NHS worker from West Midlands going into Great British Bake Off tent

John is among 12 contestants hoping to impress judges Dame Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood.

Author: Molly HookingsPublished 17th Sep 2024

An NHS worker from the West Midlands is among 12 contestants who will be vying for the top spot in this season's The Great British Bake Off (GBBO).

John, 37, is born and bred in the West Midlands where he has been a hairdresser and an estate agent, but now works in the NHS as a directorate support manager.

Along with 11 others, he will be hoping to impress judges Dame Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood with his kitchen creations.

The GBBO site said: "John learned to bake with his nan, making fairy cakes and pies, and now bakes to honour his nan's memory and pass on the skills she taught him to his two young nephews.

"He loves classic bakes with a twist - using herbs and other flavourings to give his bakes something different. His favourite bake, though, is a classic lemon tart."

The GBBO shows 12 amateur bakers go head-to-head over the course of 10 episodes to be crowned the UK's Best Amateur Baker.

Other contestants include car mechanic, Andy, retail assistant, Dylan, palliative care assistant, Nelly, paediatric nurse, Georgie, and senior category manager, Gill.

Former nail technician, Hazel, is the group's oldest baker at 71, and dentistry student Sumayah, who, at the age of 19, is the youngest contestant competing this year.

The teenager from Lancashire is currently on her gap year and is an entirely self-taught baker who once made a one metre-tall macaron tower for her aunt's mehndi wedding celebration.

Hazel, who lives in Kent and has four children and 10 grandchildren, said her weakness is baking biscuits while her strength is making beautiful cakes.

The new series of The Great British Bake Off, hosted by Birmingham's Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding, starts on Tuesday 24 September at 8pm on Channel 4.

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