It feels like mere days since it began, and yet the latest series of The Great British Bake Off is about to draw to a close – it feels like we’ve gorged on an entire cake and realised there’s only one slice left: very sad, and a little bit ill.
It’s been another series of baking triumphs, disasters, and dramas (though thankfully nothing as intense as #bingate), and now it’s down to Nadiya, Tamal, and Ian to duke it out one last time for the top spot.
Who will bake their socks off? Who will crack under the pressure? And who will be left with a soggy bottom?
Here are our thoughts on the three Great British Bake Off finalists.
She isn’t the most consistent baker in the competition, but Nadiya has a lot of things going for her.
She’s ambitious with her flavours and her designs, and truly bakes from the heart. You can tell there’s a competitive side to her and a desire to succeed, but she bakes because she loves it.
Best of all, she’s become incredibly endearing thanks to her anti-poker face – when she’s happy, it’s written all of her face, and when she’s nervous or sad, her glassy eyes will break your heart. If she doesn’t win, expect a nation flooded in tears.
Ian became an early favourite in the competition after being named Star Baker three (yes, three!) times in a row.
He’s a highly-skilled baker with a precise eye for detail and a classic sensibility. While he doesn’t push the boundaries of baking, he’s been a strong player throughout the competition, and rarely makes a mis-step.
Still, he does look a bit too pleased when he knows he’s done something impressive, which hasn’t done as much to endear him to the Twitter mob.
Taking the ‘slowly and steady’ approach, Tamal has continually proved himself to be an impressive talent despite only being Star Baker once.
Don’t underestimate him – his eye for beautiful designs and unusual flavours makes him the dark horse of the final. On an unrelated note, the entirety of Twitter has a massive crush on him, so he has plenty of support heading into the last round.