The Great British Bake Off (series 3)

The Great British Bake Off Series 3
Presented by	Mel Giedroyc Sue Perkins
Judges	Mary Berry Paul Hollywood
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Production
Executive producer(s)	Anna Beattie Kieran Smith
Producer(s)	Amanda Westwood
Location(s)	Harptree Court
Running time	60 minutes
Production company(s)	Love Productions
Release
Original network	BBC Two
Original release	14 August – 16 October 2012
Chronology
Preceded by	Series 2
Followed by	Series 4

The third series of The Great British Bake Off began airing on Tuesday 14 August 2012.^[1] The series was filmed at Harptree Court in East Harptree, Somerset.

Seven thousand applied for the competition and twelve contestants were chosen.^[2] For the first time, all three finalists were male: Brendan Lynch, John Whaite and James Morton.^[3] The competition was won by John Whaite.^[4]

The Bakers

Baker	Age (on show)	Occupation (on show)	Hometown	Links
Brendan Lynch	63	Recruitment consultant	Sutton Coldfield	[5]
Cathryn Dresser	27	Shop assistant	Pease Pottage, West Sussex	[6]
Danny (Daniele) Bryden	45	Intensive care consultant	Sheffield	[7]
James Morton	21	Medical student	Hillswick, Shetland Islands	[8]
John Whaite	23	Law student	Wigan	[9]
Manisha Parmar	27	Nursery nurse	Leicester
Natasha Stringer	36	Midwife	Tamworth, Staffordshire
Peter Maloney	43	Sales manager	Windsor, Berkshire
Ryan Chong	38	Photographer	Bristol	[10]
Sarah-Jane Willis	28	Vicar's wife	Bewbush, West Sussex	[6]
Victoria Chester	50	CEO of the charity Plantlife	Somerset	[11]
Stuart Marston-Smith	26	PE teacher	Lichfield, Staffordshire	[12]

Results summary

Elimination chart
Baker	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
John Whaite		SB								WINNER
Brendan Lynch				SB		SB				Runner Up
James Morton			SB					SB		Runner Up
Daniele "Danny" Bryden							SB		OUT
Cathryn Dresser								OUT
Ryan Chong					SB		OUT
Sarah-Jane Willis							OUT
Manisha Parmar					OUT
Stuart Marston-Smith				OUT
Victoria Chester	SB		OUT
Peter Maloney		OUT
Natasha Stringer	OUT

^[1] No one was eliminated this week due to John having injured his finger and could not complete the last bake, and the judges thought it would be unfair to eliminate anyone. Two were eliminated the next week.

Colour key:

     – Baker got through to the next round

     – Baker was eliminated

     – Baker was one of the judges' least favourite bakers that week, but was not eliminated.

     – Baker was the Star Baker

     – Baker was one of the judges' favourite bakers that week, but did not win star baker

     – Baker was the series runner-up

     – Baker was the series winner

Episodes

Episode 1: Cakes

The contestants were required to make an upside-down cake for their signature bake. The bakers were given two hours to make a sponge topped with fruits of their choice. For the technical bake, Paul set the bakers the challenge of making four rum babas with cream in the middle and sliced fruits on top, to be completed in three hours. For the showstopper, the bakers were given the task of making a cake in five hours, and the cake baked should reveal a hidden design when cut.

