Reigning Bake Off champion Peter Sawkins said this year’s final was “too close to call” after the shock elimination of series favourite Jurgen Krauss in the semis - but was most impressed with the signature bakes of runner-up Chigs Parmar.
Giuseppe Dell'Anno was crowned winner of the baking competition last night after what judges on the Channel 4 show described as the closest finale yet.
But 21-year-old Scot Peter says he has been most impressed with the signature bakes of Chigs, who only took up cake making in lockdown.
Peter said: “It’s surprising Jurgen went because he is so good but I think all four were very worthy to go into the final.
“It was probably the highest level week there has been - I had no idea who would be star baker and who would go.
“Jurgen went out doing amazing bakes, which is probably hard to take.
“He didn’t mess up and showed how good a baker he is, but it was very tight and an unfortunate week to leave.
“I think the three finalists all really evenly spread. I couldn’t bet on any one of them to win.
“I’ve loved Chigs’ signature bakes though, especially from week four onwards.
“The styling of his baking is really down my street – clean and simple. Just spot on.”
The 2020 champ, who has been a Great British Bake Off fan since he was 12, admitted he was worried watching the show would have lost its magic after being part of the contest.
He said: “At the start, I thought I would have immense FOMO and not enjoy watching it because it is not my Bake Off, my crew, my team.
“But actually I watched the first episode and I’m a Bake Off fan again. There was no stress or analysing myself.
“I do watch it with more sympathy for the bakers now though. I know what the pressure is like in the tent.
“I remember before the final asking the producer to remind me to have fun if I was getting stressed. It was the last time we would be baking in the tent and I wanted to enjoy it.
“My heart was beating out of my chest when Noel Fielding announced the result. I looked pale and almost sick on the screen.
“He held it for much longer than you see on the telly as he needed to get the nod from the crew and I realised I really wanted to win.”
After becoming the show’s youngest ever winner, Peter returned to his accounting and finance degree at Edinburgh University but has taken his studies part-time in order to build his baking career.
In October, he published his first book, Peter Bakes, and legendary show judge Dame Prue Leith, who admitted after the final that she thought of the likeable young baker as a grandson, travelled to Scotland to host one of the launch events.
He said: “It was an amazing thing for her to do and to take that time out. We got to catch up as it was the first time I’d seen her since the show.
“She was very kind and I have asked a few bits of advice on where I can go post uni with the baking.
“She has said she will be very happy to lend a listening ear.
“Paul Hollywood has had a copy of the book and sent a message too. You can tell they want us all to do well.”
Peter has also stayed in touch with his showmates, meeting up with them in London in June and going on stage to collect the programme's National Television Award for best Challenge Show with fellow 2020 finalist Laura Adlington.
He said: “There’s a Bake Off family, not just from my year but the others too. Lots of people have been in contact with advice.”
While the sensible student is determined to finish his degree before making any career decisions, Peter admits he would love to quite literally follow in the footsteps of fellow winner John Whaite, who was also at university when he took the title in 2012.
He said: “I’m watching Strictly Come Dancing and John is just fantastic. Every week he knocks it out of the park. It’s been good to watch.
“John was the previous youngest winner and now he has his cookery school, he writes books, he does TV. It’s really impressive what he has achieved.
“If Strictly would have me, I’d love to try it out. My mum and aunt would be giddy with excitement.”
Peter will be watching the final with his flatmates and friends, who he managed to keep his win secret from right up until the moment the result was aired on Channel 4.
He said: “It was good fun. We couldn’t have a big watch party due to the lockdowns, so it was just the four of us in the flat and it was good to have people who were excited and nervous for me.
“They didn’t really want to know - they wanted to watch and not have it be spoiled. With the 6pm curfew in Edinburgh, it was a monotonous time, and the excitement was well needed.”
The baker says he cannot predict whether Chigs or fellow finalists Giuseppe Dell’Anno and Crystelle Pereira.
“I think it is whoever goes in with confidence and doesn’t let the nerves get to them,” he said.
- Peter Bakes by Peter Sawkins is out now. £20, Black & White Publishing.
APPLE GALETTE RECIPE
By Peter Sawkins, taken from his book Peter Bakes
A galette is a free-form tart made without a tin. This shaping gives the tart a rustic feel and is easier to achieve if you haven’t quite mastered your tart lining skills yet.
Each galette will be unique depending on how thinly you slice the apples, how large you roll out the pastry, how many folds are in the pastry creating the crust, or if there are any gaps allowing some of the apple caramel to be released.
This is not a bake to be precious about; asymmetry and informality are what make this beautiful. The simple taste of the galette, however, is even better than the design.
Gentle cinnamon and almonds with sweet apples and buttery pastry. Buy in-season apples with a good bite, and the taste will not disappoint.
I genuinely can’t think of a pudding I would rather serve to friends and family directly from the centre of the table along with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients:
1 quantity sweet shortcrust pastry (gf)
For the frangipane
50g butter, softened
50g light brown sugar
1 large egg
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
75g ground almonds
25g self-raising flour (gf)
For the apple filling:
4 medium eating apples
50g light brown sugar
30g butter
To assemble:
1 egg, beaten
30g demerara sugar
2 tablespoons apricot jam
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/ 190°C conventional/gas mark 5. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
1. Make the frangipane. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add in all the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
2. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to about ½ cm thick. Then cut a rough circle from the dough about 30cm in diameter. Place this on your baking tray.
3. Spread the frangipane over the pastry leaving a 5cm border all the way around the edge.
4. Make the apple filling. Core and quarter the apples, but keep the peel on. Slice each quarter into thin slices and fan these out from each quarter over the frangipane. Repeat for all the apples making sure to cover all the frangipane. Sprinkle the sugar over the apples and dot over with small pieces of butter.
5. Assemble the galette. Lift up the edge of the pastry and cover the edges of the apples all the way around the tart. The pastry will fold over itself; this adds to the informal look. Brush the pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with demerara sugar.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the apples are soft. Slide the galette and baking paper onto a cooling rack straight from the oven.
7. Gently warm the apricot jam and brush a light covering over the apples with a pastry brush to give them a shine. Serve and eat hot from the oven or cold later.
PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES RECIPE
By Peter Sawkins, taken from Peter Bakes
My friends have been helping me out by taste testing and this is one of the bakes that they’ve liked best out of all of them.
Part of me is almost annoyed about this because it is such a simple recipe that didn’t take a huge amount of time to devise. But sometimes this is the way.
Simple bakes with few ingredients can be just as good, if not even better, than more complicated ones.
Ingredients:
200g light brown sugar
200g peanut butter, smooth or crunchy
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
80g chocolate chips, milk or dark as you prefer
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/ 170°C conventional/gas mark 3.5. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
1. Add the sugar, peanut butter, bicarbonate of soda, salt and egg into a bowl and mix until combined. This is easiest with an electric hand mixer. Throw in the chocolate chips and stir through.
2. Roll into 12 balls and place these on the baking trays, leaving a good amount of space between each ball. Sometimes the chocolate chips will fall out of the stiff dough. Just press them back into the balls on the tray. Flatten the balls with the palm of your hand and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until beginning to brown around the edges.
