Episode 1 The Great Sport Relief Bake Off

Welcome to this very special Great Sport Relief Bake Off.

The set up is a bit different this week, but please don't worry.

We've still go Paul "I've got my sights on" Hollywood

and Mary Berry scrutinising the baking.

I'm afraid to say that we haven't got Sue with us this week.

I actually didn't tell her there was a bake off

cos I wanted to eat all the cakes. Sorry!

The Great Sport Relief Bake Off will see 12 well-known personalities

battle it out in three heats to win a place in the grand final.

I've got rhythm in my body and rhythm in my feet

but I haven't got the rhythm of baking.

They'll be pushed to the limits in classic Bake Off challenges.

Mary Berry, my meringue.

Yes, I'm scared, I'm terrified. What am I doing?

I am badly competitive, I've never been competitive in baking before.

-That's a definite "see me".

-Come back after class.

Every aspect of their baking skills will be examined.

They'll all deliver outstanding bakes...

Absolutely superb, perfect in every way.

..from pastries and biscuits,

to cakes and meringues.

Oh, no.

I know it's only baking, but it's dead important.

-Only one can be crowned the Great Sport Relief Bake Off champion.

-Sweet.

Who will win their heat and get a chance to bake again in the final?

This year Sport Relief is all about going that extra mile

and for me this is like going an extra thousand miles.

Yeah!

The first four Sport Relief bakers to enter the marquee are...

presenter and actress Angela Griffin,

best know for her five years on Coronation Street, and more recently Waterloo Road.

Just such a massive fan of the show, I can't quite believe that I'm here.

Just one nice comment from them,

just one, and I'll be happy.

Botanist and broadcaster James Wong,

renowned for his unusual concoctions of herbal remedies and drugs.

I really haven't baked anything

in the last 20 years

and the few attempts I've made have been burnt, congealed masses

so hopefully, to get to the end of the day without humiliation,

I mean, that's my goal.

Comedian and actress Sarah Hadland,

who plays Stevie in the award-winning TV sitcom Miranda.

It would be good if I did do some good baking on telly

cos then my family will be like, "Wow, she can bake."

Wasting all these years acting,

actually, she's an amazing baker.

And gardener Joe Swift,

who's been presenting Gardener's World for over a decade.

I know the nerves are not going to help my baking

so actually being judged by professional bakers is very scary.

Welcome, bakers, to this, your first Bake Off challenge,

which is the signature bake

where we ask you to demonstrate those tried-and-tested home recipes.

We are asking you to produce a tray bake.

It could be brownies, it could be flapjacks,

it could be your Great-Aunt Hilda's beetroot drizzle slice.

The tray bake world today is literally your oyster.

You've got one and a half hours

to produce and present 20 squares of uniform shape and size

to show to Mary and Paul, our esteemed judges.

So, bakers, on your marks, get set, bake.

Over the next couple of days,

the four Sport Relief bakers will compete in three challenges

designed to test their baking abilities,

at the end of which only one will go through to the final.

Teaspoon, teaspoon, teaspoon. OK.

They will be judged by the Bake Off's Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.

This competition's extremely tough. We've got bakers who have probably never baked before.

We've put them in a hot house,

we've put them in a pressured environment to make it in a set time, first time ever!

Who's going to sink, who's going to swim? Who knows?

It's little details like sifting things that just gets more points.

Oh, God, it's in ounces, oh! Don't want it in ounces. I work metric.

Oh, God. Oh, God, there, grams.

It's fine, it's all fine. It's all fine, relax.

Relax, I'm just at home.

The tray bake mix is baked in a shallow tin or tray

and then sliced to serve.

As a judge, I'm looking for a perfect example of a particular tray bake.

They've got to taste good, have a good texture and be baked correctly.

Hang on. Just need to concentrate. Release, lower, lock.

Like mirror, signal, manoeuvre when you're driving.

-Hello.

-Hello, Angela.

-You've made this lots of times?

-I have but you wouldn't think so.

I'm really having to read my recipe,

even though I know it absolutely back to front.

Keen home baker Angela's white chocolate and peanut butter blondies

are much loved by her two children.

Today, in the hope of impressing the judges,

she's adding a seasonal ingredient.

Put the figs in cos I'm very partial to a fig biscuit.

Do you like fig biscuits?

-Er...

-I'm not mad about them.

-I'm not...

-Oh, no!

-But I love figs, so there you are.

Well good luck, we'll leave you to it.

Thank you and I hope you like them. What you think really...matters.

I'm making, well, it's called Swifty's special flapjacks.

This is stem ginger and dates that I'm just chopping together.

Joe describes himself as a meticulous baker.

Today he's customising his well-honed,

family favourite flapjack recipe

by adding rum for flavour then dipping each slice in dark chocolate

and decorating with a pecan.

Joe's using both rolled and porridge oats for added texture

and to help his flapjacks bind.

This is a nice kitchen compared to the one I've got at home.

I mean, the oven works, it's got, like, gauges on it and everything.

You can't see any of the numbers of mine it's so worn out.

There's no children running around. Quite enjoying myself.

I'm putting together some blondies,

which are basically chocolate brownies but with white chocolate.

