Young Baker of the Year Young Talent of the Year

The show that searches for the best in young,

hardworking British talent is back.

Some of this!

This year, with a whole new crop of trades, from tailors to farmers...

PIG SQUEALS

..carpenters to bakers...

If you cut me through, it'd say "bread" on the inside.

These grafters are used to being the very best in their business.

Wining is like a drug, the adrenaline it gives you is just phenomenal.

There's nothing like the feeling that you're a winner.

Get a bit addicted to it at times!

But over a series of gruelling rounds, our judges will decide

whose talent really shines out as they push them to breaking point.

-I can't do it.

-Come on, show us passion.

I'm passionate. (Sorry.)

It's hardly chopped the teat off, so I don't think it's that drastic.

I think he wants to be put back in his place. WE'RE the judges.

With bigger, more extreme challenges than ever before,

this is their chance to prove themselves.

-To add the nutrients, I...

-You tell me.

It's one of the basics of gardening,

if you don't get that right, then...grrr!

This is horrible.

Lots of arithmetic going on, but not much action.

You looked like you were in a nightmare maths "A" level!

That's really, really, really bad.

I'm disappointed in myself, because I know I can do better.

If he'd spoken to me like that on my farm, I'd have sent him straight out of that gate.

Each of them desperate to convince the experts they're worthy of the title.

Competition's on - game on!

Tonight, it's the turn of the young bakers

as we turn up the heat in the kitchen.

-That kneading technique is insane.

-Can they keep their cool?

I've never had this much pressure before and I'm cracking.

Four talented bakers - but only one winner.

This programme contains some strong language.

Hello, I'm George Lamb, and welcome to the show.

Last year, we saw Britain's finest young talent fight it out

to be the very best.

This year, we're back with a whole new crop of professions

and tonight, we start with the best bakers in Britain.

Our four finalists will have to RISE to the challenge to PROVE

they're worthy of the title, Young Baker Of The Year.

Our experts have been on a mission,

searching every inch of the UK to find the most gifted young bakers.

Hundreds applied, but only those displaying a flair with flour

made it though to a gruelling test and interview

where they had to prove their knowledge

and passion for their subject.

These are our fat rascals - they're our best sellers.

-She's mad about Tigger.

-I love cakes and I love fairies.

I don't find any of it very challenging - it's quite easy.

-Sorry, will you say that again?

-I can't give out the recipe!

The top 20 were put through to the next stage

and had to face the judges as their culinary competence

was tested to see who was worthy of a chance to take the title.

I've been asked to come back for the final 20 and I was bouncing off the wall.

I just said yes, yes and yes and thank you very much,

and goodbye, thank you!

With only four places available, the competition was intense

and it was icing bags at dawn,

but eventually, the cream rose to the top.

-It's an amazing achievement to have at this age!

-I'm amazed.

-I'm speechless, to be honest.

-Ooh, I'm...oooh! On top of the world!

Now that final four must stir, mix and beat their way to the title.

It's time to meet the men and women who think they CAN stand

the heat in the kitchen and bake their way to our judges' hearts.

Finalist number one, a daring cake decorator with a talent

for business, it's 21-year-old Amelia Nutting from Wolverhampton.

I've got the edge cos I'm different.

To come this far and not win, I'm not going to lie, I'd be gutted.

Finalist number two, a technical bread-maker who's devoted to dough,

it's 23-year-old Robin Beasock from High Wycombe.

This sounds sort of cliched,

but I think I was born with a passion for baking.

Our third finalist from Liverpool, an all-round baker, it's 25-year-old Katy Buckman.

I'm hoping to show how enthusiastic

and passionate I am about baking because it means the world to me.

And last but not least, our fourth finalist,

passionate about pastries with youth on his side,

it's 17-year-old Oliver Campbell from Bolton.

Even though I've only got a year's experience,

I'm probably better than the others cos I'm full of ideas

and it's a fresh approach to the baking world.

Ladies and gentlemen, well done for getting through to the final,

but will you have what it takes to tempt these masters of baking?

Gerhard Jenne runs six top-notch pastry places across London.

His edible artwork is even on sale in the Gherkin.

I think when I was young, I had the ambition to do something,

create something for myself. Baking was a way of expressing

my artistic talent and I think today, for a young baker, that is

what you have to do - look at the market and maybe create a niche.

Respected throughout the baking world, Gerhard's known not only

for his colourful magic cakes, but also his unique wedding cones.

He always demands the best.

I won't be suffering fools gladly.

Having trained at the world-famous Leith's Cookery School,

the gutsy Gizzi Erskine has fought her way up to become

a renowned author and celebrity chef.

I have bitten at the ankles of every single person that I can

in order to push my knowledge and my way up in my career

and I absolutely want to find that same grit and determination

in somebody who's trying to gain the place of Young Baker Of The Year.

When it comes to judging food, Gizzi won't be holding back.

For me, flavour knocks presentation out of the window.

I want to eat cakes that look sexy, that taste sexy and give you a kick.

-Welcome, Gizzi.

-Hey.

What ingredients do you need to be a great baker?

It's somebody who understands the science.

There's so much that can go wrong with baking and it's not something that you can cover up -

you have to get it right at the beginning.

OK. Gerhard, welcome. What are you looking for from our finalists?

I'll be looking out for subtle differences you can tease out

of the recipe which is not written in black and white on the page.

OK, finalists - our judges have devised four exacting baking challenges for each of you.

These tasks will test your skills, creativity and knowledge.

