Tudor Week The Great British Bake Off

Exciting times on Bake Off. We have gone historical.

I'm talking Henry VIII, pageantry, jousting,

heavy, heavy marzipan...

SUE PLAYS TUBA

It's...

PLAYING CONTINUES

It's TUDOR week.

-TUDOR week?

-Not Tuba week.

I spent money on this!

Last time...

-That is better.

-That's better.

-Oh, it's sharp.

-Good.

..Selasi clung on as Tom became the seventh baker to leave the tent.

HE GROANS

And at last, Andrew's precision paid off...

Don't hold the wheel. Don't hold the wheel.

..as he was crowned Star Baker for the first time.

I suppose now I'll have to step it up a gear again.

Now in our first-ever Tudor quarterfinal...

What?

..Paul and Mary have set three challenges

to test every aspect of British baking...

HE GRUMBLES

..from 500 years ago.

Haven't got the best feeling about it.

Five bakers remain.

TRAY CLATTERS

But only four will make it to the semifinal.

Coming out, coming out, coming out.

Come on. This is my last chance.

I think being Star Baker has just about sunk in,

but being in the quarterfinal, not quite yet.

Am I here? Am I actually here?

It's crazy.

I am the only one in the tent now,

actually, who hasn't been Star Baker.

In one way, that's an achievement, because I've gotten that far.

The competition is going to be really tight, this week.

Any of us could go home, I just hope it's not me.

I am very privileged to be one of the five.

I said we're like the Spice Girls before Geri left.

Morning, bakers. Welcome back to the quarterfinal

and this is, of course, Tudor week, my liege.

Now, The Tudor period gave us Shakespeare, flushing toilets

and a strapping young monarch with facial hair

not unlike Paul Hollywood's.

Today, for your Signature Bake, Paul and Mary would love you to make

a display of shaped pies.

Now they must be individual pies

but come together to form a magnificent design.

You can use any savoury filling you like or any pastry you like -

like Henry VIII, you can just chop and change.

You've got three hours. On your marks.

Get set, my lords and ladies.

-Bake!

-Bake!

If we did study the Tudors at school,

I don't remember much about them.

1485 to 1603, I think it was.

(I've been reading the notes!)

Selasi thinks I was born in Tudor times, anyway,

so I'm just trying to go with it.

SHE LAUGHS

When I think of Tudor times,

I actually think of Henry VIII's table

laden with hot water crust game pies.

They wanted to show off what their chefs could actually do

and that's exactly why we're doing it in the tent.

A really top-notch pie should have tasty fillings, beautiful pastry,

but not so thin that the filling oozes out

and a pie that, when you cut it,

it holds its shape well.

Just going to make up my hot water crust.

Hot water crust pastry is a Tudor classic.

Looks really healthy, doesn't it?

A lovely lot of fat in a load of water.

Stiff enough to shape and firm enough to hold juices

once it's been filled.

The water is an easy way to melt the lard

to get it evenly distributed.

Hello, Jane.

-Good morning.

-Tell us all about your individual pies.

I am making something that represents a Tudor Rose.

I haven't got 16 moulds so I need to do them individually.

-That is a pain.

-It is.

Jane is filling her 16 pies

with spiced sausage meat, nutmeg, garlic, thyme and cranberries,

which will be layered between thinly sliced chicken breast.

This is the pie I make at Christmas.

The difficulty is getting the pastry thin

-without the juices flowing out.

-Yes.

Jane, I want to SEYMOUR of those.

LAUGHTER

-(Jane Seymour.)

-Jane Seymour. Well done.

For his pies, Andrew is travelling a little further

than the court of Henry VIII.

My pies are going to be shaped like a Leonardo da Vinci-style spiral.

Da Vinci was alive during those years,

I am not going to confine it to the British Isles.

Despite their Italian influence,

Andrew's pies will be layered with a classic English combination

of potato, chicken, pork sausage and apricots,

tossed in sprigs of fresh lemon thyme.

I've got a presentation stand, and it's got cogs at the bottom,

so you'll be able to turn it from the outside.

They will actually move.

It will give the illusion that the pies are interlocking and turning.

Have you got a pastry clutch?

What's a pastry clutch?

A pastry clutch, for your gears.

-Just ignore her.

-Oh, I see!

If you want to go into neutral, you need a pastry clutch.

Of course.

My pastry's so wet.

It's wetter than normal, it's weird.

It just doesn't feel as firm as it did at home.

With their pastry resting...

I'm just going to wrap it in clingfilm and keep it warm.

..the bakers can move on to their fillings.

I'm doing ox cheek and oyster pie.

I wanted to go with a cheaper cut of meat.

Growing up, that's what we had.

The oyster element, my family love seafood

and when we were growing up, where we were in north London,

they used to have all the fish vans and fish stalls

outside the pubs and things.

Candice is the only baker attempting two fillings for two pies

with two different pastries -

a parsley suet crust for her ox cheek and oyster

and a hot water crust for her macaroni cheese pies.

To make life even harder,

she'll be arranging them in the shape of a fish.

So what sort of mould are you using?

So they will be my scales

and then I am hand-raising my macaroni pies

into triangular shapes.

-You're shaping triangles by hand.

-Yeah.

-In hot water crust pastry.

Yeah.

-MEL:

-How many pies are you actually making, Candice?

Between 18 and 22.

-Wow! OK.

-You've got three hours, my love.

-Yeah, three hours.

-OK.

