A Manchester University law graduate has beaten off tough competition and baked his way to victory in the gripping finale of BBC Two’s The Great British Bake Off.
Watched by around six million people, 23-year-old John Whaite won the judges over with an impressive heaven and hell themed chiffon cake, which consisted of a dark chocolate and orange base, topped with miniature lemon and coconut meringue cakes.
John triumphed over a 63-year-old semi-retired recruitment consultant Brenan Lynch and the series’ youngest contestant, 21-year-old James Morton, to take home the coveted title of the BAFTA award-winning amateur baking TV show.
His win marks the end of the show’s third series, which was judged by celebrity chefs Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.
Hollywood said: “John was fantastic. He had his ups and downs through the whole series, but actually, overall, when he nails it, he absolutely nails it.
“His thought processes are design and baking and, for the first time, they just joined up. The passion the guy has is just phenomenal.”
On the BBC Breakfast Show yesterday morning (17 October), John revealed that he wants to be a patissier, and is saving up in order to train at either the Le Cordon Bleu or Ritz Escoffier patisserie schools in Paris.
Plans to release his own recipe book and launch a bakery business are also on the cards, he said.
“Hopefully I can be a patissier but the future is blurry so you will have to watch this space at the minute, but I know where I want to go," he added.
“I've would love write my own book, as I've been writing my own blog for about a year now, and I just want to keep baking and get the nation baking.”
Many university leavers have been forced to abandon their hopes of working in
graduate jobs relating to their chosen field – but others, like John, are more than happy to revise their careers plans.