Only two of you will be going head-to-head in the final round

and only one of you can ultimately win the title of Young Baker Of The Year.

What you're about to experience will be more gruelling

than any day you've ever had at work.

Pastry. It's got to be one of the banes of most bakers' lives.

There are so many things to consider -

what makes it crisp, how they're going to make a delicious filling...

I'll definitely be looking at the taste of these tarts,

but I'm also really interested in their commercial value.

Are they marketable?

Can I really sell them to my customers?

Now, as bakers, you need to be able to satisfy both the savoury

and the sweet tooth, so it is time to tackle the tarts.

You've got just 90 minutes to create one sweet and one savoury tart -

a classic Quiche Lorraine and a sweet creation of your own design.

Your time starts now.

The pastry is the star of this first challenge

and the shorter the crust, the tastier the tart.

The young bakers have been given pastry recipes,

so it's all about technique.

Don't want any tarts with soggy bottoms here, guys.

Fanatical bread-maker Robin

is first to start rocking with his rolling pin.

And rivals Katy and Amelia are quick to follow.

But while Robin loses ground by scrapping his first pastry,

young Oliver seems to be following a totally different tack -

he's got the judges worried already.

Ollie - I'm a bit concerned. He hasn't got his pastry in yet -

he's working on both of his fillings, which is extraordinary.

I'd definitely... The first thing I'd have done was get those pastries in to chill.

Making the fillings at this stage is utter madness to me.

Unaware of his culinary cock-up,

Oliver presses on and for cake decorator Amelia, the judges

couldn't have picked a worse recipe from the baking back catalogue.

When the judges told you Quiche Lorraine was first up,

I'm assuming you weren't over the moon with that?

I wanted to cry! I wanted to crawl into a hole and cry.

Do you do much cooking at home, outside of the cakes?

I do, and I've been doing lots of practising,

but I didn't practise a quiche.

But self-taught Katy is in her element and setting the early pace.

You're the fastest kid on the block! Is it all done and dusted?!

My savoury pastry's in the fridge now,

-I'm about to start the sweet pastry.

-Excellent.

So are you following a strict plan?

-Have you really thought it through?

-Erm... No!

Not yet! OK.

The 25-year-old may be looking the part in this round,

but it's not tarts that are closest to her heart.

I love making cakes. I love making them and eating them, to be honest!

Now in her second year at catering college,

she's turned herself into an exceptional all-round baker.

Yep, that's brilliant.

But Katy's kitchen career came about quite by chance.

I got sick while I was working and I ended up having two major surgeries.

Treatment for a serious intestinal condition meant Katy was housebound

for more than two years.

I'd hide and stay in and I wouldn't go out

and I think I alienated quite a few people.

In the end, recuperation came in the unlikely form of a fairy cake.

We saw this cupcake book.

I said, "you like baking, we haven't done any for a while,

"how about having a go?"

-She's never looked back, have you?

-I haven't, no.

When I first got that book, and I'm like, "OK, I want to do more,

"I want to do more!", me mum and dad were like,

"oh, can't take any more cakes!"

It's fantastic to see her living life again,

cos she did just hide away for a long time.

It's given me that reason for wanting to be...alive.

So what's going to be in the almond tart, apart from almonds?

I don't know why I asked that!

-It's going to be jam on the base and then an almond topping.

-OK.

-It's one of my grandma's recipes, so...

-We're in for a treat.

-Yeah.

It's one she used to do quite a lot, or so I've been told,

cos she died before I was 18 months, so I never knew her.

-So it's nice to be able to use a recipe like that.

-Lovely.

With granny's legacy proving a calming influence on Katy,

Robin is looking more flaky than the pastry he's making.

-Are you on your sweet pastry now?

-Not yet. Today's the day for mistakes.

Literally, I'm happy with the consistency of that, but it's too thin,

so I'm doubling the recipe, I'm going to start again.

I want everything to be perfect this time.

-Number three now?

-Yes.

-You've only got an hour left, yeah?

-Yep.

Luckily, tarts aren't Robin's chosen trade.

He bakes for one of the biggest bread brands in Britain

and has a natural flair for flour.

This sounds cliched, but I was born with a passion for baking.

Those chemistry lessons finally proved some use as he ensures

the mass-market loaves rise perfectly every time.

I'd almost describe baking as a science, but also as an art,

cos you can express yourself within the products you make.

Those artistic skills have come to the fore with his own design

that sells 50,000 units a week - a loaf shaped a bit like a wheel.

When I went into the supermarket and saw this product that I had made

and developed on the shelves, I was thrilled to bits.

And the boss is pretty pleased with his young protege too.

The way he's progressed within the business is absolutely fantastic.

It's his passion which is so refreshing.

Robin's artistic passions aren't confined to the kitchen.

He expresses himself in other ways, too.

ACCORDION PLAYS

But it's as a baker Robin is really hoping to make some noise.

I have a raw passion for baking.

If you cut me through, it would say bread on the inside.

I live it, I eat it, it's what makes me.

Back in the competition and it's been half an hour

since young Oliver caused concern to the judges.

But he's finally started work on his pastry.

Got the order wrong, so I started doing the fillings.

Think it was the nerves got to me.

From a novice's perspective, I came over and was like,

"Look! Oliver's got all his stuff chopped up nice, it all seems to be ready."

-And in reality, you'd actually done it wrong.

-Yeah!

As we were approaching halfway, Amelia was the first one

to put something in the oven, which is great. The others will find it a bit of a challenge,

if they're not getting on with it.

OK, guys - you're halfway through the first challenge.