I'm going to cook this on low heat just to tenderise the meat a bit.

I think I am the only one doing traditional Tudor-ish things.

Selasi's floral design will see game pies crammed with guinea fowl,

rabbit, venison and pigeon

surrounded by leaf-shaped pies of pork and quail egg.

This is a very classic Tudor mix.

Guinea fowl is one of my favourites.

It's almost like a street food in Ghana,

it is like having a kebab.

Wow. It's massive in Ghana.

So in Ghana, are they wild, the guinea fowl?

They're livid, Mary.

-MEL:

-Potent smells going on - no offence, Selasi.

It's not me, I showered this morning.

I'm going to pull out my nosegay.

-That's all right.

-That pan is quite potent.

The filling in Benjamina's pie will also be potent.

They'll look kind of Tudor-ey and they'll taste different.

A fiery mix of chipotle pork and spiced black beans

will fill the pies in Benjamina's Mexican-inspired display.

How are you going to shape them into a Tudor style?

It's going to be like a sun, keeping with

the Mexican theme/Tudor theme.

-SHE LAUGHS

-I'm sorry, I'm trying... OK.

OK, you have got some classic Spanish Latin flavours

going in a Tudor-style pies.

-IN A SPANISH ACCENT:

-Tudor empanadas.

OK, bakers, that's an hour gone and two to go.

I have my pastry and I have my bowl of filling.

It's just all about construction, now.

It's too soft. I might just make a new one, cos I've got time.

I want my pastry to be as thin as I can get it.

If it's too thick, you'd be, sort of, "ugh!"

I like quite a thick pastry.

I want to get enough filling in there,

but I want to be confident it's not going to leak.

See, that's a lot thicker than the first one.

I am much happier with that consistency.

My pancetta lardons frying off,

and then I've got my white sauce thickening up

and I am just lining my pastry tins.

Time to start filling.

-MEL:

-Mary and Paul are looking for a firm filling that'll hold together

when it's cut.

I layer it with sausage meat,

chicken and then sausage meat, lots of it.

I don't want to fill them quite to the top.

When I filled them right to the top before, they oozed.

Quail eggs right in the centre.

I can feel the clock ticking.

-Yes!

-Did you imagine anyone in particular when you were doing that?

No, I didn't, actually.

You know what would be really good?

Bite into one and find a pearl.

Maybe not so much if you break your teeth.

The pearl would just about pay for the expensive dental work.

Are you sure you need all of those?

If I do 12 pies, then yes - would you like one?

You know I want one.

The difficulty is getting them out of the moulds.

I've got to take it out of the mould,

make the next one, take it out of the mould.

I think if I'd asked my husband to make 16 moulds,

it might have pushed things a bit too far.

Just filling them up as quick as I can.

I need to get a move on.

Steam holes.

These have a long bake. They could leak slightly in the oven

but you won't know until it happens.

190 for 25 minutes.

And on with the next ones.

I wanted them at least one batch in by now.

So I need to do the next batch

and get it in as soon as physically possible.

OK, bakers, as Anne of Cleves said to Henry VIII,

"You're two thirds of the way through."

With multiple pies...

They're improving.

..and just one oven,

time management during the final hour is crucial.

This should really be in, like, now.

What I might do is put the temperature up by five degrees

just to compensate for having so many in the oven at the same time.

-Smells good.

-Thank you.

There's quite a lot of intense aromas,

circulating from this bench.

Wild pigeon stinks.

-Why have you chosen pigeon?

-Um...

I don't know. I thought it would be perfect for a game pie,

especially in Tudor times.

They used a lot of these wild birds and also game.

Yes.

HE LAUGHS

These should have been in, like, ten minutes ago.

Not great.

Just got to fill these and pop them in the oven.

Ooh, ooh, ooh! Top shelf.

Done.

You can go in the back.

40 is going to have to do.

I hope it's cooked.

Go-ing in. Fin-al-ly.

Bottom or top? Bottom or top?

Top. No.

Mm...

Top.

His went in bang on time. He's...he's just chilling.

SHE GROANS

Not good for time at all.

I'm just seeing how they're browning.

Top ones are not going to be cooked.

Can I bribe you to buy us some time?

I'll bribe you in pie.

(That's a good one, isn't it?)

Seriously tempted.

I'm just going to leave them.

Luckily, I don't have to take them out of moulds and things.

Those who are baking in moulds

will have to judge when to remove them...

Right.

..to give the sides the golden brown colour

Mary and Paul will be looking for.

This is more like a remove and check.

But if the moulds are removed too soon,

the pastry will be too fragile and the pie could collapse.

Oh, it's a bit sticky.

My meat ones are now out.

In my eyes, a pie should have a little bit of leakage.

It comes out the top.

I think taking off this might help.

If it comes off.

I'm going to pop them back in for five minutes,

make sure they're nice and golden.

Bakers, you've got ten minutes left, by the way,

ten minutes left on your Tudor pies.

These are cooked but the others aren't.

It's going to be close.

Those are done.

Yeah, I'm happy with them.

The game pie, I don't think that's going to bake in time.

Yeah, the top ones are not cooked. I know that.

I'll take out the bottom ones.

Oh, we've got leakage.

I've got a broken one, there.

Not good. Still raw on the inside.

Bakers, you've got five minutes to make like Anne Boleyn

and get AHEAD.

Come on.

Coming out, coming out, coming out.

Three minutes left, they've got to come out, really.

Just like them a fraction more golden

but I haven't got that fraction.