I decided to kind of mix it up with some unusual flavours,

so I'm popping in vanilla grass, something I grew up with.

Born and raised in South East Asia,

experimental baker James is honouring his heritage

with his recipe choice of vanilla grass and pink peppercorn blondies

with a vodka-infused white chocolate ganache.

-Hello.

-Hello, James. You're doing something really different.

-Yes.

I don't know what vanilla grass is.

-Well, I've kind of made up the name.

-Ah.

It's called pandan or scrupine,

which doesn't sound very exciting. Have a sniff.

Pandan is a tropical plant widely used in South East Asian cuisine.

It also contains a lot of the same components that are in vanilla

so it has a familiar but slightly exotic...

That just smells like grass.

Exactly, it needs to be cooked down a little bit.

I'm going to squeeze out the melted butter that I've put into that.

I'm going to take out all of the grass

cos it's very fibrous at this point.

Basically, it's the Asian version of vanilla.

It seems like a lot of work to get to the point where you could use a pod.

-Yes.

-This tastes like grass. But I hope the vanilla comes through.

Well, we'll see.

Don't ever try and make your homemade vanilla extract

-when you're under time pressure.

-Homemade vanilla extract?

I've brought some peanut butter in with some chocolate.

Is he freaking you out with his vanilla?

-Oh, completely, I am psyched completely out.

-Has he grown it himself?

I think he has, I think he went foraging in the park.

40 millilitres.

How much is in here?

Oh, right, so the whole bottle. Come on!

Oh, don't want to get any of that on me.

Red food colouring is an essential ingredient

in Sarah's favourite recipe.

Unbelievably, I made my boyfriend a red velvet cake for Valentine's Day

in the shape of a heart and it was perfect and it was amazing.

Sarah's keeping it simple and hoping to minimise the risk

by adapting her successful red velvet recipe into a tray bake.

She plans to decorate it with a cream cheese topping

and fresh raspberries.

Looks great.

Oh, my God!

OTHERS LAUGH

What's it called, red velvet? Was it...

-Red velvet attack?

-Oh, my God. It's fine.

This is when you've just got to be really inventive,

get it back in, in, get back in, come on.

So the thing is is just to put that behind me. It was a small incident.

Paul and Mary need never know about it and we'll just carry on.

-Hello, Sarah.

-Hello.

I'm looking at that work station,

that has got to be the worst work station I've seen for a long time.

I've sacked people for less.

It's really hard, look, you try and get the thing in...

No, no, you've got to push it down then twist it.

-That's it. No, don't push it.

-Oh, is that in?

-That's it.

Now, one thing you must be really careful of, can you see that?

That is going to fall down and get into the top of your thing.

-If you put a little bit of butter underneath there...

-Yeah.

..then press it up against it, it won't fall.

-Thank you.

-Good luck, Sarah.

-And go and wash your hands.

-And wash your work station.

Bakers, you are halfway through this challenge.

45 minutes down, 45 minutes to go.

Timing is the all-important factor.

If they don't get their tray bake in the oven in time,

it won't be cooled and it won't be cool enough to ice.

I just want to get it right for Mary now.

In, in, in.

I love that oven.

Count down.

When we think of a large charitable donation,

an image of a comedy oversized cheque comes to mind,

usually next to the face of Noel Edmonds,

but this hasn't always been the case.

Baking and charity have a long, shared history

which actually goes back to the 12th century.

St Cross Hospital in Hampshire

is one of the oldest charitable institutions in the UK,

founded in 1132 by the Bishop of Winchester, Henri de Blois,

the grandson of William the Conqueror.

It's not an actual hospital, more a place of hospitality,

built to give shelter and food to the local poor.

There's a long tradition at St Cross known as the Wayfarer's Dole,

whereby the poor could knock at the porter's lodge and receive not money but two and a half pints of wine

and a loaf of bread. The tradition was founded at a time

when St Cross stood on an important route for merchants.

It's actually where the expression "being on the dole" comes from.

Even though we're now 880 years on,

visitors can still ask for the wayfarer's dole.

Nowadays it's not wine but beer and a chunk of bread.

100 years later,

it was common for baked goods to be left to those in need

in the wills of the nobility.

People also made provision for charity in their wills.

For example, in 1232 Ella, the Countess of Salisbury,

who was abbess at Laycock, left provision in her will

for a hundred poor people to receive bread after her funeral mass.

But some baking donations have gone way beyond a simple loaf of bread.

In 1931, the bakers of Britain attempted

a world record-breaking charity pudding made by Royal appointment.

Edward, the Prince of Wales and future King,

commissioned a Christmas pudding to be distributed

amongst the unemployed of Britain.

It weighed ten tonnes, as much as two elephants,

making it the largest pudding ever made.

It was cooked at the Army and Navy Stores

before being cut up and distributed to some of Britain's unemployed.

Word of this phenomenal pudding made international headlines, even The New York Times reported it.

So the charitable bakers of Britain really were becoming world famous.

Britain's history of charitable baking dates back almost 900 years

and it's still going strong today.

Why not stake your own place in history

by having a bake sale in aid of Sport Relief?

Bakers, half an hour to go, you've got 30 minutes on that clock.

