Totally agree, I thought the standard was rather low this year.

Spot on! Couldn't have said it better myself.

They said they were getting back to basics. Which they did, this year was about actual baking not bad Blue Peterish constructions and all the better for it.

Yes, it was noticeable that a lot of the bakes especially the technicals, were things we mere mortals could attempt with normal equipment and common ingredients. Anything that encourages people to have a go from scratch is a good thing imho.

Have you looked at photos of the two peacocks? They were totally different:

http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/entert...k-showstopper/

or perhaps they both copied Ruby's:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01hxyc5/p01hydvc

Mary is teaming up with James Martin in a new show on the Food Network on 14th and 21st November at 9pm called James Martins Christmas With Friends in which he will create four festive recipes along with celebrity and cheffy friends, including Mary.

Ruby's is hardly the same as Naydia or Candice.

The point is Candice did a peacock. Why not choose something else that was not a near copy of last years winner.

It was a Tudor theme and the peacock was a common theme in Tudor banquets. I don't think her one looked like Nadiya's one.

I think there are a lot of similarities there actually. They won't be exactly the same but they are in the same ballpark. Candice's is very reminiscent of Nadiya's. Reminiscent of one of the favourite bakes of last year's winner? Hmmm. There are plenty of other Tudor ideas Candice could have drawn inspiration from.


And this is NOT in the same ballpark. Now THIS is completely different.

Both Candice and Nadiya were making something looking like a peacock so there are similarities. I would say that Candice's looks better than Nadiya's one and was made for a reason i.e. the Tudor theme.

Ruby's was not meant to look like a peacock in the same way, it is bread so completely different and looks as if just inspired by the peacock's tail.

Tudor does not mean you have to do a peacock like last year. She copied Naydia. Candice could have done something that was not done last year.

Give an example of a different idea for a Tudor centrepiece, i.e. one that was used by the Tudors and which fitted in to Bake Off..

Well on a real Tudor table the peacock would have been real so given they had to do cakey marzipan interpretations it would have been just as easy to do a swan, a boar's head, a Tudor Rose, some other unfortunate animal or bird that was flavour of the time.

A cake is a cake, there are going to lots of examples of people doing similar to last year but it is not copying.

Hasn't a swan been done previously so they would be accused of copying that.

No-one seems to be fussed that Andrew did a Queen Victoria crown just like Ian did last year yet everyone's getting their panties in a twist about Candice's peacock.

Some have taken every opportunity to be negative about Candice all the way through the series.

Oh give over, are we having a baking ban on peacocks now because someone else made one the previous year?

Exactly, I hate to be one of those people but the misogyny is pretty obvious.

I can't recall truthfully you could be right but it was hardly memorable was it?. You could pick any heraldic beast or imagery as a host may have done to impress an esteemed guest. Has anyone done a cockentrice?

Diana did one in the same episode as bingate in season 5 (I only remember because I've just finished watching all the previous seasons)

I found this but only because I looked it up not by actually remembering it.

I would think in terms of it being similar to a Tudor centrepiece it would be as far removed from any likely swan (assuming it would be similar in style to Candice's and Nadiya's peacocks) than Ruby's bread peacock was from the others.

Candice is extremely creative, I find it really surprising that she chose something so close to an iconic piece done by an iconic contestant (Nadiya). When you consider all the wealth of subjects she could have chosen, and done extremely well, why go for the same?

Apart from them being a representation of a peaock, I can see no similarity between Candice's and Nadyia's:

Nadyia's on a tree stump with the tail stretching down to the "ground". Head, neck and body the same colour and made of cake.

Candice's flat on the ground with the tail stretch out behind. Head and neck made from Rice Krispies, the body made from cake. Blueberries hidden inside the cake.

Shame that people "had it in" for Candice. Whatever she produced some would have found fault, no matter what she did.

Nadiya's peacock was made from Rice Krispies, granted a popular food modelling medium and not unique to her. But irrespective of the finer details of ingredients it was still "a peacock" and a model of the creature in 3D brightly coloured and of similar size..

I find it odd that Candice chose that given Nadiya's was an iconic creation. There are a few creations I would describe as iconic, Nadiya's peacock, Paul's bread lion, the chocolate (?) well, Andrew's cog pies and........Candice's gingerbread pub (a few other things as well). So it isn't like she isn't capable of fabulous originality but in her position I think I'd have avoided doing what somebody so prominent had done before.

I still think some are criticising Candice because they just didn't like her and for no other reason.

I like both Nadyia and Candice and I hope Candice manages to do what she wants on the back of winning. She won't match Nadyia for being so likeable and natural in front of the cameras, but I still think she'll do well.