Great British Bake Off winner Rahul could make £1 million from book and TV deals

Mild-mannered research scientist Rahul Mandal could be looking at a payday of as much as £1 million after winning The Great British Bake Off.

The 30-year-old amateur baker, who moved to the UK from Kolkata eight years ago, and began baking in order to make friends at work, scooped the top prize after beating Ruby Bhogal and Kim-Joy Hewlett in last night’s final.

But it was not without its drama – he faced an exploding piping bag, followed by an exploding glass jar, which meant that he was given 15 extra minutes to complete his final task.

And while his final showstopper bake, an edible rock garden, might have looked rather more rustic than he may have hoped, judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith named him the 2018 winner.

Bookmaker William Hill is already offering odds on what opportunities will come first; 5/1 on a TV cooking show to arrive by the end of 2019, 10/1 on his own Waitrose range by Christmas 2019, and 12/1 on an appearance on Strictly Come Dancing.

He joins a host of amateur bakers who have gone on to make a career in cooking after the show.

2016 winner Candice Brown left her job as a P.E. teacher in Hertfordshire, and went on to become a columnist for The Times, has appeared as a guest chef on This Morning, and published the cookbook Comfort: Delicious Bakes and Family Treats last summer.

She was also a contestant on last year’s series of Dancing On Ice on ITV.

Meanwhile, 2013 runner-up Ruby Tandoh has published two books, Crumb: The Baking Book in 2014, and Flavour: Eat What You Love in 2016, as well as becoming a baking columnist for The Guardian.

2015 winner Nadiya Hussain has become the most successful former winner, however.

She’s published six cook books, and last year penned The Secret Lives of The Amir Sisters, her first work of fiction, which will be followed by a second novel in January.

Nadiya also snared two series for the BBC, Nadiya’s British Food Adventure, and Nadiya’s Family Favourites, fronted the documentary The Chronicles of Nadiya, and co-presented The Big Family Cooking Showdown, with Zoe Ball.

She was also invited to bake the official cake for the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations in 2016.

After last year’s winner, Sophie Faldo, was crowned, celebrity PR agency CEO Dominic Mohan told the Daily Mail: “The earning potential is huge as previous winners have shown, from newspaper and magazine deals to endorsements and public appearances and then on to cookbooks and maybe even their own restaurant.

“In terms of earning power and with the right representation and of course personality, winners could in the first instance be looking at half a million pounds with the potential to reach the million mark as their career develops.”

Read more
Bake Off crowns 2018 winner
Strictly’s Graeme Swann can ‘fit into his wedding suit’
Corrie’s Jennie McAlpine gives birth to daughter