BEEPING Oh, how do I stop it?

Shut up!

Oven timing with tray bakes is key.

Over-baking is a huge risk,

as the shallow tins leave little margin for error.

-Three, two...

-One, bingo.

-BEEPING

-Go.

-Open that oven, Sarah.

That looks dreadful.

The tray bakes must cool before being decorated.

If they don't, the topping will melt, ruining the appearance.

-Hang on, that's lock isn't it?

-Now, stand back.

Oh, my God.

Are you in character at the moment? Or is this really you?

I'm at the mercy of that.

I just love the mess. I think it's great. It's a good colour.

-Oh, that looks good, though.

-Thanks.

-What's that, your buttercream?

-Yeah.

-Joe.

-Hello.

This is the ultimate gardener's treat is this.

Now tell me, what's it doing sitting like that?

I turned it upside down but I don't want you to see it yet.

I might have had a little moment but it's not too bad.

Did you not think of, perhaps,

putting some non-stick parchment at the bottom?

I find that these actually work quite well.

I didn't want to get any paper sort of stuck.

-It doesn't stick, actually.

-Doesn't it?

-No.

With this, it's essential that we get the chocolate on.

-I've got to get it back in the freezer.

-Yes.

Bakers, this is your three-minute warning.

Three minutes to primp those tray bakes.

The judges have asked for 20 identical slices.

I've cut it in the wrong place.

Oh, my God, this is a disaster.

They're sticking a bit.

Bakers, this is your tray bake time up announcement.

That's the worst thing I've ever made in my life.

It's time for the Sport Relief Bakers

to be judged for the first time.

You might need a spoon, a little bit loose.

How many have you got?

20, the regulation required. I realised...

-You've got some...

-There's a slight discrepancy in size.

-Yeah. Is it edible glitter?

-Oh, I don't know. I assume so.

-I'm getting a tang.

-Oh.

-I'm definitely getting a tang. Have you got bicarb in there?

-Yeah.

-It's coming through.

-Oh, no.

-The topping should have been sharpened with lemon.

-OK.

-Definitely.

-And the texture's very close.

-Where's the other 12?

-The other 12?

-Yeah.

-Were we supposed to make a specific amount?

-20. Did you not hear Mel at the beginning?

-Not at all.

-Oh, that peppercorn's got a kick.

-Yeah?

You look like there's a little bit too much of a kick in there.

I think that's a first!

-Slightly over-baked.

-Yes.

I'm not getting that vanilla flavour coming through the icing.

I love the pistachio.

-I'm getting the texture of the pistachio in what is essentially quite a dry cake.

-Yes.

-It's very like a dry biscotti sponge.

-It is. That's exactly what it is.

-If I called it a biscotti, would you think differently?

-It's not dry enough.

-Oh!

But I think great use of flavours, but just be careful on your bakes.

Look underneath.

-Got a nice colour.

-I like that bake.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

-Bake's good.

-How many pieces there?

-20.

-You got 20?

-Yeah.

It's almost a cookie texture, isn't it?

But, I mean, a tray bake can be anything.

It's a little bit on the sweet side.

-Oh, OK.

-What do you think?

-I love them.

-Oh, my God, do you?

-I love the figs.

-Oh, my God, my legs are sweating.

I didn't know you could get sweaty legs.

I think it needs work on the appearance.

They don't look the most appetising in the world,

-but, for me, they taste delicious.

-They're delicious.

I can't tell you how much that means.

I'm so chuffed that you've said that.

I like paving slabs, as you can see.

-I thought they looked like little bricks that you could pave your garden with.

-Stem ginger, tick.

And dates. Chewiness of the dates coming through.

-Yeah.

-That's lovely, Joe.

And that chocolate works really well, as well.

You said it's special. It is special. Interesting texture.

It's a very simple thing to do, to be honest,

but I think you've displayed it fantastically.

I love the way that you've done the chocolate. Well done.

-Thank you very much.

-Yeah, well done, Joe.

Swifty's special flapjacks were quite a big hit with the judges, actually.

It worked, I pulled if off.

The next round, I need to beat that mixer, which is my nemesis.

The splatter was the sort of... It was my Waterloo, wasn't it, really?

I don't know what happened with Mel

because pink peppercorns aren't really that spicy.

-Really disconcerting. I hope she's all right.

-They did the thing.

It's a good bake and they liked it!

I could go home now cos that's what I wanted,

just once for them to go, "That was really lovely."

Paul even came back and had a little bit more!

Who would have guessed that baking for charity could be so much fun?

So, if you want to jump on board the cake wagon,

and do something really good for Sport Relief,

then why not have your own bake sale?

Go to the website to find out more.

The next challenge the Sport Relief bakers face is different.

They had a chance to practise their tray bake,

but the technical challenge is a complete surprise.

None of them know what today's recipe will be.

Bakers, welcome back.

It's time for you to face the technical challenge.

Now, for this, it's always judged blind,

so we're going to ask Paul and Mary to please vacate the tent.

Off you go, Paul and Mary. See you back shortly.

OK, so your technical challenge has been lifted

from the personal recipe vault of our very own Paul Hollywood -

the Bake Off's Henry VIII look-alike.

