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
