Bake Off: The Professionals is back for its landmark tenth series as some of the UK’s top pastry chefs go head-to-head in the ultimate baking showdown.
This year, 12 talented teams - drawn from hotels, restaurants, patisseries, catering companies, and culinary schools across the country, will compete in increasingly difficult challenges designed to push their precision, creativity, and endurance to the limit.
Returning to host the series are Liam Charles, former Great British Bake Off contestant and Junior Bake Off judge, and comedian Ellie Taylor.
The judges
Judging the competition once again are two pastry world heavyweights: Benoit Blin, Chef Pâtissier at Raymond Blanc’s two-Michelin-starred Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, and Cherish Finden, formerly executive pastry chef at Pan Pacific London Hotel.
Benoit said: "When we started off ten years ago, we never thought we’d find enough pastry chefs in the country to do one series, let alone ten. And now the industry has grown, there are more pastry chefs than ever before, and more interest in baking, which is fantastic.
"Now there are more women involved, whereas it was initially quite male-dominated. Now it’s much more diverse, which is a reflection of how the industry has changed over the last ten years."
On the rising standard of competition, he added: "What I’ve really noticed is that the gap between the strongest and weakest teams has narrowed so much... all the teams really understand what the competition is all about, so they prepare a little better.
"It’s about synergy between the chefs. One leader and one good co-worker is crucial... Teamwork is about completing each other.
"What happens on the show is very honest, you can’t make it up. It is authentic. It’s genuine people competing at their best. None of it is staged in any way."
Cherish added: "It is incredibly exciting! Ten years on, and the excitement hasn’t cooled a degree. Hitting our 10th anniversary is like pulling a perfectly risen soufflé out of the oven – pure joy and satisfaction.
"The standard has skyrocketed over the years. Every season, the chefs get more innovative and daring with their designs and flavour combinations.
"This year, the chefs have turned up the heat and pushed the boundaries even further. Their artistry and technique are sharper than a chef’s knife."
The Competing Teams
This year’s competitors represent a broad cross-section of the professional pastry world, including:
New Twists and Show-Stopping Themes
Filmed at the stunning Firle Place in Sussex, the series features some of the most imaginative and technically demanding challenges yet. One highlight includes the show’s first-ever floating showpiece, a gravity-defying spectacle that promises to be as dramatic as it is delicious.
The competition will also feature classic challenges like Petit Antoine, Framboisier, and Pâté en Croûte, alongside inventive spins on fruit tarts, s’mores, and more. A special guest judge will make an appearance to set one of the series’ surprise challenges.
