Well, I think that this series has become stale based on the last two week's themes, which have been rather tedious and perhaps it is a good idea for the BBC to rid themselves of it. It has had a good run after all, hasn't it?
My comments could also easily apply to Apprentice and Strictly. Quit while you're on top, I say

Salasi and Candice are totally banging.

Could have sworn I saw Sue Perkins in my local supermarket yesterday wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap. Just found out she was appearing on tour just down the road from me.

It was her!

. I think it's mostly practice. We don't tend to make them that often so never get the practice in.
I was rubbish at them for years until it clicked.
The ratio of the mix is key, as is making sure the fat is smoking hot - I use lard.

Also prefer big puds rather than lots of little ones so I use a four-bay tin rather than a muffin tin.

I thought that too. It's not that the programme is any different, but it's the disappointment in the back of the mind that this is the last series on the BBC - without Mel and Sue, with adverts, product placements or whatever that will change the feel of it.

I wonder if Candice is aware of the pouting and other shapes she makes with her mouth. If she wasn't before, she is now. At least those muscles are getting plenty of exercise and she'll avoid having wrinkles there.

Still difficult to predict who will win - they all have good and bad elements to their cooking.

I couldn't believe how bad most of them were at making yorkshire puds.

I wonder if the problem was that when they make them at home they go for the 'hitting the top of the oven' big puffy ones and tried to adapt their normal recipes to make smaller bucket shaped ones that would hold a filling.

It's the lippy that exaggerates them. As a simple man she ticks some boxes for me and is deffo where the sex appeal lies in this year's contest. And she knows it!

Did anyone else read that the relationship between BBC and Love Productions had soured long before these negotiations. Apparently Love Productions took exception to the BBC copying the GBBO format with the amateur painting programme and the hairdressing one. They complained about it and that lead to them falling out.
So maybe it wasn't all about the money!
As a business owner I am siding with Love (even though I hate the idea of it moving or changing at all). When you start a business you are in it to try and make enough money to be able to retire. Most people have to risk all their own money in a business. We certainly did and have no other pension plans in place except to sell the business and hope it provides enough for us to live off.
The owners of the company will have worked damn hard to build it up - when an opportunity comes to get a reward you bloody well take it.

I'm pretty sure she has had a lip tattoo to give her the basic (exaggerated) cupid's bow top lip shape, that she then fills in with lipstick.

They were flat. The thing is if make yorkshires in a large baking tin to cut up into squares you only have the outside edges that are risen and the whole area in the centre is flat batter a bit like clafoutis.
My gran used to make them all the time, they were delicious!

The current stories about the souring of the relationship read to me like little more than damage limitation on the part of Love Productions and a spot more Beeb bashing by those who love to do it.

I agree that being in business is about making money but shafting the BBC isn't exactly the best way to go about doing that in the future. The Beeb will now think long and hard about entering a relationship with Love and that is only going to damage Love's ability to make more money. It'll also put other channels off making a deal with Love since all that will happen is that as soon as a programme gets successful Love will run off and sell it to a higher bidder or else bilk them for everything they can get. Plus if GBBO is a failure on C4 it's hardly going to help either. They've taken a major risk which they didn't have to take which I'm not sure is the sensible way to build a business.

When it was first made, the BBC took it when no other channel would, and it's the BBC who have grown it to be what it is. It would never have been broadcast without the BBC. Love Productions have now stuck two fingers up in thanks.

I can't make yorkshires even after 50 years of cooking - I buy Aunt Bessies.

and sold their soul to the devil for greed....

According to my mum (Yorkshire woman) - the secret is in letting the batter "sit" for at least an hour before you use it.
We also used to have it not as individual puddings but one large one that was cut into pieces and eaten BEFORE the main roast meal, not with it.
(it was meant to fill you up with cheap ingredients when meat was expensive and portions were really small)

That's exactly how my mum taught me to do it - although she claims her mum's Yorkshire's were the best and she's never been able to replicate them - but she does use mustard powder, and they taste amazing! Also, she never puts the batter in the fridge - instead, just covered at room temperature and left for an hour. It definitely shouldn't be cold when you're pouring it into the pan.