It's third time lucky for Robin and his shortcrust base,

but he's still failing to impress the judges.

Did you see that?

I don't know if that is the biggest faux pas known to man,

but he's just put his baking beans directly on his pastry.

He should have put parchment in between there.

If that doesn't stick, I'll eat my hat.

Luckily for Robin, he's not the only one putting Gizzi in a tizz.

It's over halfway through

and none of them have got their bacon frying off.

-Seriously, guys, cook off the

-BLEEP

-bacon.

Surely, this is one of those things you can multitask with?

Have your bacon frying and then get on with other things.

Perhaps they've never baked a quiche.

Even Katy, who took the early lead in this challenge

has fallen behind schedule and she's started to panic.

-How are you doing, Katy?

-All right, I think.

I think I'm just doubting myself.

You mustn't doubt yourself, Katy,

this is not the time to be doubting yourself.

Robin's got problems, too.

Not lining the pastry for his pistachio

and custard tart has put him in a sticky situation.

His sweet pastry is... Well,

I think there's a four-letter word for it - crap.

You've got ten minutes left, guys. Ten minutes to go.

I honestly can't believe some people don't even have their finished tarts in.

I'm furious at some of them. It's like they have no urgency.

But Amelia's quiche looks to be on track.

That is, until George touches a raw nerve.

I've just noticed, all right? I didn't fry my bacon, did I?

You put it in in big bits, as well.

While Amelia puts the finishing touches to her sweet,

her rivals are rapidly running out of time.

Right. Five, four, three, two, one.

Time is up.

It's time for the judges to taste the tarts.

Who has done enough to impress Gerhard and Gizzi,

and which will deliver a half-baked performance?

OK, guys, time now to find out what our judges think of your tarts.

Let's come over here and start with Amelia, please.

Were you happy with the way your quiche turned out, Amelia?

I am, but after doing it, I realised I didn't cook my bacon first.

Which is what generally happens.

So fingers crossed, it's still good.

SHE LAUGHS

OK.

It's fine. Very, very, very cheesy.

You've got away with the bacon, although the pastry,

I'm not that wowed by.

-Are you ready to move on to dessert?

-Yes.

It's quite a crisp, sweet pastry. But actually, it's very tasty.

Good!

The only thing more challenging would've been a Danish pastry.

And it's not far off, for me!

The flavours of that quiche are fantastic.

It's beautifully constructed. Just look at it.

You did start very late with

your pastry, which we thought was a high risk strategy.

The quiche, the pastry shrunk a little bit,

but I think I might just get away with it.

-How are you doing, Katy?

-All right. Not too bad.

-Happy with your quiche?

Mostly, yeah. I think possibly it could have been baked a bit longer.

Obviously, I think the pastry is quite patchy and undercooked.

Tell us about this tart?

Again, my time management was bad, and it's not cooked properly.

I mean that is really, really bad.

And there's too much sugar in the almond mixture.

Maybe because it's an old recipe, it hasn't moved on.

Your spin, possibly, would have been to make it a bit less sweet.

Never mind. You have another round, don't worry.

It's hard to hear, in general, if somebody criticises your baking.

But, being where we are and at the level we're at, it's even harder

because, you know, you've got to perform to the highest standards.

I'm fairly pleased with the quiche. I think perhaps it could have been a bit deeper, maybe.

It's on the thin side. But hopefully it will taste OK.

That's sodden, the bottom of that.

And this looks completely undercooked.

Also, you made pastry three times. In a professional environment, it's expensive.

I wasted too much time, because I did it about three times.

I wasn't happy with the consistency.

It wasn't pinning out right,

so I re-did it, I wanted to get that bit right.

I think that's what let me down, time wise, really.

THEY CHEER

After a tough first round, the bakers take a breather

and their friends and families are on hand to offer support.

-I had a soggy bottom.

-You never do that!

-I know.

I baked it blind, and didn't put anything on it.

I don't know what I was thinking!

I got away with it! Got away with it!

-He is jiggling!

-I did, yeah!

Done ever so well. They're all doing ever so well.

-You know what I'm good at.

-Absolutely.

-Of course, yeah.

And for me, it's just frustrating that that's not coming over.

I've never made a quiche before!

I didn't cook my bacon first!

I expect to go out. I'm going home today!

George was hanging around you!

THEY LAUGH

You're hot!

Amelia, now, I think to begin with, she was totally out of her depth.

But actually, what we tasted was better than what I expected.

As we could see, she didn't understand the method, really.

She didn't cook the bacon, for example.

For me, Oliver is a bit of a messy worker.

I mean, his station looked a real mess.

And in a professional setup, you know,

you have to think about that.

Organise your station.

For Katy, I think it started off quite well.

She had her pastries done, she put them in the fridge.

Yet she still managed to run out of time in the end.

I mean, her sweet tart was totally under-baked.

Finally, we've got Robin, who started pretty cockily,

in my opinion.

I think he misjudged his pastry, actually.

I didn't think it looked that bad.

In the end it would have been better to stick with the first pastry

and give it more resting time.

But on the plus side, I do think that that was just a bad round.

So, bakers, you've completed the first challenge.

We've got some feedback for you, starting with Amelia. Gerhard?

Your quiche was a little bit flat and left a lot to be desired.

Your sweet tart was better, clearly, sweets are your strong point.

But to stay in the competition, you need to up your game.

Robin, you are making lots of little mistakes that totally inhibit you.

Yet we see this massive talent that needs to shine through.

Oliver, your workstation was chaotic.

Not something I would expect from a professional baker.