That's so sick.

Paul's just given them a squeeze and gave me a look.

So much leakage.

Sort of Tudor Roses.

I think it's cooked on the inside.

As Thomas Cromwell was fond of saying,

"Bakers, your pie challenge is over.

"Please move your pies to the end of your benches."

Yet no-one remembers that quote.

-Weird, isn't it?

-No-one remembers it.

I can sort of see the Tudor Rose.

They look a beautiful colour on the outside,

some of them have split a bit.

-A little bit.

-I can't see much leakage out of there, which is good.

We'll try this fella here.

Look at that filling. Very, very good.

When you're lining moulds like this,

you'll always get a little fat bit right in the corner.

You want to try and get it a little bit cooler, it helps it.

Then you can mould it better.

That filling is first-rate.

-Oh, thank you.

-I love all the herbs in there, the spices.

It's holding together.

-Cranberry is delicious.

-Oh, thank you.

A little bit of sweetness at the end.

The whole combination is exceedingly good.

-Thank you.

-Delicious!

I can sort of see the sun.

Pastry looks a bit ropey on the side.

They look possibly as though the pastry is not done.

I had to make a new batch, so that kind of put me back

-and I just rushed it.

-It looks a bit rushed.

-Yeah.

Held together well. Oh, lid's a bit thick.

-Yeah.

-It does look very pretty when you cut through it.

Flavour's stunning in a pie.

The beans actually add a little bit of heat.

Beautiful.

You are right spot-on with all the flavours.

-It's just rather poor on the pastry.

-A little bit clumsy.

-Mm.

-Yeah.

-Thank you.

You've tackled two pastries, two fillings,

which is quite a lot.

The hot water crust hasn't such a good colour.

-Mm-hm.

-It feels soft, it needed much longer in the oven.

It's a good flavour and it's a nice crunchy topping

but there is a bit of a problem with the pastry.

Because the pasta is still quite al dente,

and then you hit the pastry, which is almost al dente,

-you have two matching textures, which is not good.

-OK.

-Is it causing problems with your al dentures?

-It is.

Right. The suet ones, the pastry has got a great colour

but they've bled so much and they are all inconsistent.

It hasn't held well together all the way through

and it's sort of oozing out.

It smells wonderful.

There's a little bit, sort of, gravy in there,

yet it's holding together.

Seasoned beautifully, tastes great and the pastry is delicious.

It doesn't look great but it tastes amazing.

And there's the oyster on the top.

Oh, watch out.

That's pretty good too.

SHE EXHALES

When I look down, it is a bunch of flowers.

Yeah, bunch of flowers, so the idea is you've got the centre

rose so they're just growing, so they're like baby roses.

I do like the shape, you've got a beautiful colour on the top.

We just want to make sure that it's baked all the way through.

This one is the pork.

Quail should be sitting right in the middle.

-And indeed it is.

-Oh, well done.

Could've done with a bit more filling in there.

It's cooked better on the base than actually it is on the side.

The flavour, however, is delicious.

Right, this is the game one.

I think the walls were just a little bit too thick.

When it's so thick, it looks underdone.

It's very gamey and so that's a very good idea

to put the pork below it,

otherwise it would be too strong in the actual pie.

-Right, I think your flavours are pretty good.

-Thank you.

Can I turn the gears?

Do you mind if I do it and then once I've...?

Words gone out, Andrew. Words gone out.

Rotating the pies.

Oh, I've never seen a mechanised pie

but my dream of an edible car is that much nearer.

-Thank you.

-I think it's a great idea.

I love the design of it.

The bake, from the outside, looks absolutely right.

I'm curious to see how thick or thin those walls are

but it's not bad at all.

It looks as though you could've put

just a little bit more filling on the top

because we have here quite a gap at the top.

The pastry is lovely and crisp.

The filling tastes good too.

You've got sausage meat in there as well?

-Yes, yes.

-It's a good flavour.

The herbs really lighten it up

and, actually, the moisture coming from the apricots helps the pie.

-I think you've done well, Andrew.

-OK, thank you.

-Thank you.

And if I could just order a pork helicopter, that'd be great.

ANDREW CHUCKLES

I've not taken the curse of Star Baker

through to this week so far.

Great to get a good start.

That's lovely - but I suspect no-one's safe.

You've got to perform well in all three challenges, I think, this weekend.

It does sometimes dawn on me, like, I'm doing quite a lot.

It's difficult, cos it's...do I want to rein it all in?

Or do I try and go for it?

I do feel like I want to go for it, it's quarterfinals week.

I think mine was one of the weaker ones.

I'm going into the Technical a little bit...eh...

Do your best. Try and smash it, if you can.

If it's a souffle, then, yeah, I'm packing up, I am going home.

HE LAUGHS

Welcome back, ye olde bakers, to Tudor times

and your Technical Challenge this afternoon,

which has been set by Paul.

Sir Paul of Hollywood, any words of advice?

Follow the pattern carefully.

What can he be referring to?

Now, my liege, if you would like to go off.

Chase Mary around the maze, Paul.

Your Technical Challenge today is to make 12 jumbles.

You know, jumbles.

OK, these are the sort of thing that would grace any Tudor biscuit tin.

-Absolutely.

-If they had biscuit tins.

They'd like you to make six of each design.

You've got one-and-a-half hours on the clock.

-On your marks...

-Get set... Bake!

-Baketh.

What?

What the...?

I think maybe the jumbles that I know of

are a little bit different to this.

