S11.E11: The Great Christmas Bake Off

[Athena]

Quote

The Christmas special will see Jamie Finn and Rosie Brandreth-Poynter from 2019’s Bake Off, 2018 finalist Ruby Bhogal and 2017 contestant James Hillery battle it out for the coveted Christmas Star Baker title. And, because ’tis the season, there will also be a magical performance of Silent Night by pop star Alexandra Burke.

Original UK Air Date: December 24, 2020.

[J-Man]

Jamie seems to be obsessed with things American ... both his signature and his showstopper were based on American concepts. But it's odd that he thinks that American football is played on a "pitch."

[chaifan]

Do we know if/when this will air in the US? 

[Athena]

3 hours ago, J-Man said:

Jamie seems to be obsessed with things American ... both his signature and his showstopper were based on American concepts. But it's odd that he thinks that American football is played on a "pitch."

In British English a pitch can be defined as "an area of ground marked out or used for play in an outdoor team game: a football pitch." Basically, a playing field.

 

2 hours ago, chaifan said:

Do we know if/when this will air in the US? 

Given that last year's Christmas special aired earlier this month, Netflix will probably secure it for after the next series in 2021.

[chaifan]

2 hours ago, Athena said:

Given that last year's Christmas special aired earlier this month, Netflix will probably secure it for after the next series in 2021.

Can I suggest that after the "air date" line in the intro post you put something like "Not aired yet in the US."?  That way people like me will (hopefully) stop reading and not get spoiled. 

With all the different numbering of seasons between BBC, PBS, Netflix, etc. I really have no idea what seasons I've watched.  It gets so damn confusing, and then they add the holiday specials as part of the season, which honestly makes no sense since they take place so far after the season has ended. 

[emmawoodhouse]

It's tagged "Unaired USA."

[Aulty]

I am surprised how well Tom Allen and Matt Lucas worked as presenters. Tom even tasted some bakes and went in for nibbles. TPTB should consider bumping Tom to the main show.

Edited December 26, 2020 by Aulty

[Rahul]

On 12/25/2020 at 8:44 PM, Athena said:

Given that last year's Christmas special aired earlier this month, Netflix will probably secure it for after the next series in 2021.

I wonder why Netflix never aired the very first 2016 Christmas specials with Mel and Sue.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I had to stop the episode partway through just to complain. Ruby claims that Elf is one of her favorite Christmas movies yet she thinks that Buddy was eating a bowl of cereal with meatballs. As someone who loves Elf, I had to say GIRL, NO.

First of all, it was a plate of spaghetti, not a bowl, and there were no meatballs (at dinner or the next morning at breakfast). Secondly, he wasn't eating cereal. He was eating spaghetti with maple syrup which he then garnished with handfuls of marshmallows, M&Ms, fudge Pop Tarts, Sno-Caps, and chocolate syrup.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

As much as I love Christmas and Christmas desserts, 99% of the time I have absolutely no interest in the stuff they make on the GBBO holiday specials (I'm not a fan of desserts with dried fruit and/or spices like nutmeg) and this was no exception. Panettone and Christmas pudding? No thanks! But it was still nice to see all of the former contestants. I always enjoy the holiday specials because the judges are less uptight/more friendly.

Ruby's panettone sounded the best of the lot because chocolate and cherry sound a lot better than the usual dried fruit extravaganza. I loved her cute little Christmas box presentation too. Her marzipan holly and ivy were a minimal but festive addition. I don't know the difference between the texture of a pudding versus a panettone so I'll have to take Paul's word for it.

James' piña colada panettone was a nice change from a traditional panettone. I loved his tropical theme with the Santa. The pineapple trees were a really fun addition. I loved that the temp host was too busy stuffing his face with his panettone to make any comments.

Jamie's (American) football panettone sounded like a pretty terrible idea and they ended up looking pretty bad too. And that's before I knew that they were raw.

Rosie's date, cranberry, and mace panettone got points for the tiny gingerbread houses on top of each one. So simple but so Christmas-y!

I've never made a Christmas pudding (see above for my "hate dried fruit in desserts" complaint). I would be really interested to hear how good Prue's microwave version fared versus one made the traditional way.

I don't mind illusion cakes as long as they aren't all style with underbaked cake (or cake that doesn't taste good).

I was so undecided about James' chocolate and cola ham. On the one hand, it looked good in theory. But there was something about the color that made it look a bit off to me so the illusion wasn't completely convincing. The amaretto potatoes, marzipan carrots, cranberry and port compote, rosemary caramel gravy, white chocolate ganache peas, and truffle brussel sprouts were fun details. I loved that he put a real brussel sprout inside one and that Prue found it!