     Baker eliminated      Star Baker      Winner

Baker	Signature (Upside Down Cake)	Technical (Rum Baba)	Showstopper (Hidden Design Cake)
Brendan	Plum, Sour Cherry & Walnut	10th	Not Mentioned
Cathryn	Apple, Hazelnut & Calvadoes Upside Down Cake	5th	Hidden Cupcake Cake
Danny	Plum, Ginger and Orange Upside Down Cake	7th	Not Mentioned
James	Pear, Pecan & Parsnip Upside Down Cake	2nd	"Simmer Dim" Sunset Cake
John	Toffee Apple, Orange & Cranberry Upside Down Cake	11th	Hidden Pink Hearts Cake
Manisha	Peach, Raspberry & Vanilla Upside Down Cake	6th	Not Mentioned
Natasha	Pineapple & Passion Fruit Upside Down Cake	12th	Mother's Day Layered Rose Cake
Peter	Pear, Muscat & Chocolate Upside Down Cake	3rd	Jubilee Cake
Ryan	Kumquat & Polenta Upside Down Cake	8th	Hidden Flowerbed Mousse Cake
Sarah-Jane	Pear, Chocolate & Hazelnut Upside Down Cake	1st	Hidden Crown Cake
Victoria	Pear & Pecan Upside Down Cake	4th	Blackbird Pie Cake
Stuart	Tomato & Ginger Upside Down Cake	9th	Lemon and Pistachio Union Flag Cake

Episode 2: Bread

For the signature bake, the baker are required to make twelve flatbreads, twelve with yeast, twelve without. They were give two and a half hours to complete the task. For the technical challenge, they had to make an eight-strand plaited loaf in two hours using a recipe from Paul. For the showstopper bake, the bakers were given four hours to make 24 bagels, 12 sweet, and 12 savoury.

Baker	Signature (2 types of Flatbreads - Leavened and Unleavened)	Technical (Plaited Loaf)	Showstopper (2 types of Bagels - Sweet and Savoury)
Brendan	Middle Eastern Taboon Bread Indian Roti	4th	Chocolate and Vanilla & Cumin and Gruyere Bagels
Cathryn	Spiced Mango Naan Coriander Chilli and Lime Tortillas	8th	Cranberry and Orange & Chipotle, Chili, and Smoked Cheddar Bagels
Danny	Zaatar Naan with Dukkah Lime Coriander and Coconut Tortillas	3rd
James	Tomato and Parmesan Flatbread Tattie Scones	2nd	Orange, Mint and Chocolate & 'Millers' Sourdough Bagels
John	Garlic, Pomegranate and Potato Pitas Coriander and Chilli Rotis	1st	Blueberry and White Chocolate & Fig, Walnut and Gruyere Bagels
Manisha	Indian Flatbreads Italian Flatbreads	6th
Peter	Fennel and Nigella Seed Naan Bannock Bread	11th	Apple and Cinnamon & Rosemary and Sea Salt Bagels
Ryan	Garlic and Coriander Naan Shanghai Spring Onion Flatbread	5th	Cinnamon and Date & Tarragon and Rosemary Bagels
Sarah-Jane	Coconut Roti Oatcakes	10th
Victoria	Coriander and Lemon Naan Garlic and Parsnip Chapatis	7th	Saffron and Golden Raisin & Porcini Bagels
Stuart	Chorizo and Spring Onion Naan Bombay Bread	9th	Cinnamon and Cranberry & Tomato and Thyme Bagels

Episode 3: Tarts

The classic tarte tatin was set as the signature challenge. The tarte tatin may be sweet or savoury, and should be finished in two and half hours. Baking a treacle tart was set as the technical challenge by Mary, with the requirement that the pastry lattice on top be woven. The bakers were given two hours for the challenge. For the showstopper, the bakers were required to make in three hours a large designer fruit tart fit for a window display.

Baker	Signature (Tarte Tatin)	Technical (Treacle Tart)	Showstopper (Designer Fruit Tart)
Brendan	Apple and Ginger Tarte Tatin	9th	Blackberry, Apple, Nectarine and Dragon Fruit Tart
Cathryn	Plum, Cherry and Five Spice Tarte Tatin	3rd	Raspberry, Pistachio and Lemon Tart
Danny	Savoury Pear and Roquefort Tarte Tatin	2nd	Pineapple, Coconut and Frangipane Tart
James	Apple and Lavender Tarte Tatin	1st	Rose, Lychee and Raspberry Fruit Tart
John	Apple and Vanilla Tarte Tatin with Walnut Praline	6th	Berries, Grapes and Pomegranate Tart
Manisha	Cinnamon, Apple and Pear Tarte Tatin	10th	Rum and Tropical Fruit Tart
Ryan	Spiced Pear Tarte Tatin	5th
Sarah-Jane	Banana Tarte Tatin	8th	French Apple Tart with Blackberry and Cassis Jam
Victoria	Fig, Walnut and Pink Peppercorn Tarte Tatin	4th	Tropical Fruit Tart with Black Pepper Crust
Stuart	Pear and Almond Tarte Tatin	7th	Raspberry Triple Chocolate Layered Tart

