There’s no denying that life got a little better ever since The Great British Bake Off first appeared on our screens back in 2010. We’ve seen 13 Bake Off winners whip up tasty treats under the careful scrutiny of Paul Hollywood, Mary Berry and Prue Leith.
We've seen people from all walks of life have come through the Bake Off tent from teachers to students, mums, dads and even scientists. But where are the Bake Off winners now? Here’s all the show's winners to date and what they got up to after getting their hands on that famous glass cake stand and taking home the title 'Bake Off champion'.
Bake Off winners
Giuseppe Dell'Anno (2021)
Britalian Giuseppe was the latest contestant to take home the title of Bake Off champion (who could forget his delightful caramel chouxnuts). His baking journey is just starting to take off, as he recently announced to his Instagram followers that he’d be releasing his first cookbook, Italian Bakes, which will feature over 60 of his family recipes. We’re pretty certain we’ll be expecting more big things from this baker.
Peter Sawkins (2020)
Peter became the youngest ever contestant to win Bake Off. The 20-year-old accounting and finance student from Edinburgh was given the nickname ‘the baby-faced assassin’ by the show’s co-host Noel Fielding. After the show he continued studying for his four year degree. He released his first book in 2021, Peter Bakes.
David Atherton (2019)
International health advisor David liked to incorporate healthy eating into his baking. He went on to publish a number of cookbooks, including four childrens ones and even wrote a food and fitness column for The Guardian.
Rahul Mandal (2018)
Loveable Rahual combined his bakes with his career as a research scientist. He didn’t give up being a researcher after winning the show and also became an ambassador for STEM, all while continuing to make some very impressive bakes, which you can see via his Instagram.
Sophie Faldo (2017)
Sophie, who was a former Royal Artillery officer, surveillance consultant, ski-touring instructor and trainee stunt performer, continued her baking dream after becoming Bake Off champion. She makes gorgeous custom luxury dessert cakes via her website.
Candice Brown (2016)
You could always count on Candice to wear a brightly coloured lipstick in the tent. After becoming a Bake Off winner she left her job as a teacher to focus on baking. Since, she’s released numerous cookbooks and also owns the sweet little pub, The Greenman Eversholt, where she helps bake up some of the desserts.
Nadiya Hussain (2015)
We could never forget Nadiya’s entertaining character in the tent. The national fell in love with her even more after her inspirational and emotional speech after winning the show, where she said she was done putting boundaries on her dreams.
She’s become one of Bake Off’s most successful winners to date, having being asked to bake the Queen’s 90th birthday cake. She’s also hosted her own shows — The Chronicles of Nadiya, Nadiya's British Food Adventure, The Big Family Cooking Showdown and Nadiya's Family Favourites — released multiple cookbooks and even hosted on Loose Women.
Nancy Birtwhistle (2014)
Viewers were pretty surprised when GP practice nurse Nancy took home the title of Bake Off champion. On her popular blog, Nancy describes winning Bake Off as a complete ‘life changer’. Since then, she’s taken every opportunity she can, from presenting at food shows, to teaching primary school children how to bake and even published a recipe book and two eco-friendly cleaning books.
Frances Quinn (2013)
Children’s designer Frances popped her career on hold after winning Bake Off and began baking for celebs, such as Clare Balding. She was the brains behind the cake to celebrate The Shard’s first anniversary and released a cookbook, Quintessential Baking_._ She’s also available to make custom cakes via her website — we can’t deny they look pretty impressive.
John Whaite (2012)
John was only 23-years-old when he won Bake Off. Initially, he was studying for his law exams but decided to ditch the courtroom for the kitchen. He appeared on programmes such as This Morning and Sunday Brunch — he even became a resident chef on Lorraine and co-presents ITV’s Chopping Block. In 2017 he opened his own cookery school on his family farm.
Joanne Wheatley (2011)
Mum-of-three and housewife Joanne had quite a life change after becoming a Bake Off winner. She went on to appear on TV programmes, from The One Show to The Alan Titchmarsh Show, as well as writing baking books. You can also find recipes to her tasty bakes, from chocolate orange truffle cake to plum crumble cake, via her blog.
Edd Kimber (2010)
First ever Great British Bake Off champion Edd had quite the change in career change — switching from being a debt collector to a full-time food writer. He’s published three pudding books and even has his own podcast, Stir the Pot, where he interviews chefs to celebrities about their love of food.