Preheat your ovens, set your timers, grease your tart tins – Bake Off is back for 2019, with Noel, Sandi, Paul and Prue welcoming in another group of eager cake-makers into the tent. The new series starts on Channel 4 at 8pm on Tuesday 27 August, and it's a decidedly younger group of bakers this year, with over half of them in their twenties. Here are the thirteen contestants hoping to take home the crown after a few months of intense oven-watching.
Steph might describe herself as 'still learning' when it comes to baking, but we reckon she's probably far better than she gives herself credit for. A shop assistant by day, she is passionate about healthy baking, meaning plenty of vegetables and less refined sugar make it into her doughs and batters.
Originally from Yorkshire, David is a jet-setting health adviser who has built ovens and baked cakes in far-flung places such as Malawi. A bread specialist, he's hoping for some interesting technical challenges that utilise his handy skills.
Baking almost every day, print shop administrator Michelle lives in the beautiful seaside town of Tenby with her family. She's passionate about seasonal, local ingredients and a dab hand at both breads and cakes.
At just twenty years old, Durham University student Henry is the youngest contestant this year along with fellow baker Jamie. He's grown up with Bake Off on the TV, first setting his eyes on the actual tent when he was twelve, and he's been baking ever since.
Online project manager Helena loves to fuse cuisines together in her baking, which results in some amazing flavour combinations. She has a distinctly gothic, Halloween-esque style to her presentation, which should make for some very interesting creations.
An HGV driver by day, Phil has two passions in life – baking and motorbikes. Originally finding his culinary passion during home economics classes, he now bakes up to five times a week, with a particular penchant for bread and pastry.
Originally from Essex but now working as a geography teacher in London, Alice is all about the showstoppers – making cakes in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
Support worker Dan got into baking by trying to impress a girl eleven years ago, and he hasn't looked back since. He's big on cake decoration, and must be pretty good with a piping bag – that girl he originally tried to impress is now his wife.
Freelance marketing consultant Priya is all about that perfect bake, and can get a little obsessive over the tiniest of details. She loves tropical flavours and has delved into the tricky world of vegan baking, so she's no doubt hoping for a dairy-free week during her time in the tent.
Born in Newcastle, raised in Scotland and now living in Stratford, Michael is a theatre manager and fitness instructor who loves nothing more than sifting through his family's baking recipes, passed down through the generations. Specialising in cakes and pastry, he calls on his Indian heritage to add little twists into classic recipes.
A lifelong baker, Amelia is a fashion designer who loves making intricate, complex cakes that look as good as they taste. Whipping up delicious things in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother since she was just five years old, she's hoping to impress with some seriously beautiful creations.
Along with Henry, Jamie is the youngest baker to enter the tent. Priding himself on his ability to make incredible examples of classic, traditional bakes, hew as first inspired to take baking seriously after watching an episode of Bake Off when he was younger.
Based in the beautiful countryside of Somerset, veterinary surgeon Rosie's bakes have a distinct nature theme running through them. She loves using the very best ingredients in her baking, be it local fruits or the freshest eggs.