The whole thing about smoking hot oil was right, but too many of the bakers last night seemed to just take too long to get the batter in the pans, and the temperature was clearly dropping. I can't remember who it was, but I remember one TV chef taking their pan of smoking oil out of the oven, and putting it on a hob that was already hot (although not exactly cooking). it meant that there was very little heat lost, with room temperature batter hitting hot oil in a still hot pan. Also, choice of oil is key to flavour - my mum only ever uses beef dripping and she never opens the oven door once the puddings were in. Mind you, sticking an entire roast dinner inside a yorkie would negate the need to add lots of flavour with your choice of cooking fat!

Haven't caught up on last night's show yet but have read all the comments.

Re. Tom going through - I recall on last week's show (bread week) Paul made the comment "whoever has got star baker on bread week has always gone through to the final" - so I wonder if they want Tom in the final (for whatever reason?!)? Then again they could just keep putting him through without referencing the bread week star baker.

Yes ... sorry ... that's who I meant!

I suspect it's not so much that they want him in the final, but that Paul rated the star baker in bread week as worthy of saving, if it came down to them versus someone who didn't get near star baker in any week previously. For me, Tom had an awful week, but he wasn't the only one, and his previous form has been pretty good. I felt sorry for him, as he looked at his failed recipe sheet for his Yorkshires, and just couldn't quite figure out how his chickpea flour had failed him!

I'd say it was just an observation, bread week is tough thanks to Paul's challenges and whoever gets SB can't be that bad in other areas either. But I don't think they want that person in the final regardless of how they perform later.

Exactly - flat but very yummy

That's interesting - I love social history like that
Makes sense re. letting it sit. Would definitely do that for pancakes too.

Controversial perhaps but I hate the Aunt Bessie style crispy Yorkshire puddings. I like them stodgy with a soggy bottom.

That said, I can't for the life of me understand why some of the bakers found it so difficult to get a rise in their puds.

Also, what is the texture of churros meant to be like? Are they meant to be crispy or more like a donut? I've only ever had them crispy and I've not enjoyed them. But give my the Auntie Annie's cinnamon pretzel sticks any day of the week!

We briefly lived in Yorkshire when I was a kid and yes, I remember us visiting a 'born & bred' Yorkshire couple and they did their Yorkshire in a tray form like you're describing.

When I was growing up, we never had meat with our roasts (my father was a veggie), and the Yorkshires took the place of it. We'd have loads of crispy roasties, Yorkshires, stuffing, veg, gravy & mint sauce.

We'd do big ones in those four hole pans & yes, the batter would always sit for a while in the fridge and I would get the tray with the hot oil out, pour the batter in and get them back in the oven as quickly as possible.

For the roasties, I used to turn the hob on under the tray of melted fat to keep it hot while I was basting/turning them. If I were making a big tray of Yorkshires like they were I'd probably try the same thing, but I don't know if it would help or hinder things as I've never had to try it.

I've had cherry clafoutis from Sainsbury's. It's yummy and I've always meant to make it!


Everyone says she pouts but it's more she's like pursing her lips.

As for Yorkshire puds, I like them heavier than they are meant to be and aways make the batter a bit thicker. YUM.

Couldn't agree more - those are by far the two most important elements and once you get that right, they will always come out right.

I use Brian Turner's foolproof recipe - all done by volume so if you crack eg 3 eggs into a measuring jug, you then measure out your flour and then milk up to the same level the eggs came to.

Whack them into a preheated oven at 220 degrees C for about 15-20 mins depending on size, and bingo.


I don't agree - sorry

With the recipe above, sitting isn't necessary - if you follow the steps they always work and I've never once let them sit!