The Great British Bake Off (series 7)

The Great British Bake Off Series 7
Presented by	Mel Giedroyc Sue Perkins
Judges	Mary Berry Paul Hollywood
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Production
Executive producer(s)	Anna Beattie
Location(s)	Welford Park
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	Love Productions
Release
Original network	BBC One
Original release	24 August – 26 October 2016
Chronology
Preceded by	Series 6
Followed by	Series 8

The seventh series of The Great British Bake Off aired from 24 August 2016, with twelve contestants competing to be crowned the series 7 winner. Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins presented the show, and Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood returned as judges. The competition was held in the grounds of Welford Park, Berkshire for a third year.^[1][2]

This series was the last of The Great British Bake Off to be broadcast on BBC One, as the production company Love Productions opted to move the show to Channel 4.^[3] It was also the last series on the show for Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc, as they decided to leave as presenters of the show.^[4] It is also the last series of the show to feature Mary Berry as a judge.^[5] This series was won by Candice Brown, with Andrew Smyth and Jane Beedle finishing as runners-up.

Bakers

Baker [6][7][8]	Age	Occupation	Hometown	Links
Andrew Smyth	25	Aerospace engineer	Derby / Holywood, County Down	[9][10]
Benjamina Ebuehi	23	Teaching assistant	South London	[11]
Candice Brown	31	PE teacher	Barton-Le-Clay, Bedfordshire	[12][13]
Jane Beedle	61	Garden designer	Beckenham	[14]
Kate Barmby	37	Nurse	Brooke, Norfolk	[15][16]
Lee Banfield	67	Pastor	Bolton	[17]
Louise Williams	46	Hairdresser	Cardiff	[18]
Michael Georgiou	20	Student	Durham	[19]
Rav Bansal	28	Student support	Erith	[20]
Selasi Gbormittah	30	Client service associate	London	[21]
Tom Gilliford	26	Project engagement manager	Rochdale	[22]
Val Stones	66	Semi-retired, Substitute teacher	Yeovil	[23]

Results summary

Elimination chart
Baker	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
Candice		SB			SB			SB		WINNER
Andrew							SB		SB	Runner Up
Jane	SB									Runner Up
Selasi									OUT
Benjamina				SB				OUT
Tom			SB			SB	OUT
Rav						OUT
Val					OUT
Kate				OUT
Michael			OUT
Louise		OUT
Lee	OUT

Colour key:

     Baker was one of the judges' least favourite bakers that week, but was not eliminated.

     Baker was one of the judges' favourite bakers that week, but was not the Star Baker.

     Baker got through to the next round.

     Baker was eliminated.

     Baker was the Star Baker.

     Baker was a series runner-up.

     Baker was the series winner.

Episodes

     Baker eliminated

     Star Baker

     Winner

Episode 1: Cake

For the first challenge, the bakers were given two hours to make a drizzle cake, the brief being that the cake be moist and well permeated with the drizzle. For the technical challenge, the bakers were instructed to make Mary's recipe for twelve jaffa cakes. The recipe used a whipped fatless sponge, orange jelly and tempered chocolate with a design of sorts. For the final challenge, the bakers were instructed to make a mirror glaze cake. The cake had to have a genoise sponge and have a very shiny, mirror-like top, covering the cake entirely.

Baker	Signature (Drizzle cake)	Technical (12 Jaffa cakes)	Showstopper (Mirror glaze cake)
Andrew	Lemon & Rosemary Drizzle Cake	12th	Ultimate Indulgence Orange Mirror Glaze Cake
Benjamina	Pistachio & Lemon Drizzle Cake	6th	White Chocolate & Salted Praline Mirror Glaze Cake
Candice	Raspberry Drizzle Bundt Cake	5th	Mirror Mirror On The Wall, Who Is The Shiniest Cake Of Them All?
Jane	Lemon & Poppy Seed Drizzle Cake	7th	Chocolate Orange Mirror Glaze Cake
Kate	Berry Best Apple & Bramble Drizzle Cake	4th	One Swallow does not make a Summer Cake
Lee	St Clement's Orange & Lemon Drizzle Cake	11th	Strawberry Surprise Mirror Glaze Cake
Louise	Orange Liqueur & Lemonade Drizzle Cake	9th	White Chocolate Trifle Mirror Glaze Cake
Michael	Lime, Ginger & Honey Drizzle Cake	3rd	Matcha Tea Chocolate Mirror Glaze Cake
Rav	Ginger Spice Yuzu Drizzle Cake	8th	Colombian Mocha Mirror Glaze Cake
Selasi	Citrus and Spice Drizzle Cake	1st	Raspberry, Sloe & White Chocolate Mirror Glaze Cake
Tom	G&T Drizzle Cake	2nd	Black Forest Broken Mirror Glaze Cake
Val	Orange & Lemon Drizzle Cake	10th	Chocolate Sponge with Four Fruit Frosting

