GBBO

Today was the final show of the Great British Bake Off, which is a major deal here. Everyone watches it. The ultimate winner, Nadiya, was the popular favourite because of her goofy facial expressions, her sense of humour, and her humility--self-deprecating humour is quintessentially British.

Nadiya's parents are immigrants from Bangladesh and she wears a hijab, so it was also neat to see the best British baker be someone who represents modern Britain.

The series starts with 12 amateur chefs being judged by two professional chefs. One person is voted off each week until there are three left. Each week, the chefs have to do three bakes, two on one day and a third the next day. Each bake is timed, say two to four hours, depending on its complexity.

I'm the world's biggest wimp so I don't like to watch GBBO--it's so stressful and the judges are so harsh. Plus, I don't like to cook and the recipes they are making--well they might as well be assembling a nuclear bomb. I like to watch An Extra Slice, a show where comedians and chefs analyse the past week's GBBO round. It is highly entertaining. Like everyone else, I fell in love with Nadiya, who gave the most wonderful little speech when she won:
‘I’m never gonna put boundaries on myself ever again. I’m never gonna say I can't do it. I’m never gonna say “maybe”. I’m never gonna say “I don’t think I can”. I can and I will.’
And fair play to her husband: he encouraged her to enter three years in a row.
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