You did, however, have some great flavours.

But will it be enough in the next challenge?

And finally, some feedback for Katy, please.

You're totally methodical.

And you're very calculated about everything you do.

You lack a lot of confidence,

and I think it's having the guts to push yourself that extra mile,

that's going to make you an exceptional baker.

OK, judges, obviously nobody's going home after this first round.

But if you had to eliminate someone from the competition, who would it be?

-It would probably be Katy at this stage.

-Gerhard?

I agree. Katy.

All right, guys, baking news

nobody is leaving the competition now.

And the bad news is, the tarts were just for starters

and one of you will be leaving after the next challenge. All right?

I'm disappointed in myself, because I know I can do better

and I think, just the pressure, I've not done what I know I can do.

They were impressed with my first challenge,

everything came back all perfectly baked and tasted nice,

so I think I'm in for a good chance of winning.

Tasted all right, yeah!

It was difficult, but I need to just concentrate

and carry on with the other challenges and just do my best.

The judges are so critical. They're really strict, yeah.

My confidence has been knocked,

but the way I see it is, we've got another round to go, a new test.

And I'm just going to pull all the stops out for that.

OK, guys, in the first challenge some of you proved you had

nimble fingers, but now it's time to really turn the heat up.

Now, this task will test your skills, creativity and knowledge.

And you'll need to use your loaf

to prove you're a worthy contender in the next round.

Bread baking is at the heart of every bakery business.

This is where they can really show off their craft skills.

And if you're a good baker and you make a fantastic bread,

it will earn you a cult following.

For me, it's about science.

And I hope the young bakers can totally grasp

what gluten and yeast have to do with making great bread.

OK, guys, you have just one hour to create three different breads.

A tin loaf, a selection of bread rolls,

and your own free-form, flavoured loaf.

Your time starts now.

It's all about the dough in this next task,

and success or failure occurs before their bread even gets near an oven.

With just one hour to make and shape their loaves,

they all need to pick up the pace and one is about to be kicked out of the competition.

Do you think they've come out of the traps quicker in this challenge?

Five minutes is a reasonable time to get this all done.

looking around, they all seem to be on target.

Three of the bakers mix their ingredients by machine,

but breadmaker, Robin, decides on a more hands-on approach.

Honestly, that kneading technique is insane.

For somebody who has done this a billion times before.

Really, the dough has got great elasticity, which it should have.

Katy's dough looks really dry.

That's not, to me, looking good.

-Struggling a bit there, isn't it?

-It's fighting it, totally.

Amelia and Oliver are having better success with their machine mixed dough,

but it's Robin's handmade dough that's really blown away the judges.

When this challenge came out, I was so pleased with it.

-So what have we got?

-Basically, for my speciality,

I'm going to do a four strand plait, which visually looks good.

I'm going to put some pesto in it, some cheese and poppy seeds,

just for a bit of texture and flavour.

-Totally different person from the last round!

-This is what I live for.

After a weak first round, self-taught Katy is hoping

to excite the judges with her speciality loaf.

OK, would I be clever to guess, this is going to be a fruit bread?

It is, yes. It's going to be raisins, cranberries,

I'm throwing some apricots in and maybe some dates as well,

just to give it a bit of difference,

so it's not just samey, samey, through the loaf.

Katy may have a sweet tooth,

but Oliver is going savoury to try and impress.

What I'm doing is grating some Parmesan,

and I'm having Parmesan and chilli bread.

So I'm going to put the crushed chilli,

so you can actually see the chilli,

and a bit of powder just to add to the heat.

-Make it spicy!

-Yeah, really spicy.

At just 17, Oliver may be the baby of the competition,

but has been whipping up a storm in the kitchen from an early age.

My grandma and mum always used to bake with me

before I even started school. Just because it kept me entertained.

We've got pictures of Oliver from a very young little boy,

ready to bake.

We had baking day on Wednesday and he loved his Wednesdays.

Ah! And now he gets to bake every day.

Now, he works in one of Manchester's most prestigious patisseries.

But Oliver hasn't got the most conventional approach to his craft.

My drum makes me a better baker!

It's mainly the multi-tasking,

even when you're kneading bread or something, it's kind of the rhythm.

It's the rhythm of the work.

Beating the drums may seem unorthodox training,

but it means at work, the eggs don't stand a chance!

Best test's always the same - put it over your head.

If it doesn't fall, it should be fine!

And luckily, he can keep the egg off his face, too!

I think I have what it takes to win the title.

There shouldn't be a challenge that will bother me.

Cake maker, Amelia, was out of her depth in the opening round.

But her homework worked out well for this challenge.

I've made bread for two weeks.

So this is something you're confident with?

It something I've done recently, whereas the tarts, I hadn't.

This is recent in my mind, so hopefully, nothing should go wrong.

-Fingers crossed!

-Excellent.

At just 21, Amelia is already a dab hand in the bakery business.

I started the business when I was just 17

and it has thrived ever since.

Thank you very much, Madame.

But this entrepreneur was born with a fully baked business brain.

When I was little, mum started to pay me.

And I used to sit there like a little sugar worker!

50p an hour, better than washing the car!

Amelia's always been very, very arty.

She did her GCSE art two years early and got an A.

Keen to make a business from her talents,

Amelia couldn't wait to be chairman of the board.

What is a certificate, these days?

Because people go to uni, get amazing degrees,

and can't get a job.

So I'd rather show people that I can do it practically,

rather than on a piece of paper.

She may not have formal qualifications,

but she's made up for it with a shop chock-full of baking and business awards.

