Unlike the other episodes of the show, the final doesn't have a theme tying all the challenges together. They're completely different. Starting with the signature challenge, the bakers were asked to create the ultimate chocolate cake. Personally, I felt this was a bit simplistic for the final but hey ho. Even so, Hollywood and Leith weren't going easy on them. It's the final...there's no room for error. All of the cakes were astounding, despite the clumsy mess of Alice's chocolate, pear, maple and ginger cake. But even so, the judges were not going to let them get away with anything, as David was criticised for too much Armagnac, and Steph was under the spotlight for overbaking.
The contestants were most definitely under pressure this year, especially when it came to the technical challenge of baking some Stilton soufflés. 5-time star baker winner Steph suffered the most with her soufflés being the biggest soggy heap of mess I'd ever seen. And honestly? I wasn't upset. I wasn't really a fan of Steph from the start. Yes, she was a brilliant baker, but she also almost always used the same flavours and made the show a little predictable with her constantly winning Star Baker each week. Maybe give someone else a try Steph? The final is no time to be messing up. There was one point in which she just kept getting them out the tin and I thought: don't do that! Put them back in the oven! They're obviously not done! Sadly, she had no time to restart and it was all downhill from there.
The final of 2019's Bake Off was everything I wanted and more; it had the drama, the fun, the deliciousness
What makes the final so special though is how viewers get to see the three bakers' loved ones talk about their journey towards the final, their love for baking and life at home. It makes it even more emotional. Especially when we heard that Alice's parents were stuck in Ireland due to a cancelled flight and might not be able to make it back to support her. Bringing tears to her eyes and even making me sniffle a little, Alice's parents eventually made it, but it didn't half make this final dramatic.
And then there was the showstopper. The final bake of the series. The most important bake of their lives. The task involved making a deceptive picnic basket in that its content must look like one kind of food but taste like another. Each basket must contain cake, bread and biscuits. Personally, I think this was super inventive and definitely made it even more interesting to watch and see what the contestants could come up with. With David making peaches out of bread, cheese out of lemon cake and sausage rolls out of fig rolls, the final piece looked spectacular and managed to land him the winner of The Great British Bake Off 2019!
As you go through the series, you find your favourite and I think for me, David was one of the best. He was kind, he knew his stuff and he produced some beautifully looking pieces across the episodes. He definitely deserves the win despite always coming second in the technical and never actually getting star baker. For me, the final of 2019's Bake Off was everything I wanted and more; it had the drama, the fun, the deliciousness, and I can't wait for the next series!
