If you love the Bake Off as much as we do here at Yours, we've put together everything you need to know about latest #GBBO news.

Who are the finalist of the Great British Bake Off 2021?

We're so excited that the final of The Great British Bake Off 2021 is finally here! But who will be scooping the winner's spot?

On Tuesday night, Chigs Parmar, Giuseppe Dell'Anno and Crystelle Pereira will be competing to be crowned the winner of the 12th series.

The three bakers will have to impress Prue and Paul with a technical, signature and showstopper bake. Unlike previous weeks, the challenges haven't been revealed beforehand.

Find out a bit more about the finalists below...

Read more: Sandi Toksvig: Her spouse, children and latest projects

Chigs, 40

Despite a lifelong love of food, Chigs is relatively new to baking, only seriously embarking on his baking journey at the start of lockdown in 2020. Through the careful study of online videos, he managed to teach himself how to produce complex bakes and really intricate chocolate work. When it comes to baking, he loves a challenge and has no fear of being thrown in at the deep end – which is a pretty accurate reflection of his life! A thrill-seeker, he relishes high-octane activities such as bouldering, skydiving and trekking.

Crystelle, 26

Quadrilingual Crystelle is a baker who brings her wonderfully diverse heritage – born in northwest London to Kenyan born, Portuguese-Goan parents – to the flavours in her baking. The youngest of three daughters, she was also the chief-taster as she helped her mother prepare their family meals. When she travels with friends, it’s her job to make a list of the best restaurants and bakeries in the cities they visit. She began baking seriously only three years ago and loves fusing spices from the places she’s visited into her bakes – a fougasse infused with turmeric, curry powder and spring onion is a firm favourite.

Giuseppe, 45

Originally from Italy, Giuseppe now lives in Bristol with his wife and their three young (and noisy!) sons. His love for baking comes from his father, a professional chef who did all the cooking at home as Giuseppe was growing up, including making a cake every Sunday. Inspired by this Italian heritage, Giuseppe loves using Italian flavours in his bakes, while he also brings his engineer’s precision to the results. A self-confessed food snob, he is determined to feed his children homemade confectionery, rather than anything that’s been mass-produced.

Who were the other Great British Bake Off 2021 contestants?

This year saw 12 bakers enter the tent to compete. Here's who else we enjoyed watching whisk up delicious goods this year...

Amanda, 56

Raised in London with Greek-Cypriot heritage, Amanda studied graphic design at college and worked in advertising before moving to the Metropolitan Police to train as a detective. As a child she baked with her mum, and she learned specifically about Greek baking from her paternal auntie. Her style is generous and creative with Greek and Middle Eastern influences. She loves painting directly on to her cakes, often giving them a pretty, feminine aesthetic that’s inspired by her two daughters.

Freya, 19

Freya has been dreaming of entering Bake Off since the first series, when she was nine and saw the tent in Bakewell. Studying for a psychology degree, Freya lives at home with her parents so that she can continue to care for her horse, Winnie, while she’s at university. Her passion for horses and baking are the result of spending lots of time with her grandma as she was growing up. A year ago, Freya began making plant-based versions of classic bakes for her dad – now it’s her goal to bake so that no one can tell the results are vegan. She likes to be ‘unexpected’ with her baking, and enjoys creating intricate designs… and usually makes a lot of mess in the process!

George, 34

Londoner George grew up in a close-knit Greek-Cypriot family where food was always a big part of family life. Now married to his childhood sweetheart, he has three children and a house full of animals, including a dancing Japanese Spitz, called Eli. His mum taught him to bake (a legacy he’s now passing on to his own children), and he loves all the Greek classics. His flavours often include home-grown herbs and he likes to give his bakes a touch of class with a shabby-chic, vintage vibe. He has a keen eye for detail, looking for perfection in the finished presentation.

Jairzeno, 51

For Trinidadian-born Jairzeno, ‘baking is like breathing’! He started baking in 2014, after becoming disillusioned with delicious-looking bakes that just didn’t deliver on flavour – and now, in his own baking, he obsesses over flavour combinations (guava and chocolate is a firm favourite), using lots of Caribbean spices, and aiming for the perfect pâtissérie finish.

Jürgen, 56

Originally from the Black Forest in Germany, Jürgen moved to the UK in 2003 and now lives with his wife and son overlooking the sea. Unable to find traditional German bread in his adopted home, Jürgen decided to bake his own – and his passion for baking has grown ever since. He is particularly well-known for his Jewish challah bread, and for the celebration cakes that he loves to bake for friends and family. He approaches baking like the physicist he is – making calculations that help to ensure the utmost precision and perfect results.

Lizzie, 28

Lizzie and her partner live with their dog, Prudence, in an annex in her parents' garden . A baker who prefers simple presentation and believes in flavour and quantity over precision, Lizzie may look like she’s frantic and messy on the outside, but she is usually calm and collected within. Her baking comfort zone is cake, but she loves experimenting with flavour and is generally prepared to give anything a go… as long as it doesn’t involve putting cheese in bread, which she thinks can only spell disaster.

Maggie, 70

Having grown up surrounded by family who constantly cooked and baked, Maggie finds that baking comes naturally to her. She has an impressive collection of classic recipe books and loves recreating traditional bakes while at the same time experimenting with exciting flavours. Her favourite thing to bake is bread – it never occurs to her to buy a loaf (or a cake!). A retired midwife, Maggie believes the excitement of delivering a baby can only be excellent preparation for taking part in Bake Off!

Rochica, 27

With a big Jamaican family on both sides, Rochica bakes in a way that reflects her Caribbean heritage: with flavour, passion and love. She always is especially proud when her nan and aunties tell her she has baked a cake that reminds them of the treats they grew up with. A dancer from the age of two, Rochica’s interest in baking developed when she was left unable to dance due to an injury. Although she has started dancing again, she still finds plenty of time and reasons to bake – her nephew expects biscuits when she collects him from nursery and she particularly loved the challenge of baking a birthday cake to live up to her niece’s vivid imagination.

Tom, 28

Although he proudly remembers his place as the only boy in his primary school baking club, Tom discovered his true passion for baking a mere four years ago, when he made his dad a sticky toffee pudding cake. Now he bakes several times a week, rustling up everything from pies and quiches to bread. His mum describes him as the ‘midnight baker - before he moved out of the family home, she would often wake up to a sweet treat… and a pile of washing up! Tom likes to take the foundations of a recipe and make it his own, creating bakes that are fun and often follow a theme.

We can't wait to meet the class of 2021 properly and see what they bring to the famous tent.

Bake Off 2020

On 25th of November, Peter Sawkins was announced the winner of The Great British Bake Off 2020, beating finalists Dave Friday and Laura Adlington in the tent. At 20 years old, the Scot is the youngest Bake Off winner to date.

The three finalists were asked to make eight custard slices as the signature bake, eight walnut whirls as the technical challenge and dessert towers as the very final showstopper of the series.

The judges called it the closest decision they had ever had to make, with judge Paul saying: "How close was it with Dave and Peter? It came down to little bits like the crisp on a choux bun, it came down to flakes on a rough puff pastry, it was honestly that close."

Peter was speechless, telling viewers at home: "I can't quite believe that I made it onto the show, that the show happened and this is going to be such a huge chapter of my life. What a way for it to end!"

Congratulations Peter!

The best baking essentials

Inspired by GBBO to get into the kitchen and bake some goodies? Or, do you have a friend who's a massive fan of the show and loves to bake? We've rounded up the baking essentials you need to bake along with the show this year - whether you love to bake cakes, tarts, or pies.

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