I like to think that I've got many talents!

SHE LAUGHS

It would mean a lot to win this competition.

There's nothing like the feeling

of somebody saying that you're a winner.

It's a cracking feeling, I love it.

But if Amelia wants to win this competition,

she'll have to dazzle the judges with her dough,

as rival, Robin, is oozing confidence.

-Looks groovy!

-It looks pretty good.

Time is running out to shape the loaves,

and Oliver is again struggling to hit the deadline.

If you haven't got your bread in the proving ovens,

you need to start thinking about this now!

Amelia and Katy look on target,

and super-confident Robin already has his loaves finished.

Young Oliver is seriously lagging behind.

The person I was impressed with last time

is not as good as he was. He needs to get back in the game.

The competition has been a bit of a roller-coaster.

You feel every tense sensation that they're probably going through.

My stomach is in my mouth, I feel sick,

because all you want to do is get in there and help.

OK, five, four, three, two...

one.

Baking implements down, please.

While Oliver just manages to complete his loaves in time,

it's Robin who looks to have rocked this performance.

He's looking good.

He was the first getting in the proving oven as well,

so that was a plus point, and he's looking steady now, really confident.

With the toughest part of the challenge complete,

the breads now spend 30 minutes in proving ovens

to get the dough to rise. The loaves should have taken shape,

but not quite the shape that Amelia's has.

'I've put too much bread dough in the loaf tin. It's totally spilled over.

'I've clingfilmed it and it's got stuck and it's flopped to one side.

'I don't know how it's going to come out now.'

My bread's BLEEP flopped.

I didn't know it was going to rise that much, and it's just stuck.

But Amelia's not the only one with problems.

Robin's not looking quite so cocky now.

I don't think these have proved. These conditions are...

His ones are fine, and his went in after.

I think it might be your dough.

Bread-making is an exact science.

Yeast is a living fungus that makes the bread rise,

but kill the yeast and you kill your dreams of a luscious loaf.

We need to work it out, because there's a reason your dough...

-Have you got a bit of dough left, did you say?

-Yeah.

-Let me taste it.

Too salty. Straightaway.

Too salty. Did you put too much salt in, do you think?

I didn't put that much in. I did two tablespoons.

-Tablespoons or teaspoons?

-Yeah, teaspoons?

-Oh, teaspoons, yeah.

Same thing.

Same thing? No, it's not same thing.

-Can you taste that?

-Yeah, I can.

-It is quite salty, yeah.

-Yeah.

You might have got muddled up with...tablespoons and teaspoons.

Bread needs salt for flavour, but too much and it murders the yeast.

All Robin can do now is hope the texture of his bread

will stand out over his rivals.

I believe the proving conditions weren't up to the standard

I would normally use.

You can't make excuses... That's the way it is.

For her bread selection,

Amelia chose a three-strand plait loaf and sun-dried tomato rolls,

but she ran into difficulties with her plain tin bread.

-Are you happy?

-Yes, apart from the handle that formed.

-What, this bit here?

-Yeah!

It hasn't turned out too bad considering how much it deflated.

With this one you've really lost an opportunity.

In a shop, you wouldn't be able to tell it's a sun-dried tomato loaf.

It just looks like a white roll to me.

So you've missed an opportunity there.

Oliver just managed to deliver his chilli and Parmesan plait within the deadline.

Will it be a taste sensation?

The chilli, you've made this before?

-Yeah. We usually use fresh chillies, though.

-Very, very spicy.

-Dried chillies? Much hotter.

-Yeah, OK.

OK, so it's actually...verging on the uncomfortable.

Katie made steady progress in the challenge.

Will her specialist fruit loaf wow the judges?

For me, I would say a spot more sugar.

I wouldn't have been afraid to have gone for a bit of spice.

-Yeah.

-That's quite traditional.

-Yeah.

It might have looked also very nice if you'd dipped it in some seeds or something.

That would also add flavour to an otherwise fairly plain bread.

-Well done, Katie.

-Thank you.

Robin seriously impressed the judges with his kneading technique,

but he badly miscalculated his salt portion

and his bread failed to rise.

Will it be a complete flop?

-So, Robin...

-Yeah.

Very happy when you got the task of making three different breads.

Um, yeah, definitely. This should have been the task for me, really.

-And then something...something went wrong.

-Yeah, big time.

It's tragic, in a way,

because, you know, your craft skills are clearly there.

Even though Robin cocked up,

his hands-on technique has still produced a loaf of great texture.

We've been talking all along about elasticity in the bread,

and yours wins hands down, you know.

It's totally, totally elastic.

Right, judges, if you want to go off to the hush room,

we'll find out which of our bakers can't stand the head in the kitchen.

The judges are so...so...

not nasty, but they're so critical.

-They've been quite hard.

-Really strict, yeah.

'Today has just been so much pressure.'

I've never had this much pressure before and I'm cracking.

Ooh, God!

I don't think there's any chance of me going home,

just because there's other people that probably didn't do as well.

If I went, I would be devastated,

because I know I can do better than that.

I know you.

Much tougher round.

Robin, his whole situation made my heart hurt.

He is such a fantastic baker to watch.

Yes, it was a joy to watch him.

He put all his energy into kneading that dough,

and the dough had fantastic elasticity.

The fact that he has little attention to detail trips him up. He makes silly little mistakes.

And you can't make a bigger mistake than over-salting your bread

and killing that yeast. What a shame.

Amelia - I think that her flavoured bread was delicious.