And it is wholemeal cheese scones.

-Oh.

-OK?

The judges are looking for you to make 12 of them.

They should be uniform as always.

You've got an hour and ten minutes, bakers. Good luck.

On your marks, get set, bake.

Each baker has been given exactly the same ingredients

and Paul's basic recipe. How they interpret the recipe

will help the judges to gauge their level of ability.

-Ah, OK.

-The bake looks pretty simple, but there's not an awful lot of detail in there.

I've never made scones, ever, before so we'll see!

The bakers start by mixing the wholemeal flour, plain flour and baking powder together.

I have made scones before, but, in all fairness,

the scones I've made before have been rubbish.

Teaspoons of baking powder.

If you say things out loud, I feel that you get it right.

I'm glad it's savoury because I haven't got much of a sweet tooth,

so I quite like cheesy things.

So what can possibly go wrong?

Oh, God, look, everyone's got bigger bowls. Ah!

Wholemeal scones, then, Mary, with cheese.

So, Paul, what do you think they'll struggle with, our bakers?

Initially what they will struggle with is getting the mixture together,

mixed but not overworked.

That's the key thing -

the cheese has been put through the whole mixture

and not just in one part, that it's been baked well,

it's soft inside, crispy on the outside with the parmesan.

So when you eat it...

..cheese comes through strong and it's lovely and soft.

The key to achieving a perfect batch of cheesy scones

is to coarsely grate the cheddar so the flavour is evenly distributed.

Large chunks will produce an inconsistent taste

but very fine shavings could cause the cheesy flavour to dissipate.

I'm grating cheese finely.

I reckon that's important, getting the cheese finely grated.

Get a good distribution, not big lumps of it.

Yeah, make it light and fluffy.

The bakers are also using parmesan.

So far, it seems quite, you know, straightforward.

The recipe states that the parmesan is to be sprinkled on top each scone,

not added to the dough mix.

There's going to be something that Paul and Mary are probably

going to shake their head at when they're watching the screens,

going, "No, no, that's not the way that it should have been."

I don't know what it is that's actually going to catch me out.

HE MURMURS

I seem to remember from the kind of depths of my subconscious,

my mum saying something once about how you don't mix scones very much,

but I'm not exactly sure if that's right.

I think you just mix them till they're incorporated,

so I'm going to stick with that plan and see how it works for me.

Oh, no. I've just found something out. Oh, God.

I've messed up.

I put my parmesan cheese into me mix rather than on top.

Oh, no. Do you think he'll notice?

I think so! Ha.

Oh, that's cos I didn't say it out loud. Oh, well.

I'm thinking about whether I should just start again.

Can I get some more cheese, please?

It looks to me as if you're starting again, Angela.

I am starting again, yeah. I put my parmesan into the mix.

-OK. They are cheese scones, is that a problem?

-They are cheese scones,

but that would be another 50% cheese which would make it greasy.

It wouldn't come out exactly as it was supposed to come out.

What's half a teaspoon? That looks massive.

-Is that half a teaspoon?

-Tablespoon.

-Half a tablespoon. Nearly.

To achieve a light, fluffy scone, the bakers mustn't over-handle the dough.

Too much kneading will stretch the gluten strands that are created when flour and water meet,

resulting in a tough, rubbery scone.

I am just about to cut these out and I've just realised

I don't really have much idea what an inch is. I work in metric.

I've got a really rough idea and after my last number disaster...

Eight, nine, ten, 11. Oh, OK, fair enough.

That's much better.

Do you think it's got a bit more competitive compared to this morning?

There's quite a serious vibe in here now.

Now it's more competitive because it's down to...

We're all doing the same thing, so it's like who can do best at that thing.

Yeah, you can't hide behind any decorative stuff, it's just, you know...

A bit too much flour, maybe.

-I like to use a lot of flour otherwise it gets all sticky.

-Yeah.

An egg wash glaze and parmesan sprinkle

will create a glossy, crispy top, but it mustn't spill down the sides,

as that will prevent an even rise.

How many am I meant to make?

Paul's recipe is for a batch of 12 scones.

Oh, they're all going to come up together, aren't they?

Flipping heck.

Right.

I've lost it. I've completely lost all composure.

I find this whole alchemy, chemistry aspect really exciting.

The fact that it swells up and kind of goes all over the place.

I should have kept that in mind because these two guys

look like they're about to meet each other in the middle.

I should have spaced them out more.

Ladies and gents, you think you've got all the time in the world

-and then suddenly

-scone.

-You've got...

-Ha!

-Thanks very much.

You've got half an hour to go. Girls and boys,

half an hour of baking time. Thank you.

-I'm going in.

-But, listen, you've...

-I've not put the parmesan on.

OK, yes, good, cheese, cos that was the problem before.

It was in the mix, now it's not anywhere to be seen.

-Come on, let's get the parmesan on.

-Right, OK.

-Come on.

-Bye, bye, little ones.

-Those are looking good.

Right, that's all you can do now.

-I can't do anything else.

-You've done it.

The scones should be baked for 15 minutes.

Any less and they'll be pale and under-baked,

any more and they might be dry and crumbly.

