The winner of the Great British Bake Off 2014 has been officially crowned… and the result may surprise you.
Nancy Birthwhistle saw off rivals Luis Troyano and Richard Burr to win the coveted Bake off crown.
Her signatures were solid, her tartes au citron flawless. But it was her beautiful Moulin Rouge-inspired Showstopper that secured her surprise victory.
A dark horse figure, retired grandmother Nancy was nowhere near the favourite to win going into the final.
Some bet on graphic designer Luis and his visual flair.
But most expected builder and record-breaking five-time Star Baker Richard to triumph.
But unfortunately for Richard, the stress of the final seemed too much and he buckled under the pressure.
His Signature pain au chocolat and pain au lait failed to reach Paul Hollywood’s standards.
Mary Berry described his tartes au citron as “sweetened scrambled egg”.
And his windmill Showstopper was just not enough to save him.
As for Luis, his Signature and Technical bakes were good.
But Nancy’s consistency and creativity saw her pip him to the post in the nail-biting finale.
Fortunately, Richard and Luis have proven gracious in defeat. And both agree that the right person won the competition.
Nancy herself was overwhelmed by her success.
She described herself as “pretty speechless” and “a bit emotional”.
It all goes to show that knowledge and experience really are the key to success.
Do you think Nancy deserved her victory? Are you heart-broken that it wasn’t Luis or Richard? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter (@HerCampusCCCU) or in the comments.
And don’t forget that you can apply for GBBO 2015 right now! Click here for more details.