The Great British Bake Off returned for a 13th season on Tuesday (13 September) introducing a whole new cast of bakers.
Some will be forgotten, others will fast become national treasures.
One baker showing the early signs of the latter is Carole, a pink-haired, 59-year-old supermarket cashier from Dorset.
Viewers were told early on that her nickname was “Compost Carole”, as she shares her gardening expertise with listeners in a segment on her local radio station.
The first episode began with a signature bake: 12 identical sandwich cakes. Carole revealed that the name of her signature bake would be, “To Bee or not to Bee,” featuring – you guessed it – tiny bees atop her mini cakes.
Later in the show, Carole made a coffee and walnut cake, posing the question: “Who doesn’t like coffee and walnuts? Unless you don’t like coffee and you’re allergic to nuts.”
“Icon,” tweeted television critic Scott Bryan alongside the quote.
“When I grow up I want to be cool as Compost Carole,” one fan tweeted alongside a the baker’s headshot.
“This is now a Compost Carole fan account,” tweeted another.
“In this house we worship Carole,” tweeted another.
You can read The Independent’s three-star review of the latest series of Bake Off here.
