| Image Upright: | 1.26 |
| Series Number: | 3 |
| Num Episodes: | 10 |
| Network: | BBC Two |
The third series of The Great British Bake Off began airing on Tuesday 14 August 2012. The series was filmed at Harptree Court in East Harptree, Somerset.
Seven thousand applied for the competition and twelve contestants were chosen.[1] The competition was won by John Whaite.[2]
The third series was broadcast as the fifth season on PBS in the United States.
| Baker | Age | Occupation | Hometown | Links | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan Lynch | 63 | [3] | |||
| Cathryn Dresser | 27 | Shop assistant | Pease Pottage, West Sussex | [4] | |
| Danny Bryden | 45 | Intensive care consultant | [5] | ||
| James Morton | 21 | Medical student | [6] | ||
| John Whaite | 22 | Law student | [7] | ||
| Manisha Parmar | 27 | Leicester | |||
| Natasha Stringer | 36 | Tamworth, Staffordshire | |||
| Peter Maloney | 43 | Windsor, Berkshire | |||
| Ryan Chong | 38 | Photographer | Bristol | [8] | |
| Sarah-Jane Willis | 28 | Vicar's wife | Bewbush, West Sussex | ||
| Stuart Marston-Smith | 26 | PE teacher | Lichfield, Staffordshire | [9] | |
| Victoria Chester | 50 | Somerset | [10] |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John | SAFE | SB | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | LOW | LOW | LOW | WINNER | ||
| Brendan | SAFE | LOW | SB | SB | SAFE | ||||||
| James | SAFE | SB | SAFE | SAFE | LOW | LOW | SB | SB | |||
| Danny | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | LOW | SB | LOW | OUT | ||||
| Cathryn | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | LOW | OUT | ||||
| Ryan | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | LOW | SB | SAFE | OUT | ||||
| SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | LOW | LOW | OUT | |||||
| Manisha | SAFE | SAFE | SAFE | LOW | OUT | ||||||
| Stuart | LOW | LOW | OUT | ||||||||
| Victoria | SB | LOW | OUT | ||||||||
| Peter | SAFE | OUT | |||||||||
| Natasha | OUT | ||||||||||
There was no elimination the sixth week after John sustained a major injury to his finger and could not complete the last bake. The judges determined it would be unfair to eliminate anyone and instead, two bakers were eliminated the next week.
Colour key:
The contestants were required to make an upside-down cake for their signature bake: they were given 2 hours to make a sponge topped with fruits of their choice. For the technical bake, Paul set the bakers the challenge of making 4 rum babas with cream in the middle and sliced fruits on top, to be completed in 3 hours. For the showstopper, the bakers were given the task of making a cake in 5 hours, that would reveal a hidden design when sliced open.
| Baker | Signature (Upside Down Cake) | Technical (4 Rum Babas) | Showstopper (Hidden Design Cake) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan | Plum, Sour Cherry & Walnut Upside Down Cake | 10th | St. Patrick's Day Cake with Hidden Irish Flag*[11] | ||
| Cathryn | Apple, Hazelnut and Calvados Upside Down Cake | 5th | Hidden Cupcake Cake | ||
| Danny | Plum, Ginger & Orange Upside Down Cake | 7th | Nectar Cake with Hidden Beehive*[12] | ||
| James | Parsnip, Pear, and Pecan Upside Down Cake | 2nd | "Simmer Dim" Sunset Cake | ||
| John | Toffee Apple, Orange & Cranberry Upside Down Cake | 11th | Hidden Pink Hearts Cake | ||
| Manisha | Vanilla, Peach and Raspberry Upside Down Cake | 6th | White Chocolate Cake with a Red Velvet and White Chocolate Mousse Heart | ||
| 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 and Orange Polenta Upside Down Cake | 8th | Hidden Flowerbed Mousse Cake | ||
| Sarah-Jane | Pear, Chocolate and Hazelnut Upside Down Cake | 1st | Hidden Crown Cake | ||
| Stuart | Tomato and Ginger Upside Down Cake | 9th | Lemon and Pistachio Union Flag Cake | ||
| Victoria | Pear and Pecan Upside Down Cake | 4th | Blackbird Pie Cake |
For the signature bake, the bakers were required to make 12 flatbreads, 6 with yeast and 6 without, in hours. For the technical challenge, they had to make an eight-strand plaited (braided) 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 12 Flatbreads (6 Leavened and 6 unleavened) | Technical (Eight-Stranded Plaited Loaf) | Showstopper 24 Bagels (12 Sweet and 12 Savoury) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan | 4th | Chocolate and Vanilla Bagels Cumin and Gruyere Bagels | |||
| Cathryn | 8th | Cranberry and Orange Bagels Chipotle, Chilli, and Smoked Cheddar Bagels | |||
| Danny | 3rd | UNKNOWN | |||
| James | Tomato, Garlic, and Parmesan Flatbreads Tattie Scones | 2nd | Orange, Mint and Chocolate Bagels 'Millers' Sourdough Bagels | ||
| John | Coriander and Chilli Rotis Garlic, Pomegranate and Potato Pitas | 1st | Fig, Walnut and Gruyere Bagels Blueberry and White Chocolate Bagels | ||
| Manisha | Indian Flatbreads Italian Flatbreads | 6th | Chocolate Orange Bagels | ||
| Peter | 11th | Rosemary and Sea Salt Bagels Apple and Cinnamon Bagels | |||
| Ryan | Shanghai Spring Onion Flatbreads Garlic and Coriander Naan | 5th | Cinnamon and Date Bagels Tarragon and Rosemary Bagels | ||
| Sarah-Jane | Toasted Coconut and Lime Roti Oatcakes | 10th | UNKNOWN | ||
| Stuart | Bombay Bread Chorizo and Spring Onion Naan | 9th | Cinnamon and Cranberry Bagels Tomato and Thyme Bagels | ||
| Victoria | 7th | Saffron and Golden Raisin Bagels Porcini Bagels |
The classic tarte tatin, either sweet or savory, was set as the signature challenge, to be finished in hours. Baking a treacle tart in 2 hours was set as the technical challenge by Mary Berry, with the requirement that the pastry lattice on top be woven. For the showstopper, the bakers were required to make a large designer fruit tart, fit for a window display, in less than 3 hours.