Episode 4: Desserts

The bakers were given three hours to make a torte cake as the signature bake. The torte should be more than 20 cm in diameter. Mary set crème caramel as the technical challenge, to be finished two and three-quarter hours. A four-layered meringue dessert was the showstopper challenge.

Baker	Signature (Torte Cake)	Technical (crème caramel)	Showstopper (Meringue Dessert )
Brendan	Clementine and Chestnut Torte	1st	Pear, Chocolate and Hazelnut Dacquoise
Cathryn	White Chocolate, Macadamia & Toffee Torte	3rd	Gooseberry, Almond and Honey Meringue
Danny	Blackberry, White Chocolate, Lemon & Elderflower Torte	2nd	'Monte Bianco' Chestnut, Chocolate and Coffee Dacquoise
James	Hazelnut, Chocolate and Passionfruit Torte	5th	Fig, Chestnut, Cherry and Chocolate Layered Meringue
John	'Torte Noir' with Boozy Cream	6th	Elderflower and Bramble Berry Pavlova
Manisha	Almond, Chocolate and Cherry Torte	9th	Tiramisu Layered Meringue Dessert
Ryan	Green Tea Opera Torte	7th	Strawberry, Rose & Pistachio Meringue
Sarah-Jane	Chocolate and Almond Truffle Torte	4th	Hazelnut Tiramisu Layered Meringue
Stuart	Black Forest Torte	8th	Choca Blocka Mocha Meringue

Episode 5: Pies

For the signature bake, Paul specified that the Wellington that was their challenge should be at least 8 inches long and completely covered with pastry. The bakes were given three hours for the challenge. He also set the bakers to make a hand-raised pie in two and a quarter hour as the technical challenge. The pie was to be made with hot water crust molded using a dolly. The pie was let to set overnight and judged the next day. For the showstopper challenge, the bakers were required to bake a family-sized sweet American-style pie in three and a half hours.

Baker	Signature (Wellington)	Technical (Hand-Raised Pie )	Showstopper (American Pie)
Brendan	Salmon Coulibiac in a Scandinavian Pastry	3rd	All American Chiffon Pie
Cathryn	Full English Wellington	1st	Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pumpkin Pie
Danny	Chickpea, Spinach & Mushroom Wellington	7th	Trick or Treat Pumpkin Pie
James	Four Pig Wellington	6th	Sweet Potato Pie
John	Venison and Haggis Wellington	2nd	Star-Spangled Pecan Pie
Manisha	Lamb Wellington with Rosemary and Mint	5th	Banana Scotch Pie
Ryan	Curry Spiced Seabass Wellington	8th	Lime and Ginger Pie
Sarah-Jane	Beef Wellington with Parma Ham and Gorgonzola Cheese	4th	Chocolate and Banana Cream Pie

During the broadcast, Ryan's pie was identified as a key lime pie. However, it was made with ordinary limes rather than key limes, and thus was not a key lime pie. Moreover, the pies described as American-style were actually tarts. American pies are baked in a smooth, slant sides pie pan, not the fluted tart pans that were used.

Episode 6: Puddings

The bakers were challenged to make, in two hours, two different flavoured sponge puddings with different accompaniments, six of each. Mary set the Queen of Puddings as the technical challenge. For the showstopper, the bakers were required to make in three and a half hours one large strudel, either with sweet or savoury fillings. John cut a deep wound on his finger on the blade of the food processor, had to leave the show to receive medical attention, and therefore did not complete his challenge. As a result, the judges thought that it would be unfair to eliminate any baker this week.

