2016 GBBO Mini blog. Week 1

Cake week

Mel & Sue Sandwich: Reverend Lee; back to cooking demos in a church in Bolton - his ganache lacked panache, and Paul couldn't forgive him for oversizing his mirror glaze.  But the real loser here is me - I had Lee in the work sweepstake.  Farewell £24 winnings.

Lucky escape #1: Val, bless her – not the sharpest blade in the Magimix?  Seriously though, little sounds more revolting than a lemonade and liqueur drizzle cake.  

Lucky escape #2: PE teacher/lipstick fan Candice had a rubber-sponged shocker.  But we can’t lose Candice yet!  Not only is she part of a potential tent romance with Selasi (#salacioustotallymadeupgossip), but her post-cake drop exclamation of "MOTHER HUGGER!" was brilliant - clearly training adolescent girls to play hockey teaches you to suppress even the juiciest swears.

Lucky escape #3: At one point, I honestly thought we were heading for Freezergate Two.

Ma Baker: Jane beat out Redhead Andrew and Banker/Biker Selasi.  Even though he took the credit for Candice's idea to add forgotten cinnamon to his drizzle (we’ll put that down to his budding crush), I think Selasi could be the oxymoron that is a ‘likeable banker’…

Smut-watch: Who had Perkins during first five minutes? Good old Sue, proclaiming "ultimate moistness" at 20.03.  The (innocent) winner, though, was Nice Kate, she of the swallows obsession - "I like the flavour of a Cox".  Too much.

Blue plaster-watch: Rav. 8.06pm.

Unusual ingredient-watch: “Really, you’ve never heard of yuzu?” NO RAV, NO-ONE HAS.  A cross between lemon and lime apparently.  Perhaps that could have saved Tom's G&T drizzle cake - even too boozy for Bezza. (Whaaat?!)

Phrases you don’t hear for a year: “Gingham altar”

Is it just me or…: Have Mel & Sue have started to run out of links?

Über-geek observation: Benjamina's sister has the Kathryn zebra scarf in red.  AS DO I.

Next time: Gingerbread structure collapse week.

(* Or "MOTHER HUBBARD" as I originally heard...)