The version airing on PBS right now is actually the fifth season of a popular British show called the Great British Bake Off. The Bake Off is a competition in which British home bakers compete in weekly challenges to be named the top amateur baker in the U.K.
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| This season's bakers |
The desserts are judged by two well known British bakers, Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, and the show is hosted by two very kooky television and comedy personalities who ad lib commentary and interact with the bakers throughout the challenges.
The sweetly designed baking stations are set up in a huge tent on the grounds of Welford Park, a private country estate known for an annual display of snowdrop flowers every February. The snowdrops were planted by Norman monks as symbols of purity and for use as medicine.
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| Now added to my travel wish list! |
Previous seasons were filmed at Harptree Court, an old country house that is now a B&B. The people seen wandering around behind the tent on the show are guests!
Each weekly episode challenges the bakers to create three "bakes" within that week's specific theme: a signature dessert, a technical challenge in which all the bakers follow the same vague and difficult recipe, and a showstopper in which they showcase their unique talents and artistic abilities.
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| One of my favorite technical bakes- a complicated Swedish princess cake! |
My favorite part of the show is the overall sweet and happy atmosphere. Unlike a lot of other cooking competition shows I've watched, the Bake Off focuses on the camaraderie among the bakers and their genuine love of baking. The contestants support and applaud each other and often help and encourage others through difficult baking tasks. Even the judges are kind and understanding in their critiques.
Episode 8 of 10 airs this Sunday!
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