Baker	Signature (2 different flavours of Sponge Puddings)	Technical (Queen of Puddings)	Showstopper (Strudels)
Brendan	Sticky Toffee Puddings Rhubarb, Strawberry and Ginger Puddings	1st	Spinach, Cheese and Walnut Strudel
Cathryn	Elderflower Sponges Walnut Whip Puddings	3rd	Roasted Vegetable Couscous and Sheep Cheese Strudel
Danny	Banoffee Puddings with Walnut Butterscotch Sauce Jubilee Chocolate Fondants	2nd	Leek, Potato, Pistachio and Gruyère Strudel
James	Banana and Clove Puddings Clootie Dumplings	7th	Strawberry, Rhubarb and Ginger Strudel
John	Spicy Toffee Puddings Raspberry and White Chocolate Puddings	5th	Did not complete due to injury
Ryan	Chocolate Fondants Sticky Ginger and Date Puddings	6th	Apple, Sour Cherry, Raisin and Mixed Nuts Strudel
Sarah-Jane	Sticky Toffee Puddings Granny's Saucy Lemon Puddings	4th	Sweet Strudel with Sour Cherries and Custard

Episode 7: Sweet dough

For the signature bake, the bakers were set to bake 24 buns made with yeast in three hours The buns should be all of the same size and evenly baked. For the technical bake, the bakers were challenged to make ten jam doughnuts using Paul's recipe in two and a half hours. The jam doughnut should be of consistent size and shape, as well jam distribution and colour. For the showstopper, the bakers each made a celebratory enriched-dough loaf. This challenge started straight after the technical bake, so that the dough can be proofed overnight if necessary. Two bakers were eliminated this week as there was no elimination the previous week.

Baker	Signature (Buns)	Technical (Jam Doughnut)	Showstopper (Celebratory loaf)
Brendan	Chelsea Bunskis	4th	Black Forest Christmas Stollen
Cathryn	Lady Arundel's Manchet Buns	5th	Bonfire Night Tear 'n' Share Brioche
Danny	Bakewell Chelsea Buns	2nd	European Christmas Wreath
James	Easter Chelsea Buns	1st	Whisky Kugelhopf-Brioche Baba
John	Cherry and Almond Saffron Buns	3rd	Marzipan Stollen
Ryan	Lardy Cakes	6th	Char Siu Bao
Sarah-Jane	Orange, Nutmeg and Saffron Buns	7th	Sour Cherry, Marzipan and Dark Chocolate Christmas Plait

Episode 8: Biscuits

The bakers are given two hours to make 48 crackers or crisp bread for their signature bake. They should be thin, evenly baked and crack when snapped in two. For the technical challenge, the bakers were asked to make six chocolate teacakes in two hours using Paul's recipe, a task made more difficult because the high temperature that day would not allow the chocolate to cool. For the showstopper bake, the bakers were challenged to make a gingerbread structure, which should not be a gingerbread house, in four hours.

Baker	Signature (Crackers)	Technical (Chocolate Teacakes)	Showstopper (Gingerbread Structure)
Brendan	Multi-Seed Savoury Crackers	2nd	Fantasy Gingerbread Bird House
Cathryn	Cheese & Pickle Crackers	5th	Gingerbread, Chocolate, and Orange Buckingham Palace
Danny	Spiced Almond Drinks Crackers	4th	Gingerbread Big Ben
James	Smoky Cayenne, Cumin and Chilli Crackers	1st	Gingerbread Barn
John	Asian Spice Crackers	3rd	Gingerbread Roman Coliseum

Episode 9: Pâtisserie

For the first test, the bakers were required to make three type of petits fours, twelve of each. These should be small (each a single mouthful), exquisite and perfect. Mary set the bakers to make a Fraisier cake for the technical challenge. Choux pastry gateau was set as the showstopper bake.

