'm a messy cook as well, so I sympathize.

The show has always had double entendres.  It was entertaining when they were accidental.  It's not charming when it's overt.

[Crs97]

10 minutes ago, MisterGlass said:

I would pick flavor first, and her showstopper sounded good.  I'm a messy cook as well, so I sympathize.

The joke from my boys is the uglier the bake, the better it tastes.  When I make it pretty, they’re leery.

[Quilt Fairy]

5 hours ago, festivus said:

Noel however, is on my last nerve this season. And I really liked him before.

OMG, yes!  He's far too intrusive and not in the least funny.  (Maybe he is funny if you're British?)  When he and Matt were doing their schtick as Prue and Paul left before the Technical, I was yelling at the TV, "This show is not about you two guys!"

Did anyone else catch the shot of the gorgeous butterfly early in the show? 

[phalange]

I know the judges had no choice because her showstopper was basically inedible, but I'm still sad to see Hermine go. I had a feeling it would be her, simply because as soon as someone's specialty is the week's theme, they always end up doomed; it never fails. I wonder why she had to switch up her recipe at the last minute. Maybe her original idea would've gone better, but hindsight and all that. Now that my favorites, Lottie and Hermine are gone, I don't really have a particular favorite to win, so at least I won't be too stressed watching the finale. I guess I'm rooting for Laura, since she's the underdog of the final three.

As an American, I did laugh at Dave being confused by what a cornucopia is supposed to look like. It's like a few episodes back when no one understood how to make a crescent. He tried, though.

Noel was still being too much this week, but I liked Matt encouraging Hermine and comforting Laura. 

I love that it was warm enough outside that all the bakers are all in shorts and t-shirts or sundresses, but then you have Paul, Prue, and Noel still wearing long sleeves like it's winter.

[blueray]

I totally started laughing at the Horns (I think it was Dave's?) as it looked like something else lol. I was glad when Paul started laughing too.

Anyhow, I'm sad to see Hermine go. But when it came down to her and Laura. Laura had a better signature and she had a better technical. While they both did bad on the showstopper, Laura's tasted really good. As soon as she said she hadn't practiced it, I had a feeling it wasn't going to work out. 

As for the boys. Peter's was technically good but I much rather have Dave's. His looked like something I'd buy from a bakery. 

[Ellaria]

11 hours ago, dbell1 said:

It’s sad people are sending Laura hate. This show has been my Friday night break for weeks. I make a good dinner, grab a dessert and settle in to watch posh bakes with unfamiliar ingredients (except passion fruit, I never want to hear that word again). The group was supportive of each other, and we got a show during a pandemic, where the bakers left home to voluntarily quarantine. So many people gave up a lot to get this on air. 

I thought Matt was lovely to Laura when she was melting down. 

Sorry to see Hermine and her beautiful accent and bakes go, but when she made up a new recipe and then started winging it, everything went wrong.

I’m going to miss this show after the finale. 

I like Laura. Yes, her bakes are often messy but the judges continue to complement her on her flavors. That has value. Regardless, I think that the winner is either Peter or Dave.

I am thrilled that we got the show during the pandemic, too. I appreciate the effort made by everyone in the cast and crew for doing what it takes to get it done. I enjoyed the bakes, even the weird ones. And I agree that this seemed to be a kind, supportive groups of bakers. I don't need to see a group of "superstar" bakers; I enjoy their efforts whether good or not-so-good.

Matt seemed to help Laura in her worst moment. However, he and Noel annoyed me to no end this season. Noel, in particular, seemed to lose sight of why he is here. His commentary was often intrusive and not related to the baker's situation. Much of it was out of context and over the top.

The fact that the heat in the tent continues to disrupt the bakes is disappointing. Yes, I know ALL about why they can't use air conditioning. Hoping they can find a way to solve this issue soon.

And Paul's reaction to Dave's cornucopia was priceless.

[Kohola3]

2 minutes ago, Ellaria Sand said:

I am thrilled that we got the show during the pandemic, too. I appreciate the effort made by everyone in the cast and crew for doing what it takes to get it done. I enjoyed the bakes, even the weird ones. And I agree that this seemed to be a kind, supportive groups of bakers. I don't need to see a group of "superstar" bakers; I enjoy their efforts whether good or not-so-good.

This has been such a bright spot in a time where I have been stuck at home most of the time.  I, too, appreciate the effort that went into making this all possible.  

This is so much more soothing than the horrible contests in the US where the contestants are always boasting about how wonderful they are and how they know will beat everybody.  This group all seems so respectful and supportive of each other which is so refreshing.  Although I do think there was some wonky editing this time designed to make it look otherwise.  The time that Laura asked for help and it appeared as though she was ignored comes to mind.  I think that was all on the part of the producers.

Noal and Matt - a waste of air time.  Just go away.

[Ellaria]

3 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

This has been such a bright spot in a time where I have been stuck at home most of the time.  I, too, appreciate the effort that went into making this all possible.  

This is so much more soothing than the horrible contests in the US where the contestants are always boasting about how wonderful they are and how they know will beat everybody.  This group all seems so respectful and supportive of each other which is so refreshing.  Although I do think there was some wonky editing this time designed to make it look otherwise.  The time that Laura asked for help and it appeared as though she was ignored comes to mind.  I think that was all on the part of the producers.

Noal and Matt - a waste of air time.  Just go away.

Agree about the US competitive cooking/baking shows. I don't watch any of them. I watch this show precisely because it is soothing and beautiful to look at (the English estates!). It is good for my soul.