Episode 2: Biscuits

For the Signature Challenge, the bakers were given two and a half hours to make 24 iced biscuits (cookies). The biscuits had to be crisp and uniform. Viennese Whirls were set as the technical challenge. To be completed in an hour and a half, they had to be filled with buttercream and jam, and had have a defined shape. For the showstopper, a gingerbread scene was set as the challenge, the only brief being it that it had to be 30 cm high, and contain eight characters or objects. The bakers had four hours for this challenge.

Host Sue Perkins did not appear in the episode.^[24][25]

Baker	Signature (24 iced biscuits)	Technical (12 Viennese Whirls)	Showstopper (Gingerbread 3D scene)
Andrew	Beehive Biscuits	4th	Punting in Cambridge
Benjamina	Bouquet Biscuits	3rd	New York, New York
Candice	Salted Caramel, Chocolate Iced Shiny Hearts	8th	Gingerbread Pub with Sticky Gingerbread Carpet
Jane	Flower Pot Iced Biscuits	2nd	Hastings Old Town Fishing Net Shops and Boat
Kate	"A Biscuit for the Broads"	1st	I Promise I Will Do My Best
Louise	Baa Bara Brith Rich Tea Biscuits	10th	Gingerbread Wedding
Michael	Malt, Chocolate and Orange Iced "Beer Biscuits"	9th	Trip to See Santa in Lapland
Rav	Union Jack Bunting Biscuits	6th	Gingerbread Christmas Fairground
Selasi	"Wheelie Hot Iced Biscuits"	11th	Stained Glass Window Gingerbread Church
Tom	Chai Frappelatteccino Biscuits	7th	Tom and Pod's Near Death Experience
Val	Sunday Treat Iced Ice Cream Cone Biscuits	5th	From Holland to New York via Yorkshire

Episode 3: Bread

For the bakers' first challenge, they had to make a chocolate loaf in two and a half hours. The loaf had to contain chocolate in some form, whether it be powder or actual pieces of chocolate. For the technical challenge, the bakers were required to make twelve Dampfnudel, a recipe Paul called "notoriously difficult". In two hours, the bakers had to make twelve steamed bread rolls with two types of sauce. A savoury plaited (braided) centrepiece was set as the showstopper. In four hours, bakers had to make a centrepiece using at least three flours.

Baker	Signature (Chocolate loaf)	Technical (Dampfnudel)	Showstopper (Savoury plaited (braided) centrepiece)
Andrew	Chocolate Barmbrack Bread	2nd	Braided Harvest Basket Bread
Benjamina	Chocolate, Tahini and Almond Babka	6th	Braided Bread Heart
Candice	Chocolate, Salted Caramel and Pecan Brittle Brioche Loaf	3rd	Italian Light and Dark Rye Twist
Jane	Chocolate and Cranberry Couronne	9th	Chorizo and Chilli Flower with Parmesan and Pesto Cheese
Kate	Cobbled Loaf	8th	The Corn Maiden
Michael	Chocolate and Chilli Swirl Plait	7th	Cypriot Dove and Olive Branch Plaited Loaf with Houmous
Rav	Chocolate, Cardamom and Hazelnut Loaf	10th	Three Tier Diwali Centrepiece
Selasi	Chocolate, Orange and Cinnamon Bread	5th	Bedouin Escape Tear and Share Bread
Tom	Chocolate Orange and Chilli Swirl Loaf	4th	Jörmungandr and Mjölnir
Val	Double Chocolate Cinnamon Twist Loaf	1st	"And They All Went Into The Ark To Get Out Of The Rain"