My heart sinks when they say it's a Paul Technical.

Paul, why did you choose jumbles?

What we're actually testing them on is a little bit of dexterity

with the biscuit mix itself.

We've got two biscuit shapes - we have the Celtic knot.

Two pieces, one makes the ring

and the other one makes the shape inside.

Then you have the knot ball.

This basically is a knot

and then one goes over the top and one goes underneath

and that creates this ball.

The bake times - now, they vary.

The ball is much, much denser.

If they think they can put the knot ball on

with the Celtic knot, they're going to be in trouble.

When does the sugar go on?

A little bit of a glaze with egg, little bit of sugar,

straight into the oven.

Now, we're using aniseed, we're using mace

and we're using caraway.

You can actually taste the spices in there

as it would've tasted years and years ago.

So they're, sort of, very crisp on the outside

yet in the middle, there's just a bit of softness.

Exactly like me, Mary -

hard on the outside, soft in the middle.

You're about right.

It's the quarterfinal, it doesn't tell you anything at all,

it just says, "Make a biscuit dough".

"Make ye biscuit dough".

Paul has supplied some of the Tudor ingredients

just as they would have been 500 years ago.

Oh, look at this thing!

HE LAUGHS

It says, "Caraway seeds, ground".

I'm going to take the Selasi approach.

SHE LAUGHS

That's about as fine as I'm going to get.

One teaspoon. So it asks for one teaspoon of ground aniseed

and one teaspoon of ground mace.

I am going for a modern method, purely for time's sake.

Cos I've spent 11 minutes grinding that caraway.

I think, in Tudor times, they wouldn't have had a mixer.

I don't know if it should be bready or biscuity.

Well, it's a biscuit, so it should be crisp, right?

I don't even know what the texture of the biscuit is supposed to be.

It's not going to be like a real short, crumbly mixture

because we've got to be able to shape it into knots.

That looks like biscuits.

"Use two-fifths of the dough to make six knot biscuit balls..."

"..and the remaining three-fifths to make the knots."

Has anyone got a calculator?

796, divided by five...

776.

775.

So that's my biscuit balls one.

Two-fifths of the dough to make six knot biscuit balls.

So I've just done it in that and now I have to put them back together.

Is this right?

I'm going to make sure the balls are exactly the same weight.

SHE MUTTERS TO HERSELF

I'm being very precise.

55.

That was painful, wasn't it?

I've got that left over.

I might just spread it between them.

I'll do the knot biscuit ball first

cos they're relatively straightforward.

HE GRUMBLES

Gives us the kind of shaping,

but the method of getting them to that shape is up to us.

Just going to roll them out so they're all the same length.

Just going off that diagram, working out my proportions.

So judging by the diagram,

I'm going to try and make it 22 times longer than it is thick

cos that's how long I reckon that is in that diagram.

"Tie the dough into the shape".

Paul's advice was check the pattern.

I'm just checking and double-checking.

What did he say? Something about take care about the shaping?

So you make it into a knot...

"Then join the two loose ends together".

OK.

Oh, it's going to look like that.

Oh, that's quite cute, isn't it?

That might be right, I don't know.

Just a little sneak peek at what people are doing.

No, that's too long - what have I done?

I think my calculation method might be a bit off

or maybe the diagram isn't the Holy Grail I thought it was.

It says one loose end under the knot and one over the knot.

-That would be the middle, right? That looks best...

-Yeah.

It probably symbolises Henry VIII's and Anne Boleyn's hand

meeting around the knot, ie, the tricky previous marriage...

-Yeah.

-..he had with Catherine of Aragon.

-Just a thought, Selasi.

-Yeah.

-Chew on that.

It's difficult cos I don't want to handle it too much.

Handle biscuit dough too much, it can go a little bit tough.

SHE EXHALES

This one's coming apart,

I'm going to have to do what I didn't want to do

and rework that one.

Just says, "To finish, caster sugar for sprinkling."

Unsure if that goes on before or after.

Sprinkle them with sugar at the end. And then present them up.

I may just sprinkle some sugar on after, yeah.

I don't know if that's right.

Sugar, of course, was the big Tudor "look at me"...

-MUFFLED:

-Probably had no teeth.

-MUFFLED:

-Yeah, absolutely.

"Would you like another jumble, dear?"

"No, thank you, I've got no teeth."

I haven't put sugar on them,

I'm going to put sugar on them when they come out.

I think I'll give them about 15 minutes.

I think they're going to take longer than I think.

I'm going to put both in the oven at the same time.

Shape the dough into this shape, yeah.

Right, so...I think...

In the middle and then they go to here.

I don't know whether you shape the Celtic knot all in one go,

or whether you do it in two bits.

Jane, you do know you're supposed to be doing those with dough?

I do not know how to do it.

That's not right.

Oh. Oh, we have something.

It looks like it, but it's just huge.

Oh, dear. This looks a mess.

SHE SIGHS

You want to get that gap in the middle, that tiny gap.

Oh, symbolising the dissolution of the monasteries, possibly.

-Really?

-Yeah, and the division between church and state

and the alienation that Henry felt.

I just want to try and make them look as though they've got gaps.

I think it's OK, actually.

They're quite big.

OK, bakers, half an hour until we rumble in the JUMBLE.

They need to go in, quickly.

These will take a good 15 minutes.

These bottom ones are just looking very pasty.

Going in, coming out.

Hope for the best.

I'm assuming they'll need to be baked for, like, a very long time.

