Great British Bake Off 2021 contestants: Meet the 12 new bakers including a retired nurse and vegan student

14 September 2021, 10:56 | Updated: 14 September 2021, 11:15

By Heart

@thisisheart

The Great British Bake Off series 12 bakers have been revealed including a Met Police detective, student and retired nurse.

It's that time of year again when we sit down with a cup of tea and a slice of cake to tuck into the Great British Bake Off.

And a whole new batch of contestants have signed up to the 12th series of the show, hoping to impress returning judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith.

Hosts Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas are also back to keep us entertained through the next few weeks.

So, as we prepare for the show to kick off on September 21, let’s get to know the new bakers…

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Who is in the Great British Bake Off line up?

Amanda

Meet 56-year-old detective Amanda who works for the Metropolitan Police in London.

She learned to bake as a child with her mum and auntie and loves taking influence from her Greek-Cypriot heritage.

Chirag

Chigs is a 40-year-old sales manager from Leicestershire and a newbie to baking.

He only started taking it seriously during lockdown in 2020 and learnt his skill using online tutorials, specialising in chocolate work.

Crystelle

26-year-old Crystelle is a client relationship manager from London and started baking three years ago.

She described herself as a ‘bit of a stresser’ and added that she likes experimenting with flavours which were passed down to her from her Portuguese-Goan-Kenyan family.

Freya

Freya is 19-years-old and the first ever fully vegan Bake Off contestant.

She is a psychology student from North Yorkshire and is the youngest contestant in this year's tent.

After beginning to make plant-based versions of classic bakes for her dad a year ago, Freya now loves to surprise people with her sweet treats.

George

George is 34-years-old and is from a Greek-Cypriot family, learning how to bake from his mum when he was little.

He is a shared lives coordinator from London and loves to make things for his wife and three children.

The baker likes to flavour his food with home-grown herbs, describing his style in the kitchen as ‘shabby-chic and vintage’.

Giuseppe

Giuseppe lives in Bristol as a chief engineer now, but he is originally from Italy.

His love for baking comes from his father who is a professional chef and did all the cooking at home.

Unsurprisingly, Giuseppe loves to use Italian flavours in his bakes and uses a lot of precision.

Jairzeno

Trinidadian-born Jairzeno moved to the UK 15 years ago and is a head of finance in London.

He began baking in 2014 and the 51-year-old now says that 'baking is like breathing'.

Jairzeno loves to explore new flavour combinations, particularly using Caribbean spices.

Jürgen

Originally from the Black Forest in Germany, Jürgen moved to the UK 18 years ago and now lives in Sussex with his wife and son.

He started baking when he couldn't find anywhere in the UK that sold his favourite German bread.

The IT professional describes himself as very technical in the kitchen, using calculations to get the perfect bake.

Lizzie

28-year-old car production operative Lizzie is from Liverpool and lives with her partner and their dog in an annexe in her parent's garden.

According to Channel 4, she ‘may look like she's frantic and messy on the outside, but she is usually calm and collected within’.

Lizzie also loves to experiment with flavour and when she's not baking, she loves samba dancing.

Maggie

Retired nurse and midwife Maggie is this year's oldest baker at 70.

Living in Dorset, Maggie loves making traditional bakes as well as experimenting with exciting flavours.

In her spare time, she loves canoeing, kayaking, sailing and going on adventures in her campervan.

Rochica

Rochica is from a big Jamaican family and is inspired by her Caribbean heritage by using lots of ‘flavour, passion and love’.

The 27-year-old junior HR business partner from Birmingham began baking when she was left unable to dance due to an injury.

She now she spends her spare time baking for her niece's and nephew’s.

Tom

Developer Tom works for his family software company in Kent and said he discovered his true passion for baking four years ago when he made his dad a sticky toffee pudding cake.

The 28-year-old is very creative with his deserts and likes to add his own twist to classics.