Episode 4: Batter

The first task was to make Yorkshire puddings, which involved the standard recipe filled with a variety of ingredients and flavours. The technical challenge was to make 12 heart-shaped "lace" pancakes, which required the bakers to draw a heart-shaped design with the batter. The showstopper challenge was to make 36 churros.^[26]

Baker	Signature (Filled Yorkshire puddings)	Technical (12 heart-shaped lace pancakes)	Showstopper (Churros)
Andrew	Yorkshire Tapas Puddings	4th	Churros Window Box
Benjamina	Red Onion Chutney, Brie and Bacon Yorkshire Puddings	1st	Tropical Churros
Candice	Yorkshire Wellingtons	2nd	Two-Way Peanut Butter Churros
Jane	Meat and Two Veg Yorkshires	3rd	Pistachio and White Chocolate Churros
Kate	Christmas Dinner Compromise	7th	Hot Cross Bunny Churros
Rav	Thai Tofu Panang Yorkshires	9th	Three Dip Matcha Pistachio Churros
Selasi	Perfect Sunday Roast Accompaniment	8th	Lemon and Anise Churros
Tom	West Yorkshire Fusion Puddings	5th	Fennel Churros Snake In The Grass
Val	Mum's Chilli Yorkshire Puddings	6th	Chocolate Orange Churros

Episode 5: Pastry

For the signature bake, bakers were tasked with baking 24 breakfast pastries. Two different batches of 12 pastries were to be made. The technical challenge required the bakers to make one feathered Bakewell tart. For the showstopper challenge, the bakers were challenged to make 48 filled filo amuse-bouche; 24 with a savoury filling and 24 with a sweet filling.

Baker	Signature (24 breakfast pastries)	Technical (Bakewell tart)	Showstopper (48 filo amuse-bouche)
Andrew	Mum and Dad's Breakfast Pastries	6th	Spicy Chorizo Squash Parcels & Baklava Bites
Benjamina	'Good Morning America' Swirls & Peanut Butter and Banana Pinwheels	5th	Plantain and Spinach Samosas & Chai Pear Cups
Candice	Danish Pastry Croque Monsieur Kites & Cinnamon Apple, Vanilla Créme Rose Danish	2nd	Sausage, Black Pudding and Apple Rounds & Banoffee Whiskey Cups
Jane	Orange Pain aux Raisins Secs, Raspberry, Chocolate and Almond Danish	1st	Roquefort, Fig and Walnut Parcels & Cherry and Chocolate Cones
Rav	Cinnamon Swirls & Pecan, Walnut and Maple Plaits	8th	Chinese-Style Prawn Filo Tartlets & Spiced White Chocolate and Hazelnut Samosas
Selasi	Rhubarb, Mango and Ginger Plait & Pineapple and Coconut Pinwheels	3rd	Parma Ham, Asparagus and Cheese Filo Cigars & Coffee Cream Filo Cups
Tom	Mega Breakfast Bonanzas; Granola Spirals & Wheat Foldovers	4th	Yin and Yang Amuse-bouche
Val	Pecan and Maple Syrup Pinwheels & Apple, Sultana and Cinnamon Swirls	7th	Caramelised Red Onion, Goat's Cheese Tartlets & Mincemeat and Apple Spiced Parcels

Episode 6: Botanical

In the signature, the seven remaining bakers were asked to create a meringue pie containing citrus fruit, such as orange, grapefruits and lemons. In the technical, the contestants had to create two leaf-shaped herb fougasses. In the showstopper, the contestants were asked to create a three-tier cake with a flower theme. All the tiers could be the same flavour, or each one a different flavour, and the cakes could be decorated with flowers.

Baker	Signature (Citrus meringue pie)	Technical (2 herb fougasse)	Showstopper (Three-tier flower cake)
Andrew	Tangy Lime and Ginger Meringue Pie	6th	Spring Elderflower Trio
Benjamina	Grapefruit and Ginger Meringue Pie	2nd	Floral Tea Cake
Candice	Lime, Coconut and Lemongrass Sugar Meringue Pie	5th	Four Seasons Cake
Jane	Lime and Coconut Meringue Pie	4th	Three-Tier Floral Cake with a Floral Chocolate Collar
Rav	Mandarin Margarita Meringue Pie	3rd	Blossom Cake
Selasi	Grapefruit, Orange and Mint Meringue Pie	7th	Three-Tiered Ombré Floral Cake
Tom	Blood Orange Halloween Pumpkin Pie	1st	Floral Tea Cake