Oh, hello. That's a good hollow sound.

-Isn't that supposed to be good?

-You know more than me!

Judging by these scones, I think there's another talent emerging.

-Tell me that when I win.

-I like your bold...

-Wait, IF I win.

Oh! "When I win!" James Wong.

-Yeah, the secret Malaysian in me starts coming out.

-Look at that.

-Seven days and he thinks he can just walk off with the prize.

-Exactly.

-We shall see.

-Next, croque-en-bouche.

Well! Crock of something else. We'll see. See you later.

Bakers, you've got 60 seconds to go.

I'm going to do it. Dun-de-de-dun, de-de-dun...

-I'm walking away.

-Oh, my God, that's so hot.

They're OK.

I'm going in... ten...nine...eight...seven...

Boom.

Bakers, time is up.

No more fiddling with the Parmesan. Time is up.

The judging for the technical bake is unique.

Paul and Mary haven't watched the bakers during this challenge

and have no idea whose scones are whose.

I think they look a very splendid collection.

I'm pleasantly surprised. Shall we start with this one?

It's fairly even.

Nice colour underneath.

There's so much cheese gone on there and it's come out and it's gone

all over the base, but that's going to be a nice taste I think, that one.

It's nicely baked.

It's good flavour.

They're pretty good scones, them.

Mm, nice, crunchy top.

Let's move onto this one, where we seem to have...a lot.

There's some diddy ones. They're not very uniform, are they?

They're not very uniform.

The cheese hasn't been evenly distributed in this one.

And also, it's been slightly overworked,

so it's quite rubbery, isn't it, as well?

We've got the 12 here.

That's got to be the highest ones I've seen.

-They are beautiful.

-They look good.

They look prize ones.

I always eat the top first, because I like the crunchy top.

Those are lovely, aren't they?

They're very nice looking.

-Beautiful size.

-Nice and soft, well baked.

Now, finally...

Well, these are soft.

Can't see too much cheese in that one.

I can't find it. There's a little bit, but not a lot.

Shall we look for it, Paul?

We'll have a hunt.

It's very tricky.

It's stronger in others, but overall it's impressive.

I think they're very impressive.

Mary and Paul must now rank the scones, from worst to the best.

I like the taste of that.

-I don't like the taste, but like the look of them.

-Which ones?

I can't find the cheese, I just can't find the cheese.

-Look at the texture.

-Where is it?

It was quite difficult. Who's number four?

This one.

Where did you put your cheese?

It's all in, every single...

Every single bit.

I microplaned it, distributed it all the way through.

The whole lump of cheese is in there.

You just couldn't find it.

And, in third place, is this one.

Whose is this?

I so don't want to own them, I'm mortified by it.

They are quite rubbery.

That's because they're thin.

The flavour was great, but they were overworked.

And, now, the second one is here. Who's that?

Well done, James.

Very good. They're actually very good.

The reason why you came second and not in first

is because the height that was given on the first place was excellent.

The overall appearance of them were uniformed.

Just needed a bit more height, but the flavour is fantastic,

Well done.

So, obviously in first place, Sarah, well done.

Well done, Sarah.

That's a great example of a wholemeal scone,

lots of flavour, good structure inside, well baked.

A very nice wholemeal scone.

Oh, thank you, Paul.

It's been a game of two halves...

A really bad half and a really good half, in that order.

My cheesy scones weren't cheesy enough.

I used a very fine grater to grate the cheese

and get the distribution all the way through.

I think it was so fine that it evaporated in the oven.

I came second, which is great. First would be better.

It has been, you know, a proper high to a panicked low.

But...come out fighting tomorrow.

It's the second and final day in the first heat

of The Great Sport Relief Bake Off.

There's one challenge remaining

before Mary and Paul decide which one baker

will earn a place in the final.

Sarah, her cake wasn't so good and yet she sprung up with the scones.

They were absolutely beautiful.

Whereas, Angela was, sort of, the other way around.

So they're just like this.

James is interesting, isn't he?

He's the, sort of, Blumenthal of our team.

He's the maverick, isn't he?

It's an open playing field.

All four of them have got a chance to go through.

Makes for a very interesting bake today.

Bakers, this is your last chance to impress the judges

before they decide which one of you crazy foursome

is going to go through to The Great Sport Relief Bake Off final.

It's your showstopper challenge.

And we're asking you today to bake for us a meringue dessert.

Now, Mary and Paul are going to be expecting lightness,

shininess and crispness,

with fillings which complement the sweetness of that meringue.

You've got three hours. On your marks...get set...bake.

The showstopper - the meringue challenge.

Quite tricky to do, to make a good meringue.

What we'll be looking for is a nice crisp outside, well presented.

And when we cut through to the middle, it can be a little bit soft and squidgy.

It's all about the bake.

The baking has got to be perfect.

It's got to have that "wow factor"

and it's got to taste just as good as it looks.

A meringue mix starts with the important bit - separating the eggs.

It's vital that no yolk comes into contact with the egg whites.

Clear.

A spec of fat from the yolk

will stop the proteins in egg whites trapping air

during the whipping process,

resulting in a flat, watery meringue.

