Series Review: The Great British Bake off Finale (Spoiler Alert)

It was eventually here and we were all so excited! We had already seen botanical week, patisserie week, pastry week, tudor week and many more. We were now left with the hardest week of all….. royal week!

We previously started with 12 bakers and now we were down to three: Jane, Candice and Andrew!

Challenge 1 included creating  a three-layered meringue crown

• Candice pushed the boat out and created a four layered masterpiece with a small crown on the top, and she even got a handshake!
• Jane also excelled and presented her red, white and blue pavlova, with various fruit flavour compotes. We were even more shocked to see a double handshake from Paul… that had never happened on Bake Off!
• Lastly Andrew produced a fantastically mouthwatering  meringue with crusty caramel, topped with pecan and pistachio nuts. Andrew was left without a handshake but he was still in the running!

They then were asked to create the classic Victoria Sandwich cake. They were not given any instructions, except one line.

• All of the bakers found the lack of instructions quite difficult but in the end all three produced three delicious bakes.
• Candice produced a sponge more dark in colour with seedless jam, which looked more like a jelly.
• Andrew presented a cake with even colour, and a nice jam.
• Jane struggled with this challenge and had not balanced the ingredient quantities. As a result, she had produced a cake with more rise and batter than needed for the recipe. The cake, however, did have a great flavour and a nice thick jam.

If you thought that was difficult, their showstopper definitely went up a notch! They were asked to create 42 little bakes, consisting of 12 sausage roles, scones,  fruit tarts and keeshes, as well as a chocolate celebration cake!

• Jane finished with a sign of relief but had struggled a bit with timing, whilst Andrew had a spreadsheet to make sure he finished on time.. good old Andrew!
• Jane and Andrew both presented raw pastry in their sausage roles and lacked flavour in their scones. Both their cakes got approval from Paul and Mary.
• Candice and her positive outlook came through, and she created a beautiful hamper, fit for the queen, including pig themed sausage roles and perfect custard and rhubard tarts.

But now it was out of their hands and into Paul and Mary’s…. who would win the Great British Bake Off 2016…..

WELL DONE CANDICE!!

I hope you all enjoyed the series as much as I did!

Bye for now.

 

 

 

 

Breakfast at the Boston Tea Party

I have been visiting friends in Bristol for Work Experience and while I was here I took the opportunity to visit Leah in Bath. We enjoyed time shopping and treated ourselves to breakfast.

We could have gone anywhere in Bath, however it has been a tradition that we go to the Boston Tea Party. In the past, the Boston Tea Party has been very chilled out and relaxed. Located in a less busy part of town, it was probably the quickest food we could get on a sunday morning. The staff have always been so welcoming and attentive, giving it a homely feel.

We arrived after a lie in at 1.30 (early afternoon) and sat close to the door at a little yellow table for two. We were equally struggling on what to get – “The Boss”, Eggs Florentine  or Eggs on Toast.

Eventually we decided and ordered at the bar.We picked the Blueberry Pancakes and The Salmon and Cream Cheese Bagel. We also ordered the Chai Latte and Chai Tea.  I don’t drink Chai Latte regularly so it tastes even better when it is well made!

The bar at the Boston Tea Party

Blueberry Pancakes (top) and Cream Cheese and Salmon Bagels

(Sorry for the fuzzy photo!)

We chatted for a bit and then our food arrived – 15 minutes after we ordered it. Despite them saying that there was a 25 minute wait,  we were still served promptly, with our drinks arriving moments later.

Our food was delicious and lasted as long and it could, whilst still savouring the taste.

At this point we were both hungry so we did not spend hours eating. We finished our meal and and sipped our hot drinks in between conversations.

As we paid at the till, we could just leave after our meal. We were all full and satisfied with our meal, ready to face the day.

Based on this meal, I would recommend the Boston Tea Party to any visitor or resident.

For more information on their locations and full menu or prices, go to their website.

Bye for now 🙂