Episode 7: Desserts

The Signature challenge required the bakers to make a family-sized roulade. The judges were looking for a light sponge cake, even layers of filling, and a clean swirl. The technical challenge was for a Marjolaine or dacquoise, an unusual layered cake made with meringue, decorated with ganache and nuts. The showstopper challenge tasked the bakers with making 24 mini mousse cakes in two flavours (12 of each).^[27][28]

Baker	Signature (Family-sized roulade)	Technical (Marjolaine)	Showstopper (24 mini mousse cakes)
Andrew	Tropical Holiday Roulade	1st	Childhood Ice Cream Mousse Cakes
Benjamina	Piña Colada Roulade	3rd	Apple Crumble Mousse Cake & Chocolate Coffee Mousse Cake
Candice	Crowd Pleaser Roulade	2nd	Blackberry and Raspberry Bubbles & After Dinner Mousse
Jane	Chocolate and Hazelnut Roulade	4th	Chocolate, Coffee and Vanilla Joconde Cakes & Blackcurrant and Vanilla Ombré Mousses
Selasi	Lemon and Strawberry Roulade	6th	Lemon, Strawberry and Passionfruit & Chocolate and Mint Mini Mousse Cakes
Tom	Millionaire's Roulade	5th	Hipster's Picnic

Episode 8: Tudor

Week eight featured the show's first Tudor theme, featuring food common in the 16th century. During the signature challenge, the five remaining bakers were asked to bake a shaped pie with Tudor flavours. The pie could be any type of pastry and they could use whichever fillings they wanted. In the technical, the contestants were asked to produce a dozen jumbles – six knot balls and six Celtic knots. In the showstopper challenge, the contestants were asked to bake a marchpane (marzipan) cake in a three-dimensional shape. However, all of the cakes had to be Tudor-themed.^[29]

Baker	Signature (Shaped savoury pies)	Technical (12 jumbles)	Showstopper (3D marchpane cake)
Andrew	Da Vinci Inspired Geared Pies	2nd	Jousting Knights Marchpane
Benjamina	Mexican Adventure	4th	Tudor Garden
Candice	Cheesy Cheeky Fish Pies	1st	Peacock
Jane	Tudor Rose Pies	5th	Swans
Selasi	Bouquet of Flowers	3rd	Fruity Tudor Marchpane

Episode 9: Pâtisserie (semi-final)

The first task for pastry week required the remaining four contestants to bake 24 palmiers, with two different savoury fillings and shapes. The technical challenge was to make a Savarin, a liqueur-soaked yeast cake, which none of the contestants had made before. The final challenge was to make 36 fondant fancies.^[30][31]

Baker	Signature (24 savoury palmiers)	Technical (Savarin)	Showstopper (36 fondant fancies)
Andrew	Cheesy Elephant Ears & Herby Treble Clefs	2nd	Philharmonic Fondants
Candice	Red Onion, Cambozola and Walnut Palmiers & Walnut, Streaky Bacon and Mushroom Palmiers	3rd	Chocolate Praline Fondant Fancies & Cherry Bakewell Fondant Fancies
Jane	Pesto and Sundried Tomato Palmiers & Goat Cheese, Olive and Parma Ham Palmiers	1st	Pistachio and Raspberry Fondant Fancies & Lemon Curd Surprise Fondant Fancies
Selasi	Sundried Tomato, Onion, Peppers and Parmesan Palmiers & Salmon, Spinach and Mushroom Palmiers	4th	Lime and Ginger Fondant Fancies & Pink Velvet and Raspberry Prosecco Fondant Fancies

Episode 10: Royal (final)

In the final signature challenge, the bakers had to make a filled meringue crown, which had to contain at least three layers of meringue, in three hours. In the technical, the judges decided to make a familiar bake challenging: the bakers had to make a Victoria sandwich, with no recipe or method given, in 90 minutes. The final showstopper involved the largest number of bakes ever requested in a challenge. The bakers were given five hours to make a picnic fit for the Queen, including one chocolate celebration cake, 12 sausage rolls, 12 mini quiches, 12 savoury scones and 12 fruit and custard tarts.^[32][33]