One for the yolks, one for the whites.

When they've made it to the whites stage, they get to go into the big bowl.

It's like an audition for the eggs.

That went very well, actually,

And then you get to go into the big bowl.

It's like Egg Factor.

Sarah's bake is named Meringue-a Hart,

in homage to her onscreen partner.

She's hoping that a handmade sugar paste face and butterscotch sauce

will demonstrate that she deserves a place in the final.

Oops. No, that's a no.

Oh, I can smell something a bit savoury.

It's Professor Brainstorm over there. The inventor.

-Hello, James.

-Hello.

-So, meringues today.

-Yes.

What are you going to be making for us?

I'm making some mini-meringue nests, but savoury ones.

James is once again taking a high-risk approach,

with flavour inspiration from Malaysia

in his green mango and chilli prawn mini-meringue nests.

I'm folding in salt and spices into the meringue base itself.

Right.

Has a prawn mousse filling.

It sounds counter intuitive, but ketchup's 40% sugar

and sweet chilli sauce is 70% sugar.

So, it's a sweet and savoury combination,

like sweet and sour sauce, but it works.

-I think it's very brave, very scientific.

-It is.

This is one of those recipes that could go disastrously wrong...

-It has.

-..or unbelievably right.

Once the egg whites are separated,

they're whisked, until soft peaks that hold their shape begin to form.

If you overdo it, it all goes "eugh" and goes floppy and that's no good.

You've got to keep it, sort of, really so it holds together nicely.

Over-whisking causes the protein in the egg white

to separate from the water molecules,

resulting in a limp, dry meringue mix, that will not rise.

Well my Auntie Ruth is the ninja Swift meringue maker.

She told me her magic recipe.

Oh, great. I've got a dead fly in it.

Nice(!)

Might put it back in again.

Might add a little bit of depth to the flavour, little bit of protein.

Joe's family meringue recipe has a simple raspberry and cream filling,

but bringing his landscape design skills to his presentation,

he's hoping to wow with white chocolate lattice work.

Looking all right?

-Hello, Joe.

-Hello.

How are you getting on?

I'm getting on all right.

-Classic, isn't it? A meringue...

-Meringue, raspberries.

It's a win, win.

I love raspberries, I love meringue. I didn't want to mess about with it.

How are you making the raspberry cream?

It's going to be sweet cream, just with a bit of raspberry sauce.

Do you want a ripple or...

If I can get a ripple, I'll do a ripple.

I'll tell you what that bit's going to be after I've done it.

-Good luck, Joe.

-Thank you very much.

Yeah, that's good.

Once soft peaks are formed, the caster sugar is added.

This sweetens the mix and also stabilises the egg whites,

helping it to set and keep its shape for longer.

This is the most important bit, almost. The filling

and the strawberries and stuff is the easy bit,

but getting the perfect meringue is obviously really,

really important and there it is, it's all, it's all cloud-like now.

Baking fanatic Angela has designed her pavlova with her family in mind.

The hazelnut meringue is coloured pink for her daughters

and the filling flavoured with Irish Cream for her husband.

In the past couple of challenges,

my presentation hasn't been particularly good,

so I really want to make an effort today,

making sure that it looks as good as I think it tastes.

Once the meringue mix is made , the bakers,

using additional flavours and colouring, fold them into the mix.

I have, so far, got Mary Berry's own meringue recipe in here.

Everything that happens from now on will not be Mary Berry's recipe,

but I know at least I'm starting from a decent foundation.

That is a mixture of spice salt, garlic and chilli powder, basically.

These are like little gardens.

It's a really nice material to work with, actually.

This would, literally, be my kids' idea of heaven.

They've got such sweet teeth, bless them.

Oh, doesn't that look pretty? Now tell us about that.

This is my strawberry fall over pavlova, as I like to call it.

Looks a good meringue and you've got hazelnuts in there?

Yes, there's hazelnuts in there, as well.

What you've been so clever about is these hazelnuts,

you have chopped coarsely.

If you chop them finely,

the oil comes out and you won't get such a good texture.

-You have chopped those the right amount.

-Yeah, that's it.

Every flavour in there, I love, I really love, and I love meringue.

-If you nail this one...

-Oh!

-..it's going to be very special to eat.

You've got to nail the bake, it's all about the bake.

Good luck.

-No pressure.

-Good luck.

No pressure. Thank you very much. OK.

I'm going in.

Begin at 70...

The perfect meringue is all down to taste.

Do you like it to have it crispy on the outside? Crispy, crispy?

Crispy, chewy?

I like to have that little bit of toffee in the middle

and that comes from a good bake and that starts on a high temperature,

so once you've stung the outside of your meringue, it forms the crust.

Once that's done, it's baking the inside,

then slow that down,

control your oven and you'll end up with a great meringue.

There we are.

Right, reset...minutes.

One hour.

Oh.

The world's largest bake sale was held recently over in America

and it raised a whopping 50,000.

How do you make the most bucks from your bakes?

Grab your notebooks,

as you're about to discover tips for organising a bake sale

for Sport Relief.

It's important that you make varieties of cakes and biscuits

that people recognise. Things like lemon drizzle cake,

Victoria sandwich, cup cakes.