Jamie's KFC bucket of chicken made of chocolate cake and brandy buttercream made me laugh. I was hoping the judges would tell us how the white chocolate and peanut truffle corn on the cob tasted but they ended up not mentioning it at all. His churro fries had the wrong texture because he used the wrong nozzle tip, but I'll never say no to churros. THe chocolate mousse milkshakes were not exactly what I would call an illusion but I love chocolate mousse so I couldn't bring myself to complain about that either.

Rosie's turkey . I was so interested in the burn basque cheesecake Yorkshire puddings! The salted brandy truffle carrots, brandy caramel gravy, mulled wine cranberry jelly, champagne and white cacoa mousse mashed potatoes, and caramelized roasted potatoes all looked good.

Ruby's raspberry and cardamom cake sounded yummy. Interesting that Prue said the spaghetti melted in her mouth but Paul said it was rubbery. I wonder what she used to make them (aside from the agar agar).

Overall, this was a fun episode. The good thing about not liking things like Christmas pudding and panettone is that watching this didn't make me want to raid the kitchen!

Edited January 4, 2021 by ElectricBoogaloo

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Recipes

Signature challenge: panettone
Ruby's boozy chai, cherry, and chocolate panettone
Rosie's date, cranberry, and mace panettone
 

Technical challenge
Prue's Christmas pudding

Showstopper challenge: illusion cakes
James' cola cake
Jamie's chocolate mousse milkshake and churros
 

[Aulty]

2 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Technical challenge

Prue's Christmas pudding
 

I am sure many a bookmark where made for this recipe. If it really produces a decent pudding its a smart way to speed up Christmas cooking.

Edited January 4, 2021 by Aulty

[AZChristian]

I just watched the Christmas episode . . . and it was a WONDERFUL start to the day.

I loved Rosie in her prior season, so am delighted that she won Star Baker AND a Hollywood Handshake.  Her showstopper was beyond amazing.  She also looks to have lost a bit of weight, and looked years younger!!!

Mostly, I enjoyed seeing Tom Allen for the first time.  He and Matt played off each other well, but not in a "look at MEEEEEE" way.  I'd prefer Tom as a permanent co-host with Matt.

Well done, all!!!!

[laredhead]

AZChristian, is the Christmas episode on Netflix?

 

[caitmcg]

4 minutes ago, laredhead said:

AZChristian, is the Christmas episode on Netflix?

 

Not AZChristian, but yes, this episode is on Netflix as of today.

[Straycat80]

This was a fun episode. I didn’t know who Tom Allen was, had to Wiki him, but he did a good job filling in for Noel. They should have called Prue, Blue, this episode. I like that she’s a woman of a certain age who’s confident enough to dress different and dye her hair blue, I think she’d be fun to go out and have a drink with.

Anyway, I couldn’t for the life of me remember who Rosie was, maybe I missed her season,  but she deserved that win. Her showstopper was amazing. Did they have Jamie back for comic relief? Ruby and James had some good moments. I liked their showstoppers too. 
Anyone know when the New Years show will air on Netflix in the US? 

[irisheyes]

7 minutes ago, Straycat80 said:

Anyone know when the New Years show will air on Netflix in the US? 

Mine is already showing up on Netflix. 

[RoxiP]

I didn't know who Tom Allen was so I was expecting to see Ted Allem (is that the right name?) from Chopped.  Lol. 

I really liked Rosie on her season so happy to see her do so well.

 

Edited December 4, 2021 by RoxiP

[emmawoodhouse]

1 hour ago, RoxiP said:

I didn't know who Tom Allen was so I was expecting to see Ted Allem (is that the right name?) from Chopped.  Lol. 

I really liked Rosie on her season so happy to see her do so well.

 

I think you're referring to Ted Allen. 😀

[J-Man]

On 12/25/2020 at 2:18 PM, J-Man said:

Jamie seems to be obsessed with things American ... both his signature and his showstopper were based on American concepts. But it's odd that he thinks that American football is played on a "pitch."

No more odd than Ted Lasso thinking that soccer is played on a field.

[libgirl2]

21 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I just watched the Christmas episode . . . and it was a WONDERFUL start to the day.

I loved Rosie in her prior season, so am delighted that she won Star Baker AND a Hollywood Handshake.  Her showstopper was beyond amazing.  She also looks to have lost a bit of weight, and looked years younger!!!

Mostly, I enjoyed seeing Tom Allen for the first time.  He and Matt played off each other well, but not in a "look at MEEEEEE" way.  I'd prefer Tom as a permanent co-host with Matt.