Baker	Signature (3 types of Petits Fours)	Technical (Fraisier Cake)	Showstopper (Choux Pastry Gateau)
Brendan	Coffee Meringue and Hazelnut Creams Apricot Pistachio Friands Lime Curd Choux Cygnets	3rd	Gateau St. Honoré
Danny	Blackberry and Peppermint Macaroons Miniature Raspberry and Basil Financiers Orange and White Chocolate Langues de Chat	4th	Rosewater and Lychee St. Honoré
James	Lemon and Rhubarb Tartlets Chocolate Indulgence Petits Fours Chilli, Lime and Raspberry Macaroons	1st	Coffee, Caramel and Hazelnut Paris-Brest
John	Lemon Madeleines White Chocolate and Raspberry Tartlets Dark Chocolate and Cherry Macaroons	2nd	Gateau St. Honoré a la Passion

Episode 10: Final

The finalists were set the task of making savoury Pithivier in two and a half hours. Paul and Mary's technical challenge required 25 Fondant Fancies. For the final showstopper, the finalists were required to make in four hours a chiffon cake based on the theme of their personal highlights of 2012. All the bakes were served at a special summer fête held on the ground of Harptree Court.

Baker	Signature (Pithivier)	Technical (Fondant Fancies)	Showstopper (Chiffon Cake)
Brendan	Potato and Pepper Pithivier	2nd	Family Reunion Chiffon Cake
James	Spanish Pithivier with Chorizo & Red Pepper	1st	United Chiffon Cakes
John	Italian Sausage and Roasted Vegetable Pithivier	2nd	Heaven and Hell Chiffon Cake

Extras and special episodes

Four additional episodes were broadcast after the final. Episode 11 was a masterclass by Paul and Mary where they demonstrated how to make the technical challenges they set - treacle tarts, rum babas, creme caramels, the hand-raised pie, and the eight-strand plaited loaf. Episode 12 revisited the bakers from series 2 to catch up on what these contestants had been doing after the show ended. Another masterclass was shown in episode 13 where Paul and Mary showed how to make queen of puddings, jam doughnuts, tempered chocolate teacakes, fraisier cakes and fondant fancies. In episode 14, Paul and Mary showed which signature bakes they would have chosen if they were in the bakers' shoes (including sponge puddings, flat breads and sweet buns). A further episode of Masterclass was shown before Easter.

Post-show career

John Whaite gained a first-class degree from the University of Manchester after sitting his law exams while filming Bake Off, but he rejected a career in law and opted to take classes at Le Cordon Bleu and pursue a career in baking.^[13] His book John Whaite Bakes: Recipes for Every Day and Every Mood was published on 25 April 2013.^[14] His second book, John Whaite Bakes At Home, was published on 27 March 2014.^[15] He first set up a chocolate shop The Hungry Dog Artisan Chocolates,^[16] and opened a cookery school on his family's dairy farm in Lancashire.^[17] He also appeared as a resident chef on the ITV show Lorraine,^[18][19] and wrote a column on food for The Daily Telegraph.^[20] In 2016, Whaite presented with Rosemary Shrager a daytime cookery competitive show Chopping Block on ITV.^[21]

James Morton aimed for a career in medicine but has written a book on bread, titled Brilliant Bread, published on 29 August 2013.^[22][23] He writes a baking column for the Scottish newspaper Sunday Mail.^[24] His second book, How Baking Works: ...And what to do if it doesn't, was published on 12 March 2015.^[25]

Brendan Lynch is teaching cookery classes.^[26][27][28]

Cathryn Dresser and Sarah-Jane Willis teamed up to open a stall at Horsham Market.^[29][30] Dresser wrote a baking book for children and parents titled Let's Bake, published on 22 May 2014^[31] and ran The Little Handcross Bakery^[32] in Handcross, West Sussex between September 2014 and May 2015.