It had really good flavour and I liked the honesty of what she did.

But her rolls were bland.

When we were watching Ollie work, I was really worried actually.

I was worried he wasn't going to get anything out on time.

He actually did cut it really fine with the timing.

Dangerous, I would say. Dangerous.

His flavours were quite crazy for his flavoured bread.

The Parmesan/chilli combo was HOT hot, you know, too hot.

Katie did the fruit bread.

She could have pushed it a bit further, you know,

more fruit, bit of spice. She plays it a bit too safe.

It's a tricky situation, what do we judge on?

Do we judge on their skills or on what they delivered today,

-which in Robin's case was actually a disaster.

-Was a disaster.

OK, bakers, our judges have seen your skill over two rounds.

Before we find out who's going to be leaving the competition,

they'd like to say a few words.

Gizzi, start with Oliver, please.

You're very, very consistent, but on this bread round it was a real shame

because you went too far with your flavourings in some cases.

Not enough salt, though. And the chilli was just off.

Way, way, way too off.

Katie, I got a feeling you were playing safe again.

What I really wanted to see was flair, and be inspired.

Amelia, sort of round by round we're seeing,

unfortunately, that you probably are the least skilled.

But you're very, very exciting to watch.

You've got three very, very skilled bakers here and you've just

-got to make sure that you're pushing yourself to their level.

-OK.

Robin, with you we were watching poetry in motion.

But through lack of concentration you delivered a heavy blow,

your breads were totally unappealing, and actually inedible.

You need to buckle up and give more attention to detail

-if you want to stay in this competition.

-OK, guys...

The first baker to leave the competition is...

..Katy.

Katy did OK in the second challenge but her loaves failed to sparkle

and, having undercooked her tarts in the first round,

she didn't do enough to get through.

She's out of the competition.

I'm absolutely devastated, but I know that the three that have been left in

are equally strong bakers.

-You did yourself proud. Well done.

-I know I did.

They've had that edge today that they've just...

they've taken it one step further and they've done better than I have

and I can't argue to that.

-Is it good news?

-Yeah!

It was hard. I seriously thought I'd be going.

Really did. Phew! What a blooming relief.

'I would definitely say that I'm in it to win it.'

I've got the title in my sight now, I just need to pull up my socks, get ready, and make sure I do win.

Well done.

'Relief, excitement.'

I don't know, it's an awesome feeling, really.

Good luck!

Sit down.

Coming up, we give the bakers a grilling in the interview from hell.

-Why do you put glycerine in royal icing?

-Er...

I'm passionate! Sorry.

And the two finalists fight it out in the ultimate cake-off.

The first ever Young Baker of the Year is...

Welcome to round three. This is the grilling.

Now, at the end of this we will be saying goodbye to one of you.

So I hope your theory's up to scratch.

Robin, let's hope there's no salt-related questions, know what I mean?

Come and sit down.

-What happens to baked goods when they're cooled on a solid surface?

-Erm...

They, erm, sweat on the bottom.

-DING!

-That's correct.

-They go soggy underneath.

-DING!

Er, I suppose it will just cool it down really quickly, then.

BUZZER

Royal icing - why do you put glycerine in it?

Er, you give it a nice shine, and I think it stiffens it up slightly?

-Completely the opposite.

-OK.

-BUZZER

-Oh, God, I should really know this one.

-Yep, you should.

Come on. That should be really obvious to you.

I know. I know, I know.

-To preserve the royal icing?

-BUZZER

Oh, God.

Is it to make it shiny? BUZZER

List the various types of dairy cream

and their approximate percentage fat content.

-I don't know where to start.

-This is a college question. You should know that one.

-I haven't been to college.

Erm...single cream.

-25%.

-DING!

-Whipping cream, 35%.

-DING!

And double cream, I think 45% to 50% fat.

-DING!

-I'll give you them.

You're obviously not sure, but could you put them in the right order?

-Single cream, double cream, whipping cream.

-BUZZER

That is wrong, actually.

Single cream, I'm going to go...5%. 10% for double,

and it goes in stages,

but I know I'm completely wrong with that one.

Why do you think you should be Young Baker of the Year, Robin?

Erm, I think I've got bags of passion to actually be

Young Baker Of The Year. I've got a lot more to give.

I'm confident about what I do, I'm passionate and I just want to win.

-Come on. If you're passionate, show us passion!

-Right. Um...

Erm...

I'm passionate! Sorry.

This is what I love doing. I love doing this.

We want to see some more grit and determination here.

Er, I've only had training for a year and I've come so far,

so I think that shows I should be Young Baker of the Year.

-Come on, Ollie! This is your opportunity to prove to us.

-Erm...

I feel like I've pushed myself to the limit,

and that was the choice I wanted to do from a young age, so...

Hopefully I'll inspire more young people to kind of choose baking.

Er...so that's why I think I should win.

I just hope that I can...I've done enough for you to see that

I do have the potential to win.

-Thank you, Robin.

-Cheers.

Oliver walked this third challenge, with a high score of eight.

Robin was next with seven,

but the judges don't seem convinced by his performance.

Amelia's passion and dedication shone through,

but she only got five answers right.

Outside, the postmortem is in full flow.

At first I was a bit intimidated

but after I kind of realised

that these questions are pretty suited to me anyway

I kind of got more confident.

I think it will be Amelia going out, because

she said she hadn't answered many of the questions.

Was Oliver really good?

He wasn't cocky, but he's in college NOW.

Everything is in his mind right now.

It was so tough that I was just like, this could be me going home.

