GBBO episode 5: The good, the bad and the ugly

By Izzy Brimeau

Was it only me or were you under the impression that this week was going to be #jellyweek? Despite the fact I had a plethora of jelly puns at the ready, I can’t say I’m disappointed that this week was all about the pudding. Even the word ‘pudding’ is great. Starts with ‘pud’, then a slight pause, before you get a little more (the ‘ding’). And when it comes to pudding, I always want a little bit more.

Week five saw the Bake Off tent get a little steamy, with phallic puds, ooozing moments and a few wobbles towards the end. But which bakers satisfied Prue and Paul, and which had some dessert disasters? Here’s this week’s roundup of the good, the bad and the ugly moments.

The good
What a satisfying moment it was when Stacey turned out her pudding. It looked perfect.

Steven’s lemon and blackcurrant drizzle with custard made my mouth water. No surprise that he received yet another handshake from Paul. Guess those handshakes are a thing now…

Kate’s poor excuse for a custard or in Prue’s words “that’s not custard, that’s a big mistake.” Ouch.

Not sure if it can be dubbed a plot twist, but I enjoyed the staggered timing of the technical challenge this week. It reminded me of singing rounds, “you start, now you start, now you go!”

And can we all take a moment to remember Sophie’s gorgeously oozing, perfectly cooked chocolate molten puds?  They deserve their own appreciation club, just like Sophie deserved star baker.

Yan’s trifle… Now that was something else.

The bad
Please raise your hand if you are sick of silly episode openers with Noel and Sandi.  *Hand shoots in the air.*

Here’s a handy guide for future reference. #PuddingWeek #GBBO pic.twitter.com/xfXitSElK0

— British Bake Off (@BritishBakeOff) September 26, 2017

And then the moment when sweet James almost knocked his school pudding over. I’m not sure about you, but I let out a small (ok, not so small) yelp.

The term ‘Fielding fondle’. That’s a no from me.

When Kate decided to bake her chocolate molten puds for 35 MINUTES! And this was the result…

The way Yan served her molten puds…

Martha Collinson calling out Paul on Twitter last night. PB fondants are NEVER too craggy.

The ugly
Julia’s trifle terrine… The inside looked like an incurable infection.

When Barbie threw up all over Stacey’s trifle creation…

James had one too many pudding problems, and I was sad to see his smiley wee face head home. Another contestant bites the dust *sob*.

So what will episode six bring us? Pastry week…

We only have pies for you, Bake Off.