Who are Ashish and Loki from Bake Off: The Professionals 2026?
Ashish and Loki are two of the pastry chefs competing on Bake Off: The Professionals 2026.
The pair both work for Edwardian Hotels, although the Channel 4 competition marks the first time they have worked together in the same kitchen.
Ashish is team captain, with Loki joining him as teammate. Together, they are part of the latest line-up of professional pastry chefs taking on what has been dubbed “Britain’s toughest patisserie competition”.
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.
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 works for Edwardian Hotels.
As team captain, Ashish brings international hotel experience and a background shaped by luxury hospitality, precision pastry and large-scale professional kitchens.
Who is Loki?
Loki was born and raised in southern India and is now a pâtissière chef in London.
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.
Working alongside Ashish for the first time, Loki is part of one of the Edwardian Hotels teams competing in the 2026 series.
What happened in episode one?
In episode one, Ashish and Loki came in first place as 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.”
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?