Ratings

The final of this series had a record overnight figure of 6.5 million viewers, beating every other programme in other channels in its time slot.^[33]

Official episode viewing figures are from BARB.^[34]

Episode no.	Airdate	Viewers (millions)	BBC Two weekly ranking
1	14 August 2012	3.85	1
2	21 August 2012	4.60	1
3	28 August 2012	4.53	1
4	4 September 2012	4.71	1
5	11 September 2012	4.61	1
6	18 September 2012	4.82	1
7	25 September 2012	5.10	1
8	2 October 2012	5.35	1
9	9 October 2012	5.70	1
10	16 October 2012	6.74	1

Specials

Episode no.	Airdate	Viewers (millions)	BBC Two weekly ranking
The Great British Bake Off Masterclass
1	22 October 2012	2.56	5
2	24 October 2012	2.19	8
3	25 October 2012	2.33	6
The Great British Bake Off Revisited
	23 October 2012	2.76	4
The Great British Bake Off, Christmas Masterclass
	18 December 2012	3.48	2
The Great British Bake Off, Easter Masterclass
	26 March 2013	2.76	3

References

1. Food on BBC Two, 26 April 2012
2. "'Sir' beat 7,000 hopefuls to join baking dozen". Lichfield Mercury. 9 August 2012.
3. Emily Hill (13 October 2012). "The fabulous Bake Off boys... as definitely NOT seen on TV!". The Daily Mail.
4. Vicky Frost (16 October 2012). "Great British Bake Off: John Whaite is surprise winner". The Guardian.
5. Brendan Lynch. "Brendan".
6. "Bake with Cat".
7. Danny Bryden. "Baking as Therapy". Archived from the original on 16 May 2013. |archive-url= is malformed: flag (help)
8. James Morton. "James Morton - the one that bakes".
9. "John Whaite".
10. Ryan Chong. "Bakology - Home of Baking from Ryan Chong".
11. "Plantlife". Plantlife International.
12. Stuart Marston-Smith. "Layered".
13. Jenny Johnston (19 April 2013). "John Whaite was destined for a highly paid but deathly dull job in the City when he won Bake Off. Now he's hoping to make even more dough". The Daily Mail.
14. Sophia Moir (26 Apr 2013). "John Whaite: How baking helps me battle depression - EXCLUSIVE". Yahoo Lifestyle.
15. Josh Willacy (27 March 2014). "The winner bakes it all: Great British Bake Off ace John Whaite reveals guilty secrets and making mum jealous". Mancunian Matters.
16. Debashine Thangevelo (10 July 2014). "Whaite's victory tastes extra sweet". Tonight.
17. Jess Denham (7 October 2014). "Great British Bake Off 2014: What past winners are doing now from Edd Kimber to last year's Frances Quinn". The Independent.
18. Helena Kealey (5 Aug 2014). "Bake Off: the winners reveal their secrets". The Daily Telegraph.
19. "John Whaite". ITV.
20. "John Whaite". The Daily Telegraph.
21. "Chopping Block". 24 Mar 2016.
22. Heather Greenaway (20 January 2013). "Great British Bake Off star James Morton: Cooking is great.. but my real dream is to be a doctor". Daily Record.
23. "James and the World Bread Awards". Edinburgh Foody. 19 July 2013.
24. "Jame Mortan". Daily Record and Sunday Mail.
25. Pippa Bailey Monday (5 October 2015). "Great British Bake Off: 10 best cookbooks". The Independent.
26. Giulia Rhodes (24 March 201). "Baking an end to the lonely days". Daily Express. Check date values in: |date= (help)
27. James Brindle (2012-10-25). "Bake off finalist to join Seasoned Cookery School". Uttoxeter Advertiser.
28. Roz Laws (2 August 2014). "Whatever happened to the 'Great British Bake Off' bakers from the Midlands?". Birmingham Mail.
29. "Crawley Bake Off stars set up own business". The Argus. 23 October 2012.
30. "TV Bake-off stars team up to run market stall". Crawley and Horley Observer. 31 October 2012.
31. Anna James (20 May 2014). "REVIEW: LET'S BAKE BY CATHRYN DRESSER". We Love This Book.
32. "Hectic life of a mother and celebrity baker".
33. John Plunkett (17 October 2012). "Great British Bake Off: 6.5m watch John Whaite rise to the top". The Guardian.
34. "Weekly Top 30 Programmes". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 16 September 2015.