Great British Bake Off 2015 - Meet the bakers

Great British Bake Off 2015 - Meet the bakers

Great British Bake Off 2015 - Meet the bakers

by Great British Chefs28 July 2015

The nation’s favourite spatula-wielding competition is about to hit our screens again, with another 12 hopefuls ready to embark on a baking journey covering everything from pastry and pies, to tarts, towers, breads and biscuits; all in the confines of the Great British Bake Off tent.

Great British Bake Off 2015 - Meet the bakers

The nation’s favourite spatula-wielding competition is about to hit our screens again, with another 12 hopefuls ready to embark on a baking journey covering everything from pastry and pies, to tarts, towers, breads and biscuits; all in the confines of the Great British Bake Off tent.

View more from this series:

Great British Bake Off, 2015

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews.

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews as well as access to some of Britain’s greatest chefs. Our posts cover everything we are excited about from the latest openings and hottest food trends to brilliant new producers and exclusive chef interviews.

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews.

Great British Chefs is a team of passionate food lovers dedicated to bringing you the latest food stories, news and reviews as well as access to some of Britain’s greatest chefs. Our posts cover everything we are excited about from the latest openings and hottest food trends to brilliant new producers and exclusive chef interviews.

Series 6 of the Great British Bake Off kicks off on Wednesday 5th August 2015, with the show poised to continue with its current recipe for success - plenty of ballsy contestants, the strict judging and oddly-compelling chemistry of Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, the abstract presenting of comedy duo, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, and the occasional cake or custard controversy. Last year’s final attracted an audience of over 13 million, the largest audience for any entertainment programme during 2014, and showed the popularity of this contest is not set to disappear anytime soon.

The contestants have now been announced, and as expected there’s a good mix of ages (19-66) and cultures (from London to Lithuania) represented to provide different styles and influences on the resulting bakes. In previous years we’ve fallen in love with some unlikely candidates: there was builder-turned-baker Richard who could plaster a wall and ice a cake with the same precision; prop-loving Frances who could make any shape imaginable out of cake; and Scottish trainee doctor James, who reintroduced us all to the clootie dumpling.

This year’s line up shapes up as follows:

Flora (19). This year’s youngest contestant, Flora, lives with her parents and two sisters in Scotland. About to embark on a history degree at university, she is spreading her creative wings as an art gallery assistant.
Tamal (29). Taught to bake by his older sister whilst growing up in Hertfordshire, Tamal now works as a trainee anaesthetist in Manchester and regularly bakes wedding cakes for friends and family.
Nadiya (30). With a strong family focus, mum-of-three Nadiya started experimenting with baking after growing up with a lack of desserts in her father’s Bangladeshi restaurant; she realised there had to be more to sweet dishes than just ice cream!
Ugne (32). One of the most interesting contestants, Ugne is originally from Lithuania and has a strong Eastern European influence on her baking. Now a bodybuilder, mum-of-two and PA, Ugne still finds time to bake family treats every day.
Stu (35). As a professional musician, Stu will be hoping to pull on influences from his tours around the world for his baking. Living with his family in Surrey, he was intrigued by the science behind baking at a young age while watching his parents work in the restaurant they owned.
Alvin (37). Currently living and working as a nurse in Berkshire, Alvin is originally from the Philippines and claims to be a baking perfectionist, recording tips and techniques to pass onto his two daughters in the future.
Mat (37). Juggling baking at home with shifts as a firefighter, Londoner Mat has only been baking for three years but reckons he’s constantly learning and evolving in the kitchen.
Ian (41). Ian has a glamourous and rather envious career as a travel photographer, and even has the privilege of being the Dalai Lama’s personal photographer on UK visits; hopefully this has instilled his work in the kitchen with a level of zen-like calm...
Paul (49). Aiming to break baking stereotypes, Paul is currently a prison governor and was previously a Coldstream Guard - two professions not regularly associated with fluffy sponges and delicate macaroons.
Sandy (49). Living in Bradford, Sandy bakes to share - enjoying it with friends, family and everyone around her. She runs a cookery club at a local school and works as a child welfare officer.
Dorret (53). With family roots in the exotic West Indies, Dorret now works in Preston as an accountant, but has a love of fine dining and dreams of studying the classics of Cordon Bleu cooking in Paris.
Marie (66). Marie fell in love with the art of baking while living in France and being surrounded by the beautiful patisseries of Paris. Entered into the competition by her children, Marie is hoping to show off her creative decorations.

Stay tuned for our round up of every week’s creations and catastrophes - series 4 contestant Howard Middleton is poised and ready to give us his view on every ingredient and technique, as well as the coveted star baker award and the dreaded weekly elimination. May the best bread, batter and brownie win...

Great British Bake Off returns to BBC One on Wednesday 5th August at 8pm. Photography Credit: Mark Bourdillon/BBC/PA