I just realised something, cos that doesn't look right.

I was through the recipe and it says "knot ball"

so I think they should look like this.

So I need to crack on.

I think I'm going to give them a couple of minutes more.

And I've been told off for being pale previously, so...

Candice has gone back in the oven with hers.

They're still looking very pale

but...I don't know if I'm aiming for golden brown, or...

Don't know what I'm aiming for.

Hurry up and bake - literally, like, hurry up.

Wasted an hour moulding and shaping, it's not great.

They have not held their shape at all.

They're baking very slowly.

They're taking, like, 20, 25 minutes.

I thought it'd be 20 minutes, tops. They are taking long.

Probably should have put the sugar on, that would've helped colour it.

In fact, I might just...

This should've definitely been on ahead of time, but...

I'm going to put sugar on the other ones as well, actually,

cos I think that's going to give me more colour.

I'm going to sprinkle sugar cos they're not browning.

Approximate, but it'll do.

Oh...

I'm not sure whether this sugar is supposed to go on before or after.

Not really clear what you need to do with the sugar.

Bakers, you've got ten minutes left.

SHE CHUCKLES

Very tense ten minutes.

I think they're a better colour. I think it's a nice golden.

I'm turning the oven up just to get a bit more heat in there.

Just to sort of make sure it's cooked.

Take them out, take them out, take them out.

They're a bit on the pale side.

I don't know if they're done.

They've lost a lot of definition, which is a shame.

Candice has got hers so brown.

I don't know if she chucked her oven temperature up something.

They're just not brown, are they?

I hate Technicals.

Bakers, one minute on your jumbles, one minute on your jumbles.

Bakers, all's well that ends well.

If you'd like to bring your Tudor bakes up

and pop them behind the photo of yourself on the altar.

-Don't JUMBLE them up now.

-No.

Andrew, they're so tidy.

Paul and Mary will have no idea whose jumbles are whose.

Right, what we're looking for is

a beautiful, light, golden brown colour.

Crisp on the outside, soft in the middle,

and a good pattern.

The egg wash should have gone on before the bake with the sugar,

because that would have helped with the colour.

Let's start with this one.

There is not much definition in that shape.

-Pretty crisp, though, aren't they?

-Yeah, they are.

-The flavour is good.

-Isn't it?

Actually, the bake on both of them are all right, as well.

Moving on - the shapes on the Celtic knots are a bit unusual.

It isn't evenly formed, is it? But it's a lovely colour.

That one could have done with a longer bake

because this is a denser mix.

The bake is OK, but the bake on the double knot

is not good, needed longer.

The colour of this one's not bad at all.

The Celtics are pretty good.

Now, that's really clear, you get a space between each one.

Let's have a look at the double.

Yes, that's baked fine.

All the way through, and it's crisp.

-It's a good flavour.

-Sugar has been added either halfway through

or at the end.

The Celtic knots are a bit strange.

The shape of this is not good, see how it's broken up?

The whole piece has got to be the same thickness.

-Thin here and thick here.

-Yes.

Let's have a look at these.

Just about done.

There's not much definition there.

Good flavour coming through.

-Very nice.

-Moving on to the last one.

Now, these look quite pale.

TAPPING

Sugar's been added later

but the biggest problem is the Celtic knots.

When you look at the Celtic knots here,

they're all the same,

but you can see they are all too packed together.

You're losing the definition everywhere, which is a shame.

They need to be pulled out a little more

so you can see spaces between each twist.

The double knots aren't that bad, but I would expect to see

a little divot in the middle.

They are just about done.

Which quarterfinalist has mastered the Tudor Technical?

OK, in fifth place is this one.

-That's me.

-They were too close together,

you had lost the definition.

And in fourth place.

This one is not quite done.

Third place was this one. Colour was getting better.

And in second place is this one.

A nice shape, the definition wasn't quite there, but a good effort.

So, in first place is this one.

Well done, Candice.

Nice, bold shapes, big gaps in the middle

and actually, the colour was pretty good as well.

I'm really, really pleased with that today.

But I'll probably not make one again.

They look like something out of a Bond film,

or something you might pull out of your belt

and fling it across the room

and take someone's eye out with a jumble.

Second. Today has been a pleasant surprise, actually.

Maybe I'll get in touch with my Tudor roots.

At least I'm not last, so step by step, baby steps.

Baby Tudor steps.

A few weeks ago, fourth would have been like,

"Whoo, I got fourth!" But now it's like,

"OK, fourth, that's second to last."

First time bottom in the technical.

SHE EXHALES

Quarterfinals, and yet nothing is clear.

If anything, after the Signature and Technical,

things are even more muddied.

Candice and Jane have gone top to bottom respectively

over the two challenges.

Candice, she is very apt to do far too much.

Jane did a brilliant pie,

and then she went right down in the Technical.

Then you look at Benjamina and Selasi,

they're the ones for me, in some trouble.

You've got Andrew, he's been the most constant

over the two challenges,

and the other four, it could be any one of them, really.

In the Bake Off, you've got to be consistent.

What we don't want is to lose somebody

because they had a bad day at the office.

Which sometimes happens.

Morning, bakers. For today's Showstopper Challenge,

Paul and Mary would love you to make a marzipan centrepiece,

which the Tudors called a "marchpane",

and was the favourite of Tudor banquets

until Sir Walter Raleigh came along

and invented the cheesy tear-and-share.

Your marzipan must be made from scratch.

It should be 3-D and entirely edible.