Well done, all!!!!

She looked great. I had to look her up because I remembered her but she didn't look quite the same. 

I also liked Tom Allen. 

Edited December 4, 2021 by libgirl2

[meep.meep]

I really disliked Tom Allen - must be an acquired taste.

Huzza for Rosie winning.  On a shallow note, I want her glasses.

On 1/4/2021 at 2:07 AM, Aulty said:

I am sure many a bookmark where made for this recipe. If it really produces a decent pudding its a smart way to speed up Christmas cooking.

I looked at it and as we know, it works.  However, I doubt many people, even in England, have a candied clementine just sitting around their kitchen waiting for an emergency.  I don't know where to buy one.

[Quilt Fairy]

25 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

However, I doubt many people, even in England, have a candied clementine just sitting around their kitchen waiting for an emergency.  I don't know where to buy one.

Well, I'd just leave that out.  It didn't look to serve any purpose other than falling out when they cut into the pudding. 

[ombre]

18 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

I looked at it and as we know, it works.  However, I doubt many people, even in England, have a candied clementine just sitting around their kitchen waiting for an emergency.  I don't know where to buy one.

Cooking the pud in the microwave very, very emphatically doesn't depend on having a candied clementine on hand! :D. That said, I did think it was hilarious to use an ingredient that takes *days* of preparation (the candied clem) in a recipe that's all about speed! 

Otoh, I thought it was really rather lovely to have a *technical* that was not merely achievable but darn well near foolproof. Even the ones they didn't care for overmuch were still mostly fine! Way to make Christmas baking accessible! It's... It's a Christmas miracle! 

I did not overall love this ep - I'd forgotten how absurdly time-impossible most of not-the-most-recent-but-the-one-before-that season's challenges were. They really did a decent job if fixing that this most recent season. 

Otoh, I *did* actually love this ep. I adore Rosie and was also fond of Ruby. It was great to see Jamie get to go out on a successful note after feeling that he got the stooge treatment in his season (I mean... He also got that in this ep, but he was nevertheless successful in his bake.) and James was just fine. And while I was deeply afraid of Matt and whoever-this-other-guy-is, it turns out that I thought that Tom was fun and... *Matt* was better with him! It may really simply be that Matt + Noel + bubble is a recipe for disaster. 

[Cetacean]

The brussel sprout moment was hilarious.

 

[iMonrey]

I have only a vague recollection of Ruby. The rest of them I honestly did not remember. I don't know what that says about my memory. I tend to think binging does not lend itself to retention, although Netflix doles these shows out one episode per week.

Jamie clearly did not belong there, he was too far out of his depth. I wonder how they decide who to cast for these holiday specials. It would be interesting if they cast all finalists who didn't win. Someone who went out on week 2 isn't going to be very competitive, in all likelihood.

[ombre]

24 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

 

Jamie clearly did not belong there, he was too far out of his depth. 

They seem to do that on purpose. That said, I think he came off better here than in his season. It's funny, though, they've had so many mature-for-their-age youngsters, in comparison, one who's perfectly normal for his age comes off as shockingly young. 

[TimothyQ]

Fun episode! Tom Allen is great on Extra Slice; not sure I liked him so much in this, but it was nice having a different energy in the tent for sure.

Congrats to Rosie on her bakes! That Turkey cake did look amazing. I thought everyone not named Jamie did very well and it was great to see them again. 

[Cetacean]

47 minutes ago, TimothyQ said:

Fun episode! Tom Allen is great on Extra Slice; not sure I liked him so much in this, but it was nice having a different energy in the tent for sure.

I'm kind of the opposite, hate him on Extra Slice but thought he was OK here.  He and Matt were not so idiotic as a team as Noah and Matt are.  They are just a toxic mix.

[Mediocre Gatsby]

I liked this. I haven't seen any of the other holiday shows, so I'll have to dig them up. 

I didn't remember any of the bakers, but I liked them. Even Jamie showed off the love of baking that's the reason I love this show. 

I didn't like Paul and Prue talking about underbaked, overbaked when they didn't give them any baking times and it didn't seem to me that there was a way to tell if the puddings were underbaked or not. 

[kittykat]

Yay!  I love a good holiday special.  I was surprised how much I liked Tom Allen an thought he played well with Matt.

Hooray for Rosie, she pretty much knocked it out from the start.  Her turkey cake looked awesome.  I felt a little bad for Jamie but I'm glad he pulled out a decent showstopper.

Interesting mix of former contestants but overall fun show.

