Great British Bake Off Review: It's Back!

"Ready, steady, BAKE!"

The words we've been waiting for returned last night as Mel and Sue ushered the Class of 2014 into the Bake Off tent to begin their journey of cakes, bakes and whatever else Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood can throw at them possibly throw over at them over the next 10 weeks.

The action kicked off with a tense preview of what to expect - tears in episode one?! Well it really is a legitimate reality series on BBC One now!

The Signature Dish
The action kicked off with Swiss Rolls in the first signature dish challenge. It wasn't long before the cracks began to show... Shouting at the screen didn't encourage Kate not to wait an extra few minutes followed by an extra thirty seconds as she eventually removed her overcooked sponge from the oven. Meanwhile, Northern Irish Iain could only stand back in defeat as his multiply scored sponge failed to roll to perfection. Mary Berry's face said it all. Her unspoken glee at being proven right will no doubt have caused a few sleepless nights.

The first *shocked face emoji* of the series came early as the instantly loveable Claire dared to defend herself when her cream came under fire from Mary for being "nondescript". Paul gleefully praised her for standing up "for what you think is right" but his "you're wrong..." was met by Claire with a defiant "matter of opinion". We would applaud Claire, but you know, these two decide who stays and who goes, so....

The round was however a triumph for builder and father-of-two Richard, who was adorably modest when his beautifully decorated roll was highly praised by the judges. The competition was ON.

The Technical Challenge
A basic recipe to cook one of Mary Berry's classic cherry cakes sent 'Jumper of the Week' champion Jordan into a panic. "We don't know what prepare means!" he exclaimed as his fellow bakers took different approaches to ensuring their own cherries did not sink.

So eager to prevent this, the poor guy forgot to save some for decorating... A mistake that saw him finish in last place. A technical disaster for many as the "distribution of cherries" came under intense primetime scrutiny. Special mention for Kate, who followed up her earlier dry sponge with some burnt almonds.

Showstopper
Day two and things were getting wet. No, Claire wasn't crying again. The Showstopper challenge called on our dozen amateurs to create 36 miniature and identical cakes. Norman rose to the challenge with extraordinary vigour. His promise to go into the challenge having had “one less pint” clearly worked wonders as he and his “lucky spoon” whipped up a “scrumptious” treat for Paul and Mary.

Not content with the adjectives being thrown around, an eager Norman enquired: “What did you think of the jam?”. We are eagerly awaiting an invite to a teaparty with Norman where he can share stories of yesteryear while we munch down on his ‘here are some I made earlier’ treats.

Gold stars for Star Baker of the week Nancy’s guillotine and 17-year-old Martha’s ice-cream scoop.

Goodbye….
It’s always sad when you have to say goodbye to someone on week one, especially when it was someone as instantly enjoyable to watch as Claire. Sadly, it was not meant to be as the chocolate volcano-like explosion only made Paul and Mary’s decision easier - much to Jordan's shock!

Thankfully there were only smiles and hugs as Claire waved goodbye to her new baking buddies.

One To Watch
It has to be Martha. Don’t let her age fool you, this 17 year old is in it to win it. And while she was narrowly pipped to the title of Star Baker this week, she has every chance based on the talent displayed in the first three challenges. Will she crumble as things get more intense in the kitchen? Or will some of her older rivals resort to some custard-stealing tactics to destroy their competition?

Smut of the Week
TWO cherry-popping jokes in week one?!! And we thought the move to BBC One might see things toned down! No chance, Sue was on fire - no Katy, that’s still the smell of your almonds burning…

“To be commended on your nuts by Mary Berry. You’ve had a great day” or "You've got one of the best tasting off cuts in the business”?

Let’s just call it a draw. We bow down to you, Sue Perkins.

Next week: Biscuits. Our favourite. What could possibly go wrong?! See you Wednesday at 8pm.

[Most memorable Bake Off moments]