The Great British Bake Off officially returned on Tuesday night, with Nigella Lawson making her long-awaited debut at the judging table alongside Paul Hollywood and 12 new bakers entering the tent for Cake Week. The opening episode brought chocolate stout cakes, a coffee and walnut Technical and self-portrait Showstoppers, but it ended a little differently from the usual first week.

Who Left Bake Off Last Night?

Nobody left The Great British Bake Off in Week One. Shannon became unwell during the final challenge and was unable to finish her Showstopper, with Alison Hammond later revealing that no contestant would be eliminated from the competition that week. It means all 12 bakers remain in the tent for next week.

Mo had a much happier end to his first week after being named Star Baker. The 21-year-old law student impressed throughout Cake Week, with his peanut and caramel chocolate stout cake earning strong praise from both judges during the opening Signature Challenge. 

How Did Nigella Lawson Get on in Her First Bake Off Episode?

Nigella’s arrival was one of the biggest talking points of the series premiere, marking her first episode since replacing Prue Leith alongside returning judge Paul Hollywood. Rather than giving her arrival a huge introduction, the programme quickly settled her into the usual judging routine as she tasted the new bakers’ creations and offered her first critiques from inside the tent. 

Her debut has already received a positive response, with reviews highlighting the warmer dynamic she brings alongside Paul’s more technical approach. She was especially impressed by Mo’s first Signature and also responded strongly to Gabe’s self-portrait Showstopper, which featured a breakable mirror revealing their drag persona underneath. After so much anticipation around how Nigella would fit into Bake Off, the first episode gave viewers a proper look at what the new judging partnership will be like for the rest of the series. 

What Happened in Bake Off Week One?

Cake Week began with the bakers making chocolate stout cakes for their first Signature Challenge before moving on to a coffee and walnut cake for the Technical. The Showstopper then asked the contestants to create cakes representing themselves, giving the new line-up their first chance to show more of their personalities and individual baking styles. 

There were already a few first-week dramas, including Molly having to start again after her original cake fell to the floor, before she recovered with a stronger Showstopper. Gabe also impressed with their self-portrait creation, while Mo ultimately did enough across the three challenges to take the first Star Baker title. Shannon’s illness then changed the usual ending, with the first elimination postponed and the full group surviving to bake another week. 

For CultureCues, we were already looking forward to seeing Nigella enter the tent, and after one episode she already feels completely at home on Bake Off. She brings plenty of sweetness (pardon the pun) to the judging while still telling the bakers exactly what worked and what did not, and pairing her with Paul seems to work really well too. Mo was a very deserving first Star Baker, and nobody leaving means we get at least another week with all 12 of this year’s bakers, giving everyone a little more time to settle in and show what they can do. We are very happy to have Bake Off back, and Nigella might just be the icing on the cake.

The Great British Bake Off continues on Tuesday nights at 8pm on Channel 4.

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