Baker	Signature (Meringue crowns)	Technical (Victoria sandwich)	Showstopper (Picnics)
Andrew	Crunchy Caramel Cassis Crown	1st	Family and Friends' Favourites Picnic
Candice	Queen Victoria's Mango and Strawberry Crown	2nd	Picnic for Pearly Kings and Queens
Jane	Red, White and Blue Meringue Crown	3rd	Family Favourites Feast

Christmas specials

The Masterclass episodes will be replaced by two Christmas specials, which will feature four contestants from the past 7 series. The two Christmas specials will be hosted by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins and judged by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood as always.^[34]

Controversy

Before the series had begun, some viewers complained of the "gendered" icing in preview pictures of the bakers. In the promo shots of the bakers, the male bakers were given blue icing while the female bakers were given pink icing, whereas the previous year, every baker was given the same colour regardless.^[35][36][37] As a result, the BBC altered the colouring of the icing.^[38]

Ratings

The opening episode had an average viewing figure of 10.4 million according to overnight ratings, an improvement over the figure of 9.3 million for the corresponding episode in 2015. This made it the most watched TV show of 2016 so far, with the official figure also making it the most watched TV show since the 2015 Bake Off Final.^[39] Its run on the BBC ended with an average overnight viewing figure of 14 million for the final, peaking at 14.8 million, which is a record for the show.^[40]

Official episode viewing figures are from BARB.^[41]

Episode no.	Airdate	7 day viewers (millions)	28 day viewers (millions)	BBC One weekly ranking	Weekly ranking all channels[42]
1	24 August 2016	13.58	13.86	1	1
2	31 August 2016	13.45	13.74	1	1
3	7 September 2016	13.01	13.38	1	1
4	14 September 2016	13.29	13.88	1	1
5	21 September 2016	13.12	13.33	1	1
6	28 September 2016	13.13	13.41	1	1
7	5 October 2016	13.45	13.72	1	1
8	12 October 2016	13.26	13.45	1	1
9	19 October 2016	13.44	13.65	1	1
10	26 October 2016	15.90	16.03	1	1

Specials

Episode no.	Airdate	7 day viewers (millions)	28 day viewers (millions)	BBC One weekly ranking
The Great British Bake Off, Class of 2015
	27 October 2016	4.28	4.45	25
The Great British Bake Off, Christmas specials
	25 December 2016	TBA	TBA	TBA
	26 December 2016	TBA	TBA	TBA

References

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7. BBC's Great British Bake Off 2016 line up is revealed | Daily Mail Online
8. Norfolk nurse vying to be star baker in new series of The Great British Bake Off - Going Out - Eastern Daily Press
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26. Wright, Alice (14 September 2016). "Great British Bake Off: What happened during Batter Week?". Metro. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
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28. Hogan, Michael (6 October 2016). "The Great British Bake Off: how a 'millennium wheel of lard' stole the show – plus the rest of the action from Dessert Week". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 October 2016.
29. Hogan, Michael (13 October 2016). "The Great British Bake Off: Tudor Week proved to be unexpectedly tricky – with an even more unexpected ending". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
30. Samadder, Rhik (19 October 2016). "The Great British Bake Off 2016 semi-final – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
31. "Great British Bake Off semi-final: Selasi is eliminated, Andrew named Star Baker but Candice is favourite". The Daily Telegraph. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2016.
32. Newall, Sally (26 October 2016). "Our recap of The Great British Bake Off 2016 final". The Independent. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
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34. Higgins, Michelle (28 October 2016). "When are the Great British Bake Off 2016 Christmas specials and who are the contestants?". The Sun. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
35. The Great British Bake Off in sexism storm as viewers get heated over 'gendered' icing - Mirror Online
36. BBC accused of sexism over 'gendered' Great British Bake Off icing
37. Great British Bake Off 2016 contestants: Promo shots spark controversy with 'backward' gendered icing
38. "The BBC has digitally altered Great British Bake Off icing colours following outrage". 2016-08-17. Retrieved 2016-08-21.
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40. "The Great British Bake Off reaches record audience". BBC. 27 October 2016.
41. "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 17 August 2016.
42. "Weekly Top 10 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 6 August 2016.