The Great British Bake Off/Baking Show – The Finale 2024

And it is over!!! Grab your tissues and start marking off the dates until next year.

The three remaining bakers are Dylan, the 20 year old flavour prince who acquired three Hollywood handshakes and was awarded star baker twice. Georgie, the home baker, who was the most consistent baker and who received the first ever Hollywood pat and two star baker distinctions. And, last but not least, Christiaan, whose sense of style and eye for design kept him in the tent even when his flavour combinations were not successful (at least by Paul’s standards). Last week, he finally achieved star baker.

Signature challenge: Twelve scones – 6 savory, 6 sweet with fillings in 2 hours.

Christiaan commented that he had never made scones before but he did the best with his coconut and lime scones filled with passionfruit curd and curried cheese scones filled with whipped feta. Paul thought they needed a few more minutes in the oven but tasted great.

Dylan chose strawberry scones with pickled strawberries and for the savory batch salmon with a celeriac cream cheese filling. He remade a batch of his scones as the first batch were wonky. The judges thought the savory scones were really messy but delicious however the sweet scones were tough and they felt they didn’t have enough strawberry or chamomile flavour.

Georgie made raspberry scones filled with passionfruit curd and olive-herb scones with a cream cheese filling. She wasn’t pleased with the sweet scones and like Dylan she ended up remaking that batch as well. Her scones were judged to be a bit tough but her flavours were good.

Darcie: If you’ve never made scones (or US biscuits, the closest equivalent), you might think this too simple for a final, but they are devilishly difficult to master. There are plenty of okay scones, but few that are spectacular. I thought Christiaan’s looked too similar – they were basically 24 brown lumps, but he nailed the flavor and texture. Dylan went a little wild with his flavors and ended up running out of time because he, like Georgie, had to remake one flavor. Georgie took a simpler, safer path and landed in the middle.

Technical challenge: Set by Prue Leith Strawberry tarts, Egg & cress rolls and Lemon sandwich cakes in 3 hours.

Dylan had a rough day. He remade his lemon sponge several times as he made four and were cutting them in half. The other two made eight thinner layers and were more successful. His pastry tart was rough and his cake layers were uneven and ropey.

Christiaan finally won a technical! Georgie did well but her pastry shells were overbaked and she found second place with Dylan in the last position.

Darcie: Again, a devious challenge because each element contained straightforward techniques that any competent baker should be able to execute, but to complete them in three hours? C’est impossible! Dylan struggled and kept repeating the same mistake, leading him into a downward spiral. Overbaking seems to be an Achilles heel for Georgie this season, she has done it on several items over the weeks and her tart shells were burnt in this challenge. Timers are a baker’s best friend! Christiaan really hit his stride which made for a ton of confidence going into the showstopper where it seemed like a nail biting finish loomed. Going into the final, the young and bold Dylan seemed poised to win the coveted cake stand, but this day’s performance raised doubts.

Showstopper challenge: A hanging three layer cake decorated for a summer party in four and a half hours.

Hanging cakes – really? Next year – should we get flying cakes? But the bakers did well. Dylan’s showstopper was confusing to the judges as he featured the houses in Murano. Paul thought his layers were unequal with too much filling in two layers and not enough in the other. Dylan posted his showstopper on his Instagram account.

Georgie’s showstopper was stunning and utterly delicious and looked as if it was ready for a summer party. You can see the masterpiece on Georgie’s Instagram.

Christiaan’s was judged not as polished and the judges thought his flavours were too strong and overbaked. His showstopper is also on Instagram.

Darcie: Just as I was complimenting the challenges for how well they showcased technical skill, they throw another structural challenge into the mix. Gah! I suppose it could have been worse; at least they didn’t have to bake the hangers out of breadsticks. As the bakers embarked, it became clear that Dylan was again struggling (or at least the editing showed it unfolding that way). Choosing a genoise sponge was a big risk, and alas he wasn’t able to pull it off. It came down to Georgie and Christiaan. Although it seemed like a clear choice to me, Paul said it was “closer than it looks” – but in the end they selected the same person I did. Some fans think that Dylan was robbed, but what’s the Bake Off without a little controversy?

And the winner is: Georgie!