-You've got...

-Three-and-a-half hours, my lovely bakers.

-So, on your marchpanes...

-Get set.

BOTH: Bake.

I'm nervous about this one. Time is ruthlessly against me.

These guys are really good so I need to, sort of, step up.

Haven't got the best feeling about it.

Could be my last bake.

Just a bit nervous, I think, this morning.

What we're asking the bakers to do is really go to town on marzipan.

I want to see detail. There is two different types of marzipan.

The marchpane in Tudor era was often baked,

so it was quite brittle, almost like a biscuit.

Later on an egg was added,

the marzipan we use nowadays, it's much softer.

They have got to make a marzipan so that it keeps its shape,

and make a spectacular centrepiece from it.

The Tudors loved their feasts.

The more elaborate, the better.

-MEL:

-Before the Bake Off,

to find the most elaborate marzipan centrepiece,

you had to gain access to the most exclusive address in Tudor England -

Hampton Court Palace.

By the time Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558,

sugar was the must-have status symbol.

It cost a fortune, and to show off their wealth,

Tudor aristocrats created what they called banquets,

a feast of only sugared delicacies.

You knew you had made it at court if you were invited to a banquet.

So it was the inner sanctum...

-Absolutely.

-..of the Royals?

All of the closest favourites of the king and queen

would be invited to dine at a banquet.

The peak of these exclusive gatherings was marchpane,

the original name for marzipan.

Formed into decorative plates or elaborate sculptures,

these enormously expensive desserts

became a firm favourite with Elizabeth I.

All of Elizabeth's suitors knew very well

that the way to her heart was through sugar.

They would craft amazing marchpanes for her.

They would let their imagination go wild,

they would make fantastical beasts, dragons, mermaids,

all kinds of creatures.

One of the grandest ever made came courtesy of Robert Dudley,

Earl of Leicester. Determined to win her heart,

he presented Elizabeth with a giant marchpane replica

of his own castle,

but Dudley's advances clearly weren't sweet enough,

as our Virgin Queen never married.

But who can win the hearts of Paul and Mary in the Tudor Showstopper

and book a place in the semifinal?

So, I'm just starting with my spiced apple cake.

For my marchpane, I'm attempting a Tudor garden

and, like, a little maze. "Maze."

As well as perfecting her spiced apple cake base,

Benjamina's place in the semifinal could rest on her

getting through her maze,

her green marzipan grass and tree fashioned from puffed rice,

ganache, and melted marshmallows.

You are having a maze,

and we will see how to get there if we look over the top.

Not a complicated maze.

-Oh.

-Is it just like a road?

-It's not complicated!

-Thank you.

I'm just grinding up some more nuts,

I don't want great lumps cos in a genoise,

they'll fall down to the bottom.

You want it to be as light as possible.

After a difficult Technical Challenge,

Jane is making a walnut genoise sponge

covered with an intricate marzipan design of swans and roses.

I have chosen a swan theme.

I am doing this design.

It's going to be fascinating. There's a lot of detail on that.

There's quite a lot of detail on that.

-It's going to be fiddly.

-Yeah.

So I've gone for slightly Tudor flavours.

Honey, currants, ginger, so a bit of spice and dried fruit,

not totally off-period.

Andrew's authentic Tudor flavours

will be guarded by marzipan Tudor knights on horseback,

complete with jousting poles.

This is going to be at the head of the table,

it's got to look bang-on.

Right, going in.

To give themselves as much time as possible to perfect

a spectacular display,

everyone's cakes need to begin baking as soon as possible.

But Selasi still needs to make one final ingredient.

I am making simnel cake, which is a fruitcake

with marzipan in the middle.

Selasi's cake of brandy-soaked fruit will be surrounded

by a fortress of marzipan walls.

His design should be a show-stopping Tudor history lesson.

The six eyes represent the six wives of Henry VIII.

-Very good.

-With the crowns there in the centre, I'm making a sword,

and then the sword will be sticking in the middle

which represents the Battle of Bosworth Fields.

-Wow.

-You have thought this a lot out, haven't you?

Now, are you putting a glaze on here, or...?

Yeah, I'm going to make a kirsch and icing sugar glaze.

You like a bit of alcohol in your things, don't you?

Um...I don't mind alcohol.

The main ingredients, for all forms of marzipan,

are ground almonds and sugar.

-A lot of sugar.

-Modern marzipan is even richer,

with more sugar and the addition of an egg.

I did try doing all this with marchpane,

but some of my stuff is quite intricate and it kept cracking.

That's the modern-day marzipan with eggs in it.

Selasi and Candice are the only bakers

using both modern and traditional marzipan.

I am making a peacock.

As soon as I heard about the Tudors, I thought, "Well, peacock",

and then I kind of thought about a current TV programme

I quite like at the moment.

-Does it have something to do with thrones?

-It might.

-And games?

Yes.

The body of Candice's peacock

will feature four multicoloured sponges

flavoured with orange,

with a hidden surprise in the centre,

and covered in marbled marzipan.

The peacock's head and neck will be made from puffed rice and chocolate,

and its tail will be made of three flavours of marchpane.

I've got a lemon one, and then a more traditional rose water,

and a mint one.

Have you had a little practice of this?

I've made a lot of peacocks, Mary.

Have you had a lot of banquets at home?

"What are we having her breakfast?" "We're having peacock again."

"What are we having for lunch?" "Peacock tail today."

Peacock sarnies.

