Great British Bake Off 2015, Week 7 - Victorian Week

Ian thinks this is the week he’s been waiting for. His training has consisted of foraging stray kerbside creatures to bake. Ian’s ‘road kill pie’ gives a nod to Sweeney Todd. Don’t you just Lovett. Sadly, though Mary appreciates his pig trotter jelly, she’s clearly not impressed with his simple decoration. Perhaps it should have been a gothic mausoleum, for pets, in pastry.

Nadiya offers Chinese Five Spice but it’s too much for Mary. Tamal is using ras el hanout. Mary feigns shock at this ‘new ingredient’ that’s only been on the programme several times before. In the end she likes it (thankfully much as she did when I used it) and Paul bestows another Hollywood Handshake.

Game pies over and it’s on to another game. With racquets in hand, Mel and Sue announce that this week’s technical challenge is a Victorian tennis cake – a fruit cake topped with almond paste, gelatine-packed fondant, and a royal icing tennis set. Nadiya plays tennis but can’t remember what the court looks like.

Mat’s interpretation of ‘pale pink’ is the ruddy complexion of a Dickensian gin swigger. His pea green fondant leers Lear-like and cries out for a runcible spoon.

Dodging the danger of any further sloppiness, he decides to bake his royal icing decorations. As you do. Add raw cake batter to the mix and it’s a recipe for last place. Nadiya’s perfect cake and neat net wins her the match.

It’s on to a Charlotte Russe for the showstopper. After making a batch of boudoir biscuits, the bakers are using gelatine to set their bavarois. Personally, I baulk at the meaty flavour this bestows on puds, but who am I to argue for agar?

Paul J is channelling the spirits of Victorian sculptors, skilfully carving a lavish menagerie of fruit. Mat dips a strawberry in a blob of cream.

Ian has a special contraption to chop his ladyfingers to size. It could be pretty gruesome stuff, but he tops his rhubarb and ginger offering with an impressive dragee-studded crown.

Mat battles to plate up, as his emancipating Charlotte begins to break free from the confines of her sponge girdle. At the judging, Paul J watches his jelly seep and drip, flowing like a river from its cake stand. Mary helpfully observes that it’s not set.

Nadiya produces neat layers of mango and raspberry bavarois. Unfortunately, her decoration is a tad too minimalist for 19th Century tastes.

Flora’s champagne jelly goes down a treat but her pomegranate sticks in Paul’s craw. Like a benevolent bobby, Mary serves her a culinary community service order, “I don’t think you’ll do pomegranate again, will you.”

Tamal wows with a perfectly constructed blackberry, raspberry and cardamom Charlotte and wins star baker. But for the second time ever, last week’s star baker is this week’s evictee and regrettably it’s mild-mannered Mat who is sent home.

So as we head towards next week’s quarter final, it looks like it’s still anybody’s game. As the Victorians used to say, “Anyone for tennis cake?”