Who are Ashish and Loki from Bake Off: The Professionals 2026?
Ashish and Loki are the winners of Bake Off: The Professionals 2026.
The Edwardian Hotels pastry chefs were crowned champions after defeating Aubin and Avneet from The Stafford London in the Channel 4 final.
Ashish is team captain, with Loki competing as his teammate. Although they both work for Edwardian Hotels, the competition marked the first time they had worked together in the same kitchen.
Their victory followed what presenter Ellie Taylor described as “quite possibly the closest final in the history of Bake Off: The Professionals”, with judges Cherish Finden and Benoit Blin ultimately choosing Ashish and Loki after their final showpiece helped separate the two teams.
Bake Off: The Professionals returned to Channel 4 on Tuesday, May 26, with teams tested across illusion cakes, secret recipes and ambitious showstoppers.
Unlike The Great British Bake Off, the professional spin-off focuses on trained pastry chefs from hotels, restaurants, bakeries and patisserie businesses, with teams judged on flavour, structure, technique, creativity and execution under pressure.
Did Ashish and Loki win Bake Off: The Professionals 2026?
Yes, Ashish and Loki won Bake Off: The Professionals 2026, becoming the champions of series 11.
Three teams began the final: Ashish and Loki, Aubin and Avneet, and Italian duo Valentina and Aurora. Valentina and Aurora were eliminated at the halfway stage, leaving Ashish and Loki and Aubin and Avneet to complete their Masquerade Ball Banquets and compete for the trophy.
After Ashish and Loki were announced as the winners, Loki said: “I can’t believe this.”
Ashish added: “The emotions came out in that moment. My wife was really happy, she cried. It was on our wedding anniversary as well.”
Runner-up Avneet praised the winners, saying: “Ashish and Loki nailed it.”
Cherish said the decision ultimately came down to Ashish and Loki’s showpiece.
She said: “I am so pleased for Ashish and Loki. In the end it came down to their amazing, stunning showpiece.
“They both have worked so hard. They are so determined, so passionate and most of all, very resilient. It’s incredible.”
For a complete account of the result, read our report on Ashish and Loki winning Bake Off: The Professionals 2026.
Who is Ashish?
Ashish grew up in northern India and began his career in a small cake shop before building his experience across luxury five-star hotels.
Before moving to the UK in 2022, he spent five years in Dubai developing his pastry skills and working in the high-end hotel sector.
He now lives in Manchester with his wife and is based at The Edwardian Manchester.
As team captain, Ashish brings international hotel experience and a background shaped by luxury hospitality, precision pastry and large-scale professional kitchens.
Reflecting on winning the competition, Ashish said hearing their names announced was the best moment of the experience and the ultimate reward for the work they had put in.
Who is Loki?
Loki was born and raised in southern India and is now a pâtissière chef in London.
She works at The Londoner, part of Edwardian Hotels.
Away from the kitchen, she is described as highly creative, with a love of art, music and karaoke.
That creative background is part of what she brings to the competition, combining technical pastry skill with flair and visual imagination.
Loki has described Bake Off: The Professionals as one of the most rewarding experiences of her career, saying the challenges pushed her to refine her technique, become more creative under pressure and trust her instincts as a pastry chef.
Working alongside Ashish for the first time, she helped Edwardian Hotels secure the Bake Off: The Professionals trophy.
How did Ashish and Loki reach the final?
Ashish and Loki began the competition strongly, finishing first in their opening episode.
They competed against five other teams: Simon and Oli, the first father-and-son team to take part in Bake Off: The Professionals; Aubin and Avneet from The Stafford; Sophia and Will from Levy; Italian duo Valentina and Aurora; and Silvia and Irene from The Beacon.
The teams were first challenged to create a Paris-Brest dessert before moving on to a major chocolate or sugar showpiece inspired by their favourite childhood toys.
The showpiece had to stand at least one metre tall and include a hidden dessert inspired by crumble and custard.
Teams were given 1.5 hours of prep time followed by four hours to create their finished pieces.
Ashish and Loki created a monster truck showpiece. The build impressed the judges, but it collapsed just before judging, leaving Loki visibly upset.
Despite the setback, the judges praised both the visual work and the dessert.
Cherish Finden told the pair: “Don’t get upset about it. I love it. The wheels look so realistic.”
She also praised the dessert, saying: “Wow, I really love the rhubarb. The eating sensation is beautiful. It is so fresh and tasty and I love it.”
Benoit Blin added: “What I really love here is you balance the sweetness perfectly. Well done, good job.”
Announcing the week-one result, presenter Liam Charles said: “The team in first place delivered a fun and dramatic showpiece and a delicious dessert.”
Ashish and Loki remained in the competition as the challenges moved through classical pastry, chocolate, sugar work, illusion desserts and increasingly ambitious showpieces.
They finished second behind Emma and Flore in the quarter-final before progressing through a semi-final featuring île flottante desserts and summer holiday-inspired showpieces.
Emma and Flore were eliminated in the semi-final, leaving Ashish and Loki, Aubin and Avneet, and Valentina and Aurora to compete in the final.
Who are the judges and presenters?
Bake Off: The Professionals is hosted by Liam Charles and Ellie Taylor.
Liam first became known to Bake Off viewers as a contestant on The Great British Bake Off before going on to present Junior Bake Off and Bake Off: The Professionals.
Ellie is a comedian, actress, writer and presenter, and returns alongside Liam for the 2026 series.
The judges are Cherish Finden and Benoit Blin.
Cherish is one of the UK’s best-known pastry chefs and has judged Bake Off: The Professionals across multiple series.
She has worked as executive pastry chef at The Langham Hotel and Pan Pacific London and won a host of awards during her career.
Cherish has also been appointed as chair of pastry judges for the 2026 National Chef of the Year and Young National Chef of the Year competitions.
Benoit is an award-winning pastry chef with a long career in luxury hospitality and fine dining, known for his technical standards and classical patisserie expertise. He notably worked at Raymond Blanc’s two-Michelin-starred Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons for more than 30 years, leading a team of 13 pastry chefs in his role as chef pâtissier.
Together, the pair judge the teams on flavour, structure, finish, technique, creativity and execution under pressure.
What is Bake Off: The Professionals 2026?
Bake Off: The Professionals is the professional spin-off from The Great British Bake Off.
Rather than amateur bakers, the series focuses on trained pastry chefs from hotels, restaurants, bakeries and patisserie businesses.
Each team is tested across demanding pastry, chocolate, sugar work, illusion cake and showpiece challenges, with the weakest teams leaving the competition as the series progresses.
The 2026 series is the 11th series of the show and features 12 teams competing for the title.
Ashish and Loki made a strong impression in the opening episode, but with more technical challenges and showstoppers still to come, the pressure is only just beginning.
For more on the full series, read our Bake Off: The Professionals 2026 guide.
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Who are Ashish and Loki from Bake Off: The Professionals 2026?