-MEL:

-To be able to craft their Tudor marzipan,

consistency is crucial.

Too dry and it'll crack, too wet and it won't hold its shape.

The amount of liquid added can have a dramatic effect

on their finished Showstopper.

Six. Let's give it a bit more alcohol, seven.

I want to be able to roll it out and for it to cut

so it does need to be able to stick together.

Never really made a marchpane so I don't know.

I practised without knowing what they are looking for.

Just adding a tiny bit more water.

Marchpane can be a bit more crumbly than marzipan.

I'm quite happy with that, that'll do.

TIMER SOUNDS

That went quick.

If the bakers are happy with their sponges...

That looks done.

They're nice and light.

And green. And yellow.

..show-stopping marzipan construction can begin.

It is supposed to look like a hedge. I don't know, it looks like a snake.

Crackage.

I went and bought a toy horse then cast my own moulds from it.

Try and make sure you get it in to all the detail of the horse.

My nephew, when he saw me doing this,

"Can I play with the Play-Doh?"

Pretty happy with how it looks at the moment.

I'm making weapons.

Home-made template, it is made from a plastic chopping board.

It's a bit drier, compared to the marzipan.

And it's cracking.

-Looks like a hedge, doesn't it?

-Yeah, looks great.

If Anne of Cleves was running down this bit here,

she'd suddenly find herself out in the open again.

-THEY LAUGH

-I'm sorry to say,

it's the easiest maze I've ever seen.

-But don't let that put you off.

-Exactly.

Time to see how the horses have come out.

Pretty pleased with that. Right, now we're going to grill them.

In Tudor times, marchpane would be baked in an oven until it was firm.

150, very low heat.

I'm baking it cos it needs to be strong.

But while eggless marchpane risks becoming too brittle in the heat...

Have to really keep an eye on this.

..softer modern marzipan can begin to melt and expand.

I don't want to leave it under there too long

cos they really go out of shape once they're grilled.

You only need about ten minutes.

A fraction too long in the heat

and all the careful shaping and sculpting could be ruined.

I think this is the most intense grilling I've ever done.

Oh, I just lost the tip.

Grilled marzipan goes so out of shape.

Closed up a bit, which is a shame.

It's soft - better let that firm up.

I broke it. I'm making another crown.

Bakers, hate to be a march-pain in the backside,

but you've only got one hour.

I have got a lot to do.

Just leave that to cool.

This is a surprise.

Inside, I'm going to fill with blueberries.

Andrew, is that going spare?

That is going spare, there's quite a lot of excess.

That's great. In my world, I don't call it excess -

I call it breakfast.

That looks a bit hard, that marzipan.

Oh, no, that's wood. I do apologise.

It's supposed to sit on top.

People don't know this about me,

but I am Britain's third-best peacock impersonator.

I see. OK.

SUE IMPERSONATES A PEACOCK

That's a very good peacock.

It's going to be covered in the maze,

so you're not going to see these cracks.

Not great for time, quite behind where I'd like to be.

Yeah, my marchpane centrepiece is going to be so bling.

Sorry, that's ruined.

I've got some spare.

Peacocks were a thing in Tudor times,

so I'm bang-on the Tudor trend, there.

Whoa! What was that?

Just putting these little filler bits in just to try and tidy it up

slightly because it's a bit messy.

I don't think Mary is going to want to see any cracks.

Making up my mix to make my head.

It's coming together. It is.

Now, tree. Marshmallows, melt faster.

Painful amount to do.

I'm so glad I've got time to go nuts with the decorating.

Right...

I need to make a caramel.

Get my caramel jousting thing done.

This is going to be the trunk of the tree.

It has fallen sometimes at home. It sets really firm.

The caramel's crystallising. So annoying.

I just don't like this grilled stuff.

Hey-ho.

That's really annoying me now.

I'm already on my second one.

Hi, Mel. Exceedingly frustrating, this.

OK, do it again, love. Do it again.

Run, run, run.

Please, this time, really need this to work.

Bakers, I don't want to cause you march-pain,

but you have got 15 minutes left.

I'm just going to put some roses on,

and then it's a matter of tarting it up.

Don't tell me it's stuck.

Good control, there we go, there she blows.

Well done, my love.

Going to blowtorch it. Haven't got time to grill it.

A little bit burnt - that can be hidden.

Come on, this is my last chance to get it right.

It can be a bit tight but it's got to go in the middle.

Let's hope this stands.

We're so nearly there with the caramel.

Just got, like, two minutes.

Come on, dry. They don't look great.

I need to just press on, press on, press on.

Can't do it without roses.

So just going to go for it, really.

HE SIGHS

OK, bakers, time is up.

If you'd like to move your magnificent marzipan centrepieces

to the end of your benches.

-Love that stand. MEL:

-Well done, Jane.

-MARY:

-Jane, looking at it from the top, it looks very Tudor.

I love your swans, the whole decoration is very good.

I think it looks very neat.

I think you've lost your way slightly on these pieces here.

-I found, when I grilled them, they really melted.

-Yeah.

-MEL:

-Going to be delicious.

That held together well, good bit of marzipan all the way down,

sponge looks good.

Wow.

The sponge is so delicate.

You chose quite a difficult sponge, and adding ground nuts,

it could easily lose its volume, and it's kept its volume.

-It's very good.

-With the marzipan as well, it tastes amazing.

-Oh, thank you!

-I really like it.

Even with the weight of the marzipan,

the weight of the decoration on it as well,

-it's kept its shape.

