The makers of The Great British Bake Off have whipped up a spin-off of the hit show – a pastry version called Bake Off: Creme de la Creme.
Presented by Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge, the BBC2 series will feature teams of pastry chefs competing against each other to win the Creme de la Creme title.
Kerridge, who has appeared on BBC2’s Great British Menu as well as other shows including Tom Kerridge’s Best Ever Dishes, will oversee proceedings as 15 teams, each made up of three professionals, try to impress three of the top patissiers in the industry.
The three are Benoit Blin, chef patissier at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons; Cherish Finden, executive pastry chef at the Langham; and Claire Clark MBE, who has twice been named Britain’s best pastry chef.
The 45 contestants come from a range of backgrounds, from kitchens in a supermarket to the armed forces, as well as hotels.
The BBC will be hoping the new show proves a hit with fans of Bake Off, which is now the BBC’s third most popular TV format sold abroad.
This year’s final in October, when Nadiya Jamir Hussain took the title, was watched by more than 13 million people, putting it on course to be the most viewed TV show of the year.
Creme de la Creme is due to air next year and is being made by Bake Off creators Love Productions. Executive producers for Love Productions are Richard Bowron, Anna Beattie and Richard McKerrow and the BBC’s commissioning editor is Clare Paterson, who also oversees Bake Off for the BBC.