It was really hard because they were like drilling them at you.

If they consider all the previous tasks that could go against me,

I think if I was to go out at this stage now

I think I really would... probably feel a bit gutted.

The boys did quite well, when we're talking scores.

But, you know, there's something about Amelia...

The way she responded to the questions was more concise.

God, how she ended that! Surprised we weren't both in tears as well.

Ollie kept his cool. Sort of similar to when he's working,

you know, it's a little bit lacklustre, I think.

But he did get quite a lot of questions right.

I want him to have a bit more va-va-voom and excitement.

-And what do you think about Robin?

-Can you put someone through to be Young Baker of the Year

when they make so many stupid mistakes?

And yet, when he was making the dough it was a pleasure to watch him.

-Mm.

-So, Gizzi, I think I know who the best person is,

and I think we also know who the worst person is.

-Do you agree?

-I think so.

OK, judges, if we could start with some feedback, please.

Gizzi, if we can start with Robin.

On one hand, you're so skilled.

And then in every single challenge you make major mistakes.

Initially you were saying schoolboy errors. I'm not so sure.

Amelia, you have yet got to put the icing on the cake for me.

You fulfilled on the first two tasks

but in the grilling you displayed a lack of knowledge.

What I'm looking for is the skill to match the passion.

And finally some feedback for Oliver, please.

Ollie, you're skilled, you've got the knowledge, but the thing is

you need to have passion, and I need to see more of that from you.

OK, three bakers but only two places left in the final.

The next baker to leave the competition is...

Robin.

Thank you. Thanks for the opportunity.

Robin's natural flair with flour got him this far

but he messed up too often. After needing three attempts

in round one, and killing his yeast with too much salt in round two,

he needed to excel in the grilling to make it into the top two.

He didn't.

I think it's right they're in the final, considering I made mistakes.

If I hadn't made mistakes, it might have been different.

All right, guys. At the end of the next challenge,

one of you will be crowned Young Baker Of The Year.

Ooh!

ALL CHEER

I'll have to push myself in this last challenge

and prove that I am the Young Baker Of The Year.

It's good to have good competition in the final.

It makes you work harder, it makes you want it more.

I've got to go in now and work really, really hard.

What a feeling! Some of this!

So, we're down to the last two, and for added pressure,

we've invited an audience including their friends and family.

Let's welcome back our two finalists!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

OK, judges. Tell our two finalists what you've got in store for them.

We're asking you to make a tiered celebration cake.

We want a real show-stopper.

The theme is going to be Hollywood glamour.

Ooh!

Today, we want to see an Oscar-winning performance from you.

OK, guys. This one's for the title.

You've got two and a half hours and your time starts now!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

It's showtime!

To walk away with the title,

the finalists will need to produce a cake so spectacular that it wows

the crowd, but is also so delicious, no-one can resist a second slice.

Time is of the essence, so the rivals have already pre-baked

the sponge for that all-important taste test.

Professional cake-decorator Amelia gets down to business.

Her creative juices are flowing but her rival for the title is stumped.

It's a totally different Amelia and she puts her plan into action.

So, I want to do three-tier, loads of stars, cos stars is Hollywood.

It's on every award, on the floors, everywhere.

I'm going to go bold and big and glittery.

-I think this matches the brief!

-I like Hollywood.

With one young baker in her element,

it's 15 minutes before the other even puts pen to paper.

So, you're making a sketch here?

It's going to give me a rough idea of what I'm doing.

It's going to be white icing covered, and it's going to have a red rose on top.

-And then, this will be ivory, this next one.

-Hollywood sign!

-Done like the Hollywood sign?

-Yeah, hopefully.

-Cool.

That's all I've thought of up to now.

We noticed that Amelia literally,

"Dah-dah-dah" - she got on and got started.

Are you worried that she seems to be so confident?

She has her own business so I think she's done this many more times

than me but I'm sure I can do that in two and a half hours, hopefully.

While the finalists crack on,

Gerhard wants an early taste of their sponges.

-Have you tasted it?

-Not yet.

-Have you tasted your sponge?

-No, not yet.

In this task, flavour is as important as presentation.

And Gerhard's giving nothing away.

Amelia's sponge does taste a bit dry.

In Ollie's case, the sponge does actually taste very nice.

Much more buttery. It's got a really moist quality.

To make his sponge so moist, Oliver added extra milk to the mix. Crafty.

To add flavour, both finalists add a butter icing to sit between

their sponge layers but Oliver also prepares an extra jam filling.

You do have to question how much they know about food,

and this might just be a decorating challenge for her.

One hour in and Amelia is working on the styling of her Hollywood cake,

but the struggling Oliver is still building his sponge layers.

Oliver paid far more attention to the construction of the cake,

so from a taste point of view, I think that will be good.

When you cut into it, it will look visually more appealing.

I think we have the two complete summaries of both of them

- the creative, sparkly whizz-kid that is Amelia, and then Oliver,

the uniform, straight down the line, but actually does think of flavour.

Amelia was very clever - when she started,

she set a timer on two and a half hours.

She knows exactly where she is, whereas at this point,

he should be focussing on the decorations,

because that always takes time.

Think you'll be all right, timewise?

-Yeah.

-Yeah?

Wow, it's like I'm seeing a different Amelia all of a sudden!

-What a nice change.

-It's nice I'm not crying.

-Tell me about it.

All right!

OK, bakers, you're halfway through this challenge.

-You guys run the cake shop together, right?

-Yes.

-How many cakes do you make in a week?

-About 25.

-So if she can't do this...

