Bake Off's Alison Hammond shocks with her fowl mouth
The This Morning presenter pushed the show's tradition for lewd innuendo to the limit in the latest episode thanks to the name of one baker's pet chicken.
What did you miss?
The Great British Bake Off host Alison Hammond left the contestants cringing after asking the judges a crude question about flavour.
The This Morning presenter pushed the show's tradition for lewd innuendo to the limit in the first episode of the new series asking judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith "How does Fanny taste?"
She was was talking about a cake made in the image of a chicken named Fanny. But the timing of her question led to many of the contestants covering their faces with their hands as fellow host Noel Fielding got the giggles.
What, how, and why?
In their very first showstopper challenge the Bake Off 2024 contestants were asked to make an illusion cake that looked exactly like the item they were trying to replicate.
Paediatric nurse Georgie, 34, from Camartenshire in West Wales, lives on a farm surrounded by animals. She chose to make her cake in the shape of her pet hen named Fanny. She told the judges: "I'm actually making my chicken who's called Fanny." The cake was baked with eggs laid by Fanny herself.
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Hammond's voice then narrated the recipe for the cake saying: "Fanny will be filled with lemon curd."
As Georgie presented her cake to judges Hollywood and Leith Hammond asked them: "How does Fanny taste, guys?"
Fellow host Fielding sniggered and looked at the floor, the judges did their best not to choke on their cake and several of the bakers held their head in their hands at the awkward joke.
What did viewers say?
Bake Off fans were delighted with the innuendo opportunity provided by the name choice.
One wrote on social media platform X, former known as Twitter: "Alison: “How does Fanny taste guys?” Welcome back #GBBO." Another agreed: "Alison asking Paul & Prue "how's Fanny taste?" is so obvious but such immediately classic #GBBO."
One viewer celebrated: "Fanny filled with lemon curd the jokes just write themselves for Georgie’s hen #gbbo." And another exclaimed: "“Fanny with be filled with…” Even I'm blushing at Bake Off tonight. #GBBO #greatbritishbakeoff." But another insisted: "“Fanny will be filled” BRING BACK INNUENDO BINGO BRING BACK TV BURP we cannot let #gbbo run amuck with these lines."
What else happened on Bake Off?
Bake Off 2024 began as always with Cake Week. The 12 bakers began the signature challenge by making a decorative loaf cake. Then for the technical challenge they were challenged to make matching mini-Battenberg's. And for the showstopper they made hyper-realistic illusion cakes.
In a new twist to the technical challenge, the contestants were given no basic recipe to follow, only a mini-Battenberg to taste and guess the ingredients from.
The standout contestants in the first week of the competition included midwife Illiyin, who got a Hollywood handshake for her very first bake and dentistry student Sumayah, who at 18-years-old at the time of filming is the youngest contestant. Retail temp Dylan and menswear designer Christiaan stood out for their more experimental styles, although Hollywood was not convinced by Christiaan's "outside the box" miso cake.
Host Hammond already has a favourite contestant in directorate support manager John, because he is from the West Midlands. Brummie Hammond embraced John on meeting him for the first time in the tent and called him her "West Midlands bab". And after he had presented his loaf cake to the judges she told him: "Doing the Midlands proud," and gave him a wink. And she also told him she was distracted by his "beautiful blue eyes".
Host Noel Fielding joked that with such blue eyes John was doomed to be sent home early in the series, as judge Hollywood is famed for his blue eyes. Hollywood laughed: "He'll never be star baker."
John was named star baker and no one was sent home, as 67-year-old former university lecturer Jeff from Yorkshire was absent due to illness. The bakers were kept on the edge of their stools until the news was revealed. And Fielding confirmed two contestants could leave the tent next week.
The Great British Bake Off airs Channel 4 at 8pm on Tuesday.