| Baker | Signature (Tarte Tatin) | Technical (Treacle Tart) | Showstopper (Designer Fruit Tart) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan | Apple and Ginger Tarte Tatin | 9th | Blackberry, 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 | 6th | Berries, Grapes, Pomegranate, and Dragon Fruit Tart | |||
| Manisha | Cinnamon, Apple and Pear Tarte Tatin | 10th | Rum and Tropical Fruit Tart | ||
| Ryan | Spiced Pear Tarte Tatin | 5th | UNKNOWN | ||
| Sarah-Jane | Caramelised Banana Tarte Tatin | 8th | French Apple Tart with Blackberry and Cassis Jam | ||
| Stuart | Pear and Almond Tarte Tatin | 7th | Raspberry Triple Chocolate Layered Tart | ||
| Victoria | Fig, Walnut and Pink Peppercorn Tarte Tatin | 4th | Tropical Fruit Tart with Black Pepper Crust |
The bakers were given 3 hours to make a torte without conventional wheat flour as the signature bake. The torte had to be more than 20 cm in diameter. Mary set crème caramel as the technical challenge, to be finished in 23⁄4 hours. A four-layered meringue dessert was the showstopper challenge.
| Baker | Signature (Torte Cake) | Technical (Crème Caramel) | Showstopper (4-Layered Meringue Dessert) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan | Clementine and Chestnut Torte | 1st | |||
| Cathryn | White Chocolate, Macadamia and Coffee Torte | 3rd | Gooseberry, Almond and Honey Meringue | ||
| Danny | Blackberry, White Chocolate, Lemon and 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' Black Forest Torte with Boozy Cream | 6th | |||
| Manisha | Almond, Chocolate and Cherry Torte | 9th | Tiramisu Layered Meringue Dessert | ||
| Ryan | Green Tea Opera Torte | 7th | Strawberry, Rose and Pistachio Meringue | ||
| Sarah-Jane | Chocolate and Almond Truffle Torte | 4th | Hazelnut Tiramisu Layered Meringue | ||
| Stuart | Black Forest Torte | 8th | Choca Blocka Mocha Meringue |
The signature bake was Wellington, which Paul specified should be at least 8 inches long and completely covered with pastry. The bakers were given 3 hours for the challenge. The technical challenge was to make a hand-raised pie in 21⁄4 hours. This was to be made with a hot water crust and moulded using a dolly. The pie was left 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 31⁄2 hours.
| Baker | Signature (Wellington) | Technical (Hand-Raised Pie) | Showstopper (American Pie) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan | Salmon Coulibiac in a Scandinavian Pastry | 3rd | |||
| Cathryn | Full English Wellington | 1st | |||
| Danny | Chickpea, Spinach & Mushroom Wellington | 7th | |||
| James | Four Pig Wellington | 6th | |||
| John | Venison and Haggis Wellington | 2nd | |||
| Manisha | Lamb Wellington with Rosemary and Mint | 5th | |||
| Ryan | Curry Spiced Seabass Wellington | 8th | |||
| Sarah-Jane | 4th |
The bakers were challenged to make, in 2 hours, 2 different flavoured sponge puddings with different accompaniments, 6 of each. Mary set the Queen of Puddings as the technical challenge. For the showstopper, the bakers were required to make in hours one large strudel, either with sweet or savoury fillings.