-She can't do anything.

-So she's out of a job as well!

-Definitely.

How do you think he's getting on? I think he's a bit out of his comfort zone.

Hopefully, it's like Aesop's Fables, the Tortoise And The Hare.

Hopefully, steady is the best.

Oliver is seriously behind.

Amelia's cake is taking shape but is she really fulfilling the brief?

I think she's following a set formula, that sort of girly cake,

but how much Hollywood glamour will there actually be?

Will it be the right thing?

Time's running out to show off their creative skills

and now the judges are worried they're playing it too safe.

We've got 15 minutes left.

I'm going to do some roses on top and then try to lustre it up as well

but I think that's all I've got time for today.

Come on, we need some fighting spirit here, Ollie!

-Yeah...

-In 15 minutes, you can achieve a lot.

While you roll those balls, you need to get your brain cells working.

Are you going to achieve everything you wanted?

I've changed a little bit. I've scrapped the clapper-board idea,

because it's not dainty enough. Woman's glamour.

-Remember it's not "woman's glamour" - Hollywood glamour.

-Yep.

Your clapper-board is halfway there. Don't you think you should push yourself a bit more?

-If I get time, I will.

-That sounds a bit defeatist!

I want you to fight for this position. You can do this!

I am fighting, I am, I promise!

Go on, son, spray it up.

They're working hard but there are five minutes left.

Have they left it too late?

Five, four..

three...

two...

one. Tools down please, bakers, that's it. Time's up.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

-Judges, are you ready to try?

-Certainly.

-Let's start with Oliver.

-Oliver, what happened?

-I don't know. Just the end.

The finishing really let me down.

You have done some skilled things, like the crimping,

but with the brief - Hollywood glamour - really, how have you done?

Erm, not great.

I've got to say, the taste is very nice. Very moist.

-It looks interesting inside, with the raspberry jam.

-It tastes amazing.

Super, super moist, and those layers are perfect.

The task was to do Hollywood glamour and I have to admit,

I didn't cover it, but I think I did the best I could.

Amelia, talk us through your creation.

Erm, I wanted the girly side of glamour,

so that's what I did with the pink and the black.

OK, so immediately, looking inside your cake,

I haven't tasted it, but it's a much denser texture.

You've only done two layers. Is there a reason for that?

I only did the one filling because it's really warm in here

and I did not want it to slide.

You did this brilliantly and this is skills, right?

That's what I'm thinking too

and you do have a good eye for cake decorating, no question.

I wanted it a finished product.

Oliver didn't have a finished product and I did,

because I knew my time boundaries,

I knew what I was able to do, and I did push myself.

OK. Judges, if you're ready,

I'll ask you to go to the hush room for the last time.

I got in thinking, probably, I'm going to come second

just because that was not a good challenge for me.

Well done...

Looking at the two cakes, there wasn't really a comparison.

Oliver just stuck a few flowers on an ivory cake, really.

Are you all right, pidge?

-I told you I hate "pidge"!

-Aw!

I thought I was good at all the other challenges.

It's just so frustrating that this bit let me down.

I just want them to see that, you know, I am capable of winning it.

Gizzi, this was the final challenge.

I think we knew from the beginning that one of them would be much stronger.

I know Amelia makes cakes like this regularly. You could tell, she was comfortable.

Oliver's cake tasted really nice, it was nicely put together,

but he was challenged on the time,

finishing it and interpreting the brief.

He was blown out of the water in the styling of it.

After this challenge, we need to look back

and see how both of them did in the previous challenges.

-Let's think, tarts.

-I think Oliver did better in the tarts.

His quiche was good, he fried the bacon.

But saying that, her sweet pastry was delicious,

and a revelation actually.

The bread challenge - Oliver's breads looked, overall, very pretty.

Her plait was really sweet, her bread rose.

He was let down by the chilli flakes in that bread,

then of course, grilling.

Because with Ollie, it came through, that for 17 years old,

he knows a hell of a lot.

Who will be the Young Baker Of The Year? This is tough

because we're dealing with two very different people.

What we're trying to do is find somebody who can go out there

and hopefully push baking to the next level for young people.

-Do you think we've agreed on who's won?

-I think we have.

So, it's time to crown our winner. Let's bring back our two finalists.

CHEERING

The decision has been made

and in front of a specially-invited audience,

it's time to find out who is the Young Baker Of The Year.

-Amelia, Oliver, it's been a tough day, right?

-Definitely.

-Yep.

Before we find out who the winner is, we've got some feedback for you.

Amelia, this last task really played to your skills

and you produced a fantastic wow-factor cake.

Throughout the competition, you've given it your all.

No-one can doubt your passion.

And some feedback for Oliver, Gizzi?

Ollie, it's been brilliant to watch you.

Let's not forget, you're 17-years-old

and have been doing this for only one year.

To be so young and so masterful at what you do is a rarity,

and I'm going to be watching your career closely from now on.

OK, guys. It's crunch time. This is it.

The judges have reached their decision.

The first ever Young Baker Of The Year is...

Oliver!

CHEERING

Teenage sensation Oliver consistently impressed the judges.

A display of such accomplished natural talent combined

with his broad knowledge gave this 17-year-old the title.

-How are you feeling, Oliver?

-Yeah... I'm so happy. So, so happy.

Unbelievable.

Commiserations to Amelia, but congratulations to Oliver,

our first ever Young Baker Of The Year! Good night.

CHEERING

Getting this now really just proves to myself that, obviously,

I can do it if I really put my mind to it and everything.

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