Everybody loves cup cakes.

Go for crowd pleasers.

People want to buy things that they like to eat,

maybe a version of what they have at home.

I think tray bakes are perfect for a bake sale,

because they're easily transportable and you can cut them

into squares and they're perfect to sell for everybody.

Make small things, so that you can make loads.

It raises more for charity.

Loaves will only go for a certain amount,

but you can make 24 scones in the same time.

Do things that you like baking, cos if you like baking and eating them,

chances are someone else will enjoy them.

Remember when the cakes are on display, they've got to look good.

I'd say my top tip for a bake sale is lots of little cakes

that people can take away and you can't beat a bit of glitter.

Put glitter on and everybody loves them.

One of my tips on a charity bake - get tasters in front of every bake,

get people into the table, once they're there - sell, sell, sell.

Baking is an ideal way to make money for any charity.

Make and bake what you're good at and sell it to everybody,

and more - enjoy it!

Oh, interesting.

The meringues have been baking on a low heat for 50 minutes.

They're tiny, so I don't think they need as much time as other ones

and I'm trying to not make them a biscuit.

I want a bit of sticky Pavlovay stuff in the centre, a little bit.

Ladies and gents, we are just over halfway in this,

the meringue dessert showstopper.

Oh, wow, they look amazing. What about you and your piping?

They're a bit boring.

Oops, coming.

De, de, de, dah. Stop.

The classic way to achieve a perfectly chewy meringue

is to turn the heat off

then let the meringue slowly cool and dry out in the oven.

The thing is, there's no way of telling.

This is the gamble.

Hang on, you're not meant to cool them out, you're meant to leave them in.

Oh, no! Get them back in, quick sticks.

Other one.

On the top, back in, in.

Well, this is a bit different from yesterday.

This looks very orderly.

Well, since Cheese Sconegate, I'm feeling a bit more confident.

Tell us what you're up to.

I'm going to make butterscotch sauce

and then I'm going to flambe the rum.

How are you going to do that?

-Set fire to it.

-How?

-With a match.

-Have you done that before?

-Once, at home.

-What happened?

-Burnt my arm.

It splattered on the tiles behind the cooker.

I wiped it and I put my arm through the flame.

-How did it end up here?

-It was spitting.

You added it hot, it was spitting and then you added the rum and "phoof".

I think it sounds extremely dangerous.

I mean if you want a little bit of rum in there,

add less rum and don't flambe it.

Oh, OK.

You're doing a meringue, as well?

Yes, I'm doing three tiers of chocolate meringue.

-OK.

-Where is this meringue?

It's in the oven.

Can I come and have a look at it?

Yeah, course you can. Mary, Mary Berry, my meringue.

It looks pretty good.

They look good, do they?

Bakers, this is the news, you've got 15 minutes to go.

That's a quarter of an hour to go.

I'm not looking at everybody else.

I'm just focussing on what I'm going to do, really.

I am caramelising sugar, but it's taking for ever.

The process of making butterscotch sauce needs patience.

As Sarah discovers, stirring causes the sugar's molecules to collide,

joining together, to form large crystals.

I'm so bored of making this.

With the entire pan full of unusable crystallised sugar,

Sarah has no choice but to start again.

Next time I'm not going to stir it, I'm just going to shake it.

Is this some Swifty lattice work I see before me?

It is. Garden trellising, on a minute scale.

You've got a good handle on that.

I think that's it, isn't it?

Once the sugar and butter have finally melted,

the cream is added.

Go.

But to stop it curdling, it should be stirred in slowly off the heat.

Oh my... You see, look, that's just an absolute disaster.

There is nothing to see here.

Let's have a look.

But, look, look, look. I did do this one earlier.

Is that better?

That's all right. What's wrong with that?

It's not a nice colour, it's a bit too brown.

-It's butterscotch.

-OK.

Add more cream and it'd get lighter wouldn't it?

OK, yeah.

Ten minutes to go, bakers. Ten quite small minutes to go.

If you turn it over, bang the bottom,

it should always be a hollow sound, but I ain't banging this.

This is like my first-born child I'm treating it, at the moment.

I don't want... Oh, look what I did?

I've pretty much got every piece of the assembly line done.

One thing I haven't thought about is the way I'm going to present it,

like, what I'm going to present it on.

I've seen some banana leaves in the ground and I've got a knife,

so I'm going to see if I can get one.

Fortunately, there's just one leaf on the whole plant, check that out.

I think I've pretty much done everything within my power

to show off today for the judges.

You've got two minutes till you need to get your meringues on display.

Two minutes to go.

I've just remembered that I was meant to put some pistachios in,

but hopefully they'll forget about that.

That's her hair.

I'm actually working in the freezer.

Bakers, your time is very much up.

Please step away from your meringues.

Time's up.

The Sport Relief bakers have done all they can.

Their fate now rests in the hands of the judges.

For three of them, their journey will soon be over,

as only one can make it through to the final.

Angela, please.

That looks lovely.

It is a hazelnut meringue, Irish Cream and strawberry pavlova.

I actually like the way it looks.

The colours are delicate.

