Bake Off has its first Italian winner, putting the icing on the cake to the country’s victories this year at the Euros, Eurovision and Olympics.
Now Giuseppe Dell’Anno, 45, has clinched a further triumph for Italy after taking the title in the show’s 12th series.
Last night he said his win had left him over the moon, adding: “I feel it’s been a great year for Italy. I truly can’t believe it or take it in, this has made me so incredibly happy to be a Britalian.
“Dell’Anno translates to ‘of the year’ – and I feel this certainly has been my year.”
The Bristol-based engineer dedicated his triumph to his father, who is in poor health.
He said: “I think this is going to be a great boost.”
Giuseppe added he received huge support during the C4 series from people in Bristol and
Italians in the UK.
The married dad of three revealed his biggest shock came when Jurgen Krauss, nicknamed the Jurgenator, left the tent last week after the semi-finals.
He said: “I was not expecting him to go. I was convinced that I was going to go after my even wonkier-than-normal leaning tower of Pisa.”
Giuseppe took on Chigs Parmar and Crystelle Pereira in the show’s closest final. They had to make a carrot cake in the signature challenge, Belgian buns in the technical and finally a showstopper
from the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party.
Praising his rivals’ efforts, Giuseppe said: “This sounds corny but I would have been equally happy if either of those had won, they are phenomenal bakers.”
His showstopper was a tear and share bread filled with chocolate and hazelnut, shaped like a giant mushroom.
Giuseppe made mango and passion fruit “drink me” panna cottas with orange and fig heart-shaped muffins plus asparagus and pea-filled choux pastries, shaped as the Caterpillar.
Beautiful
He said he was thrilled when Prue Leith, who described him as “a classic, beautiful baker”, took a panna cotta for lunch, adding: “That was a big moment.”
Fellow judge Paul Hollywood said he knew the Italian was the one to beat with his chocolate logs in the first week.
Giuseppe hopes being on the show “might just change my life”. He added: “The one thing I would love to do is to crystallise my dad and family’s heritage in a cookery book of Italian baking.”
Giuseppe said he would not have won without wife Laura, who looked after their sons aged four, six and eight. He added: “I can never thank her enough.”