[SemiCharmedLife]

I just love the holiday specials!  I may have to go back and rewatch some old ones.  It was great to see the bakers again and enjoy their creativity.  It seemed like no one really nailed the signature bake- not enough proving time, or too many ingredients impeding the yeast's action.  I loved what Rosie did with the gingerbread houses for decor, though.

The showstoppers were a lot of fun.  Everyone really stepped up and gave us a lot of elements.  It was great that Ruby and Jamie took a more whimsical approach to their Christmas dinner.  James and Rosie really impressed me with the variety of bakes.

Tom Allen is snarky fun on An Extra Slice, and he can't really do that in the tent, since the hosts need to be supportive and good natured, rather than snarky.  So, I prefer him on the other show, but felt he did well as a sub for Noel.

And finally... I now know what Christmas pudding is!  It is so iconic in illustrations, literature and culture, but didn't really know what it was like inside.  Maybe I'll have to try to make one myself.  😊

 

[laredhead]

I enjoyed this episode, even though we are seeing it a year later in the U.S. via Netflex.  The vibe is more relaxed between the contestants which is nice, and allows for more humor.  

I have an old family recipe for Christmas pudding which I have never made because it calls for steaming the pudding, and the steps for assembling it are daunting.  Now that I know it can be made in a microwave, I'm going to attempt it.  My mother-in-law made it yearly, and it is delicious.  

[theatremouse]

On 12/4/2021 at 9:14 AM, Quilt Fairy said:

Well, I'd just leave that out.  It didn't look to serve any purpose other than falling out when they cut into the pudding. 

I thought it'd infuse some sort of citrusey flavor? Or is it really more like the baby in a king cake?

[ombre]

48 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

I thought it'd infuse some sort of citrusey flavor? Or is it really more like the baby in a king cake?

With such a short "bake" it wouldn't infuse much (unless you were to do the traditional thing and make it weeks ahead of time.  Which you really, really should, or at least a few days ahead.  Gives time for the flavors to meld.)  Most of the overall citrus flavor in this recipe would be from the zest and the candied peel.

I usually use Julia Child's recipe (which also includes microwave instructions because Julia knew her stuff!), which uses marmalade instead of molasses.  You can compare Julia and Prue.  The most important thing to know about both recipes is that they use butter instead of the traditional suet, and are thus utterly amazing and brilliant.  Suet is a wonderful, light, flakey fat and makes a great pudding, but can be hard to come by.  In my city there was only one butcher we could get it from back when I was a kid.  And one year they gave use another fat by mistake and... well.  You only need one year of the wrong fat to come to the conclusion that you'd really rather not ever do that again.  So having a butter-based recipe makes the whole thing much easier to execute correctly.  Which.  Again.  The loveliness of a really, really accessible recipe in Christmas bake-off make me feel warm and cozy to the very tips of my toes.

Edited December 5, 2021 by ombre

[MisterGlass]

It was a nice win for Rosie.  I liked her in her season with her speed talking and random veterinarian insights.

I have no familiarity with Tom Allen.  He struck me as far too high energy for a regular bake off host, but I did appreciate him unapologetically eating him the 'bad' pineapple panettone while Paul was describing the flaws.  And then he followed it up with a comment to the effect that it's never good anyway so why would you set it as a challenge.

I am not a fan of making savory food look sweet or sweet food look savory.  There is too much of a disconnect between anticipation and reality.  That said, some of them looked pretty good.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

I enjoyed seeing Rosie win.  I've always enjoyed her.  When someone mentions a rabbit, I immediately think, "They just want to die", said in her most wistful tone. 

It was also a pleasure seeing Ruby again.  She has a unique approach.  Jamie is always good for a laugh.  Un-specified fried chicken for the holiday meal was brilliant. 

I also appreciated that we saw illusion meals that were not hardly anything you would want to eat with a ton of fondant.  Rolled fondant is great to mold, but it is not typically that pleasant to eat.  

This was a rather lowkey episode.  I wish I could have seen it in December 2020.  It's the warm hug we all needed. 

[chaifan]

I did like how in the opening bit there was a line about the Christmas special being filmed in May.  Assuming that's correct (and not just because "May" rhymed with the next line) did this film before or after the full 2020 season that was done in a bubble?  Was this the test run for that?  Or did they shoot this afterwards since they had everything set up (except for the xmas decorations)?  I know holiday specials are always shot in advance, but I would have never thought that much in advance. 

[sharifa70]

3 minutes ago, chaifan said:

I know holiday specials are always shot in advance, but I would have never thought that much in advance.

I feel like they were definitely shot in a warmer-ish month just because of how the women were dressed. Nothing felt fall/winter wardrobey to me.

