After the thrilling finale of the last series in October, many of us have been missing our weekly fix of the Great British Bake Off.
But fans of the show don’t need to panic too much. The brilliant baking battle is set to hit our screens again next week in the form of an intriguing celebrity mini-series.
Airing each night from Monday to Thursday next week on BBC 2, The Great Comic Relief British Bake Off will see famous faces battle it out in the kitchen in the name of charity.
Four celebs will take part in each of the heats, with a winner crowned Star Baker at the end of each one – and Mary and Paul will be pulling no punches when it comes to the judging process.
The brave celebs daring to step into the Bake Off tent include presenter Claudia Winkleman, comedians Ed Byrne and Jo Brand, businessman Duncan Bannatyne and Life’s Too Short star Warwick Davis.
Last year, we brought you some delicious destinations inspired by last year’s Bake Off series. So, in order to mark the show’s celebrity return, we thought we’d bring you some more tasty treats from around the world.
Shortbread in Scotland
The celeb Bake Off kicks off on Monday, with the famous contestants asked to whip up some shortbread as their signature dish – so where better to start than the home of shortbread?
Dating back to medieval Scotland, shortbread is a treat that is unique to the British Isles. Traditionally a luxury biscuit reserved for special occasions, shortbread has become a year-round delight.
When it’s made correctly, shortbread is crumbly perfection. However, even the smallest of errors can render it dry and tasteless – so the celebs are really being thrown in at the deep end!
Chocolate éclairs
The third heat will see Paralympic gold medallist Ellie Simmonds, presenter Kirsty Wark, comedian Bob Mortimer and Countryfile presenter Julia Bradbury duke it out in the kitchen.
This heat’s technical challenge is typically tricky, as the contestants must delicately create light and fluffy chocolate éclairs.
Originating in 19th Century France, éclairs have been embraced around the world. Whipped cream is the filling we usually associate with éclairs, but they can come with custard, chiboust cream or chestnut puree.
Scones in England
There will be some rest for the wicked in the third heat, as Kirsty Wark et al must also prepare scones for their signature bake.
The recipe for scones is very straightforward. The actual skill comes in delivering that light texture and finely balanced taste that we Brits have come to expect from this afternoon tea staple.
Scones originated in Scotland but have since taken on a very English feel, despite variations found around the world.
Cookies in America
The fourth and final heat will see yet more sporting stars, broadcasters and comedians attempt to impress the notoriously hard-to-please judges.
They’ll start with a deceptively tricky treat – the chocolate cookie. The ingredients may be straightforward, but there’s a fine line between deliciously soft and teeth-breakingly hard.
Cookies are, of course, found all over the world, but across the pond they really know their way around these soft, circular delights.
Lemon meringue pie in Switzerland
After the cookies, the celebs in heat four – including Claudia Winkleman and comedian Ed Byrne – are put through their technical paces with a lemon meringue pie.
A dessert that requires a delicate touch and plenty of precision, lemon meringue pie incorporates a shortbread pastry crust and lemon curd filling topped with meringue.
Lemon-flavoured custard dates back many hundreds of years, but meringue wasn’t perfected until the 17th Century – and it was still another couple of hundred years until the lemon meringue pie was created in Switzerland.