| Baker | Signature (2 Different Flavours of Sponge Puddings) | Technical (Queen of Puddings) | Showstopper (Strudels) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan | Rhubarb, Strawberry and Ginger Puddings Sticky Toffee Puddings | 1st | Spinach, Cheese and Walnut Strudel | ||
| Cathryn | Chocolate Walnut Whip Puddings Elderflower Sponges | 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 | |||
| 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 |
For the signature bake, the bakers were set to bake 24 buns made from an enriched dough with yeast in 3 hours. The buns should be all of the same size and evenly baked. For the technical bake, the bakers were challenged to make 10 jam doughnuts, using Paul Hollywood's recipe, in 21⁄2 hours. They should be consistent in size, shape, 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 could be proofed overnight if necessary.
| Baker | Signature (24 Sweet Buns) | Technical (Jam Doughnut) | Showstopper (Celebratory Loaf) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan | Chelsea Bunskis | 4th | |||
| Cathryn | Lady Arundel's Manchet Buns | 5th | |||
| Danny | Bakewell Chelsea Buns | 2nd | European Christmas Wreath | ||
| James | Easter Chelsea Buns | 1st | |||
| John | Cherry and Almond Saffron Buns | 3rd | |||
| Ryan | Lardy Cakes | 6th | |||
| Sarah-Jane | Orange, Nutmeg and Saffron Buns | 7th | Sour Cherry and Dark Chocolate Christmas Plait |
The bakers were given 2 hours to make 48 crackers or crisp breads 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 2 hours using Paul Hollywood'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 4 hours.
| Baker | Signature (48 Crackers) | Technical (6 Chocolate Teacakes) | Showstopper (Gingerbread Structure) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan | Multi-Seed Savoury Crackers | 2nd | Fantasy Gingerbread Bird House | ||
| Cathryn | Cheese and Pickle Crackers | 5th | |||
| Danny | Spiced Almond Drinks Crackers | 4th | |||
| James | Smoky Cayenne, Cumin and Chilli Crackers | 1st | Gingerbread Barn | ||
| John | Asian Spice Crackers | 3rd |
For the first pâtisserie test, the bakers were required to make 3 types of petits fours, 12 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 to be done in 21⁄2 hours. Choux pastry gateau was set as the showstopper.
| Baker | Signature (3 types of Petits Fours) | Technical (Fraisier Cake) | Showstopper (Choux Pastry Gateau) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan | 3rd | ||||
| Danny | 4th | ||||
| James | Lemon and Rhubarb Tartlets Chocolate Indulgence Petits Fours Chilli, Lime and Raspberry Macarons | 1st | |||
| John | Lemon Madeleines White Chocolate and Raspberry Tartlets Dark Chocolate and Cherry Macarons | 2nd | Gateau St. Honoré a la Passion |
The finalists were set the task of making a savoury pithivier in 21⁄2 hours. Paul and Mary's technical challenge required 25 fondant fancies to be done in 21⁄2hours. For the final showstopper, the finalists were required to make, in 4 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 (Savoury Pithivier) | Technical (25 Fondant Fancies) | Showstopper (Chiffon Cake) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brendan | Potato and Pepper Pithivier | 2nd | Family Reunion Chiffon Cake | ||
| James | Spanish Pithivier with Chorizo and Red Pepper | 1st | United Chiffon Cakes | ||
| John | Italian Sausage and Roasted Vegetable Pithivier | 2nd | Heaven and Hell Chiffon Cake |
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 two 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). Two further episodes of Masterclass were shown, one before Christmas and another before Easter.
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. His book John Whaite Bakes: Recipes for Every Day and Every Mood was published on 25 April 2013.[13] His second book, John Whaite Bakes at Home, was published on 27 March 2014.[14] He first set up a chocolate shop The Hungry Dog Artisan Chocolates,[15] and opened a cookery school on his family's dairy farm in Lancashire.[16] He also appeared as a resident chef on the ITV show Lorraine,[17] [18] and wrote a column on food for The Daily Telegraph.[19] In 2016, Whaite presented with Rosemary Shrager a daytime cookery competitive show Chopping Block on ITV.[20] In 2018, after six years of directing his attention on writing cookbooks, leading baking classes, and making television appearances, Whaite decided to refocus on law.[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.
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 | 3.85 | 1 | ||
| 2 | 4.60 | 1 | ||
| 3 | 4.53 | 1 | ||
| 4 | 4.71 | 1 | ||
| 5 | 4.61 | 1 | ||
| 6 | 4.82 | 1 | ||
| 7 | 5.10 | 1 | ||
| 8 | 5.35 | 1 | ||
| 9 | 5.70 | 1 | ||
| 10 | 6.74 | 1 |
| Episode no. | Airdate | Viewers (millions) | BBC Two weekly ranking | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2.56 | 5 | ||
| 2 | 2.19 | 8 | ||
| 3 | 2.33 | 6 |
| Airdate | Viewers (millions) | BBC Two weekly ranking | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.76 | 4 |
| Airdate | Viewers (millions) | BBC Two weekly ranking | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.48 | 2 |
| Airdate | Viewers (millions) | BBC Two weekly ranking | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.76 | 3 |