You would expect to see more definition on the swirls

but you do have the peaks in there.

Looks very good.

The meringue is chewy.

It's a lovely chewy meringue.

The reason why it hasn't got a shine on it is that it's gone

a little bit runny.

It's a beautiful thing.

-Is it?

-Yeah.

Two more mouthfuls and he's finished it!

Well done, Angela.

Thank you very much.

It's a "Meringue-A Hart".

It looks like a meringue bombe, you know, the way it's been built up.

It's lovely and chocolatey,

but I wouldn't know that there was a caramel filling

and I can't taste the rum.

Chocolate can be quite claggy, but the filling in it has balanced it,

-to give you that wetness on the palate.

-Oh, so it's a good thing?

-It's a good thing.

-It's lovely.

It tastes delicious, but not a perfect presentation.

Cracks all round, but the flavour - absolutely delicious.

-Thank you.

-Well done.

-Thank you very much.

These are Joe's Unforgettable Meringues,

with lovely melted chocolate decorations.

It is very warm and I saw them sailing along,

but with the heat, they've gone down.

I think they all look very professional, all equal sized.

The piping is very good.

You wanted to do a raspberry cream inside it.

Is that the raspberry cream inside it?

Yeah, it's very delicately flavoured with raspberry.

Were you going to put some pistachio on there?

I decided not to. I wasn't sure it would work. I made a late call.

That's not a raspberry cream.

That's a cream with raspberries on it. Different thing.

That meringue is superb.

Crispy, shiny, stable. It's a lovely meringue, it really is.

However, it's been filled with cream, with a few raspberries on top,

but the meringue, nevertheless, is very good.

-Thank you very much.

-Well done.

They're mini savoury meringues, with green mango and chilli prawns.

Now these were to be a meringue dessert.

Mm.

I've discovered that dessert is from the 16th-Century French

for end of the meal and is not necessarily sweet.

Well researched.

Come on, say something.

Delicious, but I don't know where the meringue fits in.

OK.

It doesn't work. The meringue has gone wet because of the filling.

Yes.

On the other side, the filling is stunning,

but, two together, it's a huge no from me, unfortunately.

The topping is delicious. I would love that in a canape.

Yeah.

On a tiny bagel, with drinks.

As a pie or even as a Cornish pasty.

-Everything but a meringue.

-That's what they're saying.

Very exciting for us to see

and you've been the bravest of all of you.

Yes.

APPLAUSE

Mary and Paul must now look back over the last two days

to decide who will go through to the final.

Are there any of this four that immediately say to you

they're not contenders?

James is, obviously, as far as I was concerned, it just didn't work.

It was two different dishes.

He has a stunning topping, but a meringue dessert it isn't.

If I move onto Sarah.

A little bit of a mess, as a three-tier volcano thing goes.

The butterscotch really didn't come through.

Which leaves us with the other two, Angela and Joe.

For me, I thought that meringue was too safe.

It's not what he said he would do, he hasn't used raspberry cream.

The nest is a great, great meringue. Don't get me wrong,

it tastes great but, simple.

They were perfection to look at.

They were the only meringues that were shiny.

You had specified shiny.

A very good example of meringue.

Tell us about Angela's pavlova.

It is not an absolutely perfect meringue,

because it had these nuts in it and it sort of dropped back,

but the flavour was, hint of flavour...

The flavour was stunning.

..I mean the flavour is absolutely lovely.

But, technically, he was very good.

I'm afraid it's up to you two to decide.

So, bakers, first of all, a huge thank you to all four of you

for turning up to support Sport Relief.

But as you know, we can only take one person with us

to The Sport Relief Bake Off final.

So, I'm delighted to announce that Paul and Mary have decided

that the person who will be joining us

for The Sport Relief Bake Off final is...

..Angela.

Well done.

Oh.

Oh.

I can't believe that I've just got through

on my favourite programme on the TV.

I'm in a bit of shock.

I've got about 15 different emotions running through me brain.

'I really wanted to come back for the finals.'

I surprised myself actually.

I got a little bit emotional, internally, for a little bit.

I like doing my odd Victoria sponge to much acclaim

and everyone saying I'm fantastic, but really, no.

I will never make butterscotch sauce again as long as I live.

I've learnt something, you know, about baking.

I feel like a better baker as a result of it.

It's been brilliant.

Mummy, they picked me.

Ah.

This is just heat one.

We've still got another two heats to go before the final.

I'm really looking forward to this ranking up, up, up, up.

This is only going to get better.

Next time...

Oh, no.

It's heat two and the competition's hotting up,

with four new bakers...

Aye, yeah. Isn't that lovely?

..tackling Mary Berry's technical challenge...

It's not supposed to have a well in the middle, is it?

..her banana and chocolate chip loaf, with chocolate icing...

That's what's going in my piping bag.

..and creating a show-stopping layered cake.

I'd have another piece of that. I would.

For batter or worse...

Oh, no, it's broken.

..only one can rise above the rest.

Our winning baker coming with us into the final

of The Great Sport Relief Bake off is...

Feeling inspired to bake to raise money for Sport Relief?

Go to bbc.co.uk/sportrelief to find out how you can do your bit to help.

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