[AheadofStraight]

1 hour ago, chaifan said:

I did like how in the opening bit there was a line about the Christmas special being filmed in May.  Assuming that's correct (and not just because "May" rhymed with the next line) did this film before or after the full 2020 season that was done in a bubble?  Was this the test run for that?  Or did they shoot this afterwards since they had everything set up (except for the xmas decorations)?  I know holiday specials are always shot in advance, but I would have never thought that much in advance. 

I can't say if it was true in 2020 but for the 2021 special it was filmed immediately after the 2021 bubble season. I only know this because someone in the xmas episode posted a pic together with the bubble group and mentioned meeting them.  2020 may have been the same then?

[cpcathy]

Does anyone know which Netflix season Rosie is from? My hubby did not recognize her at all, so I wonder if we have even seen her season.

[ombre]

28 minutes ago, cpcathy said:

Does anyone know which Netflix season Rosie is from? My hubby did not recognize her at all, so I wonder if we have even seen her season.

2019.  Sandi's last season and the last season before lockdown, iirc.

[blueray]

Wait Rosie never won Star Baker? That just shocked me. I remember her and she made it really far. That's why it was surprising. I'm very happy she won, as she was clearly the winner.

I am honestly not sure why Jamie was there to be honest. He wasn't that great his season and was eliminated second (if I recall) only because someone's food was slightly worse. As for his theme there is nothing wrong with that. People eat different things... of course I don't celebrate Christmas so what do I know. 

Edited December 6, 2021 by blueray

[blueray]

The only one I didn't remember was James (the older guy). Which season was he from?

Edited December 6, 2021 by blueray

[meep.meep]

From Decider:

These two new episodes of The Great British Baking Show: Holidays on Netflix originally aired in 2020 in the UK. The episodes were shot, not in May as Tom Allen quips, but in August 2020. That is, they were filmed after 2020 season of The Great British Baking Show was wrapped. Noel welcomed his second child at this time and had to tuck out of the bubble to be there for his family.

[theatremouse]

6 hours ago, blueray said:

I am honestly not sure why Jamie was there to be honest. 

He was willing to participate and willing to be bubbled, is my theory.

[RoxiP]

6 hours ago, blueray said:

The only one I didn't remember was James (the older guy). Which season was he from?

He was on the show in 2017 (I had a vague memory of him)...the season Sophie won (the military lady?).  

[LeDucDiableBleu]

I felt bad for Jamie when Prue and Paul were ripping on him constantly. He took the whole thing in stride and realized he wasn't at the same level as the others but I feel like when he saw the finished episode on tv, their comments might have stung.

I've never seen Tom Allen before and I really liked him. He seems very "British" in that he sort of seems to embody the British sensibility. Whereas Matt and Noel are comic characters who could be anywhere. I liked his voice, it was really soothing. He came off (to me) as being too well-trained for GBBO. Like a Broadway performer playing at a HS production. Not that GBBO is lesser, just that it's different and bit more foody nerdy and niche.

[ombre]

16 hours ago, blueray said:

Wait Rosie never won Star Baker? That just shocked me. I remember her and she made it really far. That's why it was surprising. I'm very happy she won, as she was clearly the winner.

I am honestly not sure why Jamie was there to be honest. He wasn't that great his season and was eliminated second (if I recall) only because someone's food was slightly worse. As for his theme there is nothing wrong with that. People eat different things... of course I don't celebrate Christmas so what do I know. 

I had exactly the same reaction to the mention that Rosie had never been SB.  But it feels like there's often one contestant whose skills are so strong that they get oddly overlooked.  Sort of a combination of "well, we're not going to give it to you this week because we're quite certain that you're a shoe-in for another week" and "you're so strong that we hold you to a higher standard".  For me, the quintessential example of this is 2020's

Spoiler

Hermine

, who kept turning out one beautiful thing after another and was in mentions every week but kept getting edged by things that looked and sounded great but just not *quite* as great as what she pulled off.  

Spoiler

And then she got SB twice, which was some consolation to, well, me, And then she was gone and I was heart-broken.  But I still think of those glorious flowers in jelly that she did and *that's* how far above everybody else she had to be to get SB.

Rosie wasn't *quite* as strong in my view (a view probably flavored by the fact that she shared the season with

Spoiler

David Atherton

who really *was* in that category, always the bridesmaid.)

 

WRT Jamie, I really do think they often bring back one person to get the chump edit.  I think it's rude and I love the fact that Jamie just came and did his own thing and was lovely and not at all a chump.  Good on him.

[AllAboutMBTV]

I believe they filmed a Holiday episode with some of the cast members of "It's A Sin." Anyone know when it will be available? (If it already is, let us know!)