-Very nice.

-Well done.

-Thank you. Thank you very much.

-MEL:

-Well done, Jane.

The idea is good.

Jousting pole.

Really, that should have gone on the hand, on the edge.

I like the horses, I think the horses are good.

It's a little bit on the clumsy side.

Round the back here, the marzipan is beginning to drop,

and it's not quite finished at the bottom.

What you don't want is just a whole load of currants

sitting at the bottom - I don't like that,

but the sponge is well cooked.

The honey comes through very strongly,

more than the ginger.

It's a very good sponge

and the marzipan is a good flavour.

It's a shame all the currants fell down to the bottom.

The texture of your marzipan is good, though.

It's got a good flavour.

You promised us we were getting a maze, we've got a maze.

It's quite simplistic.

What you could have done was make sure that the maze was thinner.

-It's a bit thick.

-Yeah, it puffed up when it baked.

You'd have to be very thin to get through that maze.

Absolutely. Right...

The marzipan tastes nice.

It could've done with being bonded to the top of it.

It should really hold together as we cut through it.

Your marzipan that you've actually coated the cake with is very good.

-It's very thin.

-The cake feels quite doughy.

It is difficult to make an apple cake that isn't heavy,

because you've got quite a high proportion of apple in here,

-therefore it does make it rather close-textured.

-Thank you.

Wow.

Incredible work and to incorporate so much marzipan.

I just hope it tastes good.

Aw! Proper surprise!

Proper Tudor surprise.

Full of blueberries.

The taste of the orange sponge is very good.

-Thank you.

-You've really cracked it,

we've got even amount of sponges all the way up.

They're all peacock colours.

I want to try the tails.

That's the lemon. I take it this is mint.

Got the lemon.

I've got the mint as well.

As a challenge, you've ticked all the boxes and then some.

Exceptional.

I quite like the idea of the crown,

I think you could have done more with the inside,

cos that's the focus bit - when you get closer to the cake,

that's what you look at and it looks a bit of a mess.

It looks a little bit crumbly and hasn't got quite enough colour.

Let's have a look. Take that side off...

The cake, it could do with just a little longer baking

and a little lower temperature in the oven,

and just as I expected, the marzipan in the middle melts.

It's a beautiful flavour.

This is the other marzipan that you have...

-Which is baked, yeah.

-Which is baked.

-MEL:

-Oh, nice.

-MARY:

-Lovely. More like a biscuit.

I think it is a good crown,

-I just think the inside is a bit messy.

-Thank you.

The person we thought was far ahead at the start of this challenge,

Andrew, you were a little underwhelmed by the finish,

weren't you, Mary?

He came in with flying colours,

but he's gone back with this cake here.

Who do you think has done really well?

I thought that this wonderful peacock,

the detail, showed great skill.

There's one person that has stepped up again, and that's Jane.

The flavour of the genoise and the coffee inside there,

blended with the marzipan, was delicious.

Coming into the last challenge, though,

Benjamina and Selasi were almost neck and neck,

and really, I have seen better from both of them.

Do you still think it is between Benjamina and Selasi

-as to who will leave this week?

-Absolutely.

Do you know who it's going to be between the two of them?

Yeah, I think so.

Bakers, I get the fun job today.

I get to announce who has won the accolade of Star Baker.

It takes an awful lot of gumption to go TU-DOR top of the class.

Today's Star Baker is someone who put on a wonderful display,

so give a big...

SUE IMMITATES A PEACOCK

..for Candice! Well done.

I genuinely wish that I could sneak all five of you

into next week's semifinal.

You know that we can't, somebody has to leave today,

and I'm very, very sad to say that the person leaving is...

..Benjamina. I'm so sorry to see you go.

We'll really miss you, darling.

It's been a sheer joy having you.

-Has it?

-Well done, Andrew.

-Unlucky, Benjamina.

-Thank you, Paul.

-Unlucky, my dear.

I know, it was...

Benjamina just said to me now, "It wasn't my week."

I said, "No, it wasn't",

but you can't afford to slip up on Bake Off.

We've loved having you. Wish we could take you.

SHE SNIFFS

I knew it, but, yeah.

I did not expect it to be you, I really didn't.

Quarterfinalist, I think, once it sinks in,

it will actually...

I've done something really, really cool.

To get this far in itself is an achievement, so I'm really proud.

Go for it.

I'm going to keep on baking.

No marzipan, no Tudor ever in my life, oh, my gosh.

But it's so much fun being in there,

and it's so much fun baking with everyone.

So I think that the part I'm going to miss the most.

It's been really special.

It's a shame to see her go.

She's a proper sister to me, actually.

She's probably the only one that thinks I'm really funny.

Everyone else thinks I'm not funny at all, so, yeah,

it's good to have a friend like that!

I seriously thought I was going,

I seriously thought this morning on the drive in,

"That's my last bus ride to the tent."

I proved a lot with that peacock!

Who would have thought it?

Proved a lot with a peacock! But I really did.

Amazing! Semifinal. Yeah, crikey.

-Next time...

-Bake, bake, bake, bake, bake.

..it's the semifinal.

It's just so empty in here.

-I have to nail it.

-Four bakers...

I don't think I've been quite as nervous as this.

..three patisserie challenges...

You've got away with this.

..three chances.

This is manic, absolutely manic.

-Better stop cooking.

-Come on, sleepy.

But who will make it to the final...

Selasi, are you scared for the first time?

Yeah.

..of The Great British Bake Off?