Great British Bake Off!

I thought today I would do something a little different, and come and chat about one of my favorite, and I know I say that a lot because come to think of it I seem to have a lot of favorite things don't I???  But, one of my favorite shows ever, is The Great British Bake Off.

I will just attribute my initial pull to this show to the fact that I love cooking, so very much, but very quickly I became enamored with the whole concept, the show itself, the baking, the delicious recipes and two people who I truly admire in the food world....Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry.  Love them!

Of course the presenters are hilarious and I love watching them, Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc make watching this show such a joy.

I'm not sure if many of you are familiar with it because as so many others on my watching list, it's from the UK.

Twelve homebakers take part in a 'bake off', which will test every aspect of their baking skills as they battle it out to be crowned the Great British Bake Off's Best Amateur Baker.

It's fun watching these homemakers facing challenges in the baking department and really having to push their boundaries.  There are mishaps, there are funny moments, there are amazing flavor combinations and outstanding cakes and biscuits, pies and pastry and bread.

Definitely a show after my own heart, and goodness, let's talk about the tent they cook in.  Against a backdrop of Cath Kidston look alike bunting, gorgeous pastel colored tables and refrigerators, all these cute gadgets and ingredients.

I honestly think I could bake all day long in a kitchen like that...I don't care if it's a tent.  LOL

Maybe I should just make a baking tent in my back yard.  Can you imagine???

It's the kind of show that I could watch all day long, one after the other and not get sick of it, matter of fact, I get quite annoyed when I am coming to the end of a season.

Great thing about it is that it's made me want to bake even more, and it's taught me that just because something seems intimidating, I need to get right in there and try it out. 

Here's the thing, I'm a cook, I love cooking but I've never been much of a baker, cakes always scared me and I felt like I could never get them right, so it's been a slow going process for me to get comfortable enough to just bake a cake and be happy with the result.

This show gives me the motivation I need to keep going and keep experimenting.

And it's made me hungry....oh goodness, the things they make really make me drool.

• Custard Slices which I haven't had in YEARS, but is now on my to do list for next week.
• Brandy Snaps
• Bakewell Tart
• Chocolate Eclairs 
• Classic Cornish Pasties 

Yes, lots of baking coming up in my future.

 
And if The Great British Bake Off wasn't brilliant enough, along comes the Great Comic Relief Bake Off with some famous faces baking for charity.  So good, and so much fun to watch too.

Alright, now that I've told you all about these, I'm going back to watch more.....and if you want to, you can catch them on BBC. 

Do any of my UK friends watch these two shows?