61 Thoughts I Had Watching GBBO - Series 8 Episode 6

If you translate 'Series 8 Episode 6 2017' from Bake Off Lingo to English, you get 'pie time'. That's right, it's PIE TIME. Also known as Pastry Week.

  1. Sandi is in a boat with Noel who's dressed up as a tiger. It's a 'Life of Pi' reenactment. Am I the only one who's cringing beyond belief
  2. Oh Noel's shirt is FIYAAAARRRR. 
  3. Challengo uno: four savoury 'designer' pies with excellent shortcrust. No biggie.
  4. So Paul's made it clearer: the pies have to be connected by their decoration. And they have to be really good... arhhhh.
  5. Yan is making Science pies. Yassssssss. They sound delightfully nerdy and awesome.
  6. Steven, meanwhile, is going all out and using two different types of shortcrust. Of course. He's making Fleetwood Mac pies. 
  7. Liam's chopping some juicy onions, while Sophie's drying her spinach and Kate is reducing some saucy stuff. I'm still really not used to seeing savoury baking on this show, even in the eighth series.
  8. Sophie is using blue cheese and squash with her spinach to make Four Seasons pies. Sounds gut.
  9. Oh my. Liam's using feta and chorizo ye-he-heessss. They sound delicious, but they're football themed and Paul now (regrettably) knows Liam's Man-U allegiance so he might be in extra danger. 
  10. Wondering if Steven instinctively started singing Songbird or if he got told to.
  11. EVERYONE'S RUNNING EVERYWHERE 
  12. Stacey is s t r e s s e d.
  13. Ladies and gentleman the flirt train has arrived. I haven't checked elsewhere on the interwebs to see if other people are seeing this too but Nulia/Joel are BACK. 
    THAT SHIRT
  14. Yan is having a bit of a disaster - her pastry design is tearing.
  15. And now the pies are going in the oven. 
  16. Steven "hates rushing" so that's something we have in common, along with a love for the Mac. Not sure my baking is quite up to standard though.
  17. Liam's attempt at an American accent has given me my second cringe-burst of the episode.
  18. It's judging time! Sophie's bake is sounding really promising. I mean, she even received a Prue Pat (basically Prue affectionately slapped her arm). Not quite a P-dawg shake but it's something.
  19. "Not your best work", says Paul to Julia. Ahhhhh.
  20. Prue called Kate's pies "boring". Nicht gut.
  21. Yan's science pies haven't succeeded as much as the science they were inspired by. Hmm.
  22. Liam's done well too! So far, him and Sophie are the best.
  23. Now for Stacey. Despite making a mince-filled pie, she's carried it off and done a good job. Wahooooo. So we can add her to the safe list... for now.
  24. It's Technical time! Rough puff pastry... Portuguese tarts and something about custard. Not sure if Julia has made this before but she's already got her head in her hands. 
    Maybe because this is what they're meant to look like... gahhh
  25. Not looking good for her honestly. The other bakers seem to be aware that they have to touch the dough as little as possible to keep it cool, but Julia is getting pretty handsy.
  26. Noel is chatting with Julia again, this time about how beautiful Portuguese people are. Can she please turn around and sing YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL 
  27. IN EVERY SINGLE WAY
  28. The bakers are crafting their custards. And now their logs. Which they'll cut into twelve tarts. And Stacey and Liam have already cut them the wrong way.
  29. HISTORY BIT TIME! Sandi's gone to Portugal, of course, so I'm keen to see if the people are all as beautiful as Noel says they are.
  30. Okay so Sandi is talking to a very English food writer. Now she's in a kitchen with real life Portuguese people... okay maybe Noel has a point.
  31. Julia STOP FONDLING YOUR PASTRY. If it's too warm it starts breaking. I know this because Sandi said so, not because I have any pastry knowledge whatsoever.
  32. Stacey's bits of pastry are too small for the tins so she's having what I believe is some kind of "mare".
  33. Tension is rising and.... it's now blind judging time.
    let the scrutiny begin
    Sophie's are being judged first, and P&P are quite impressed. Kate's, however, are a bit burnt.
  34. Stacey's tasted okay, but they're much too shallow. Yan seems to have smashed it!
  35. And Paul looked slightly disgusted by Julia's bake. Ouch.
  36. Steven is in third, Sophie in second and Yan came first!... did she just wink at Paul? Is there a secret weird thing going on? Even with the allure of Prue's yellow blazer?!?!
  37. The showstopper challenge has begun: a family-sized hand-raised savoury pie, with hot water crust pastry, topped with fruit that complements the flavours inside. If someone told me to make this right now I would run away.
  38. Here's a quick run-down of the pie flavourings: Sophie's making a classic game pie. Steven's going for Christmas flavours, with Brussels sprouts, chestnuts, turkey and pancetta in the filing with cranberries on top. Kate's making a Potato Curry Pie with onions and a heavenly-sounding mango/chilli glaze. I could do with some of that right now.
  39. THESE ALL SOUND SO GOOD. Liam's crafting a Sunday Dinner style pie with goat meat, fried plantain and a topping of mango and avocado salsa.
  40. So you're meant to mould it on the outside, but Liam and Julia haven't practiced that way so they're tempted to rebel. Stacey's doing her best to save Julia and encourage her to do it the right way but I'm kinda scared it won't work.
  41. Liam ma boyyyyyyy is changing it. He's taking the risk.
  42. Julia isn't... and I feel like she's gonna pay for it. And Liam's risk will probably pay off.
  43. The blue cheese is out again. Julia's teaming it with chicken, asparagus and pear salsa and matching that with honey-glazed pears on top.
  44. Her unsuccessful guardian angel, Stacey is also going for a curry pie, but she's using lentils, spinach, paneer and eggs with mango cubes on top.
  45. Some rather successful hand-raised pies happening, and... oh no. Erm. ERM. Stacey has... left some baking paper at the bottom of her pie. Tasty. Kinda half do and half don't hope she tells the judges about it before they take a bite.
  46. Noel has put on a tasty burnt orange hoodie.
  47. Julia's second guardian angel, Yan, is here to help. Think Julia's j-u-s-t realised why she should have listened to Stacey. Sadly after she's baked the outside.
  48. Noel's hoodie has taken an edgy turn - it's now been revealed that it features a skull and a pair of dice on the front.
  49. Yan's pie topping with figs and peaches looks frickin' delicious. 
  50. She's now done and is being Steven's guardian angel. What a babe.
  51. Time for a heckin' judge. Sophie's up first yet again, and the judges are super impressed except for the raw bit of pastry around the edge due to it being too thick.
  52. Kate's is a favourite of Paul's. Went down very well.
  53. Now for Stacey's... so they're already slating the pie's appearance.
    It's not all bad though - they like the taste, just not the ignorance of how the pastry comes into play. Or the baking paper stuck in the middle of it.
  54. Steven's was a little bit of a let down sadly, despite Yan coming to the rescue at the end.
    Her own pie, however, was done INSIDE the tin and it looks wunderbar. It tastes it too. Yan can't be going this week.
  55. Julia now... not good. Prue, especially, was not impressed.
  56. Liam's pie is up for judging. Paul's getting all poetic about it, it's that good. 
    #Cynthia
  57. Final ad break and then the moment of truth...
  58. So Liam, Yan and Sophie are in the running for Star Baker. I really REALLY hope Liam gets it as he deserves it so much, and has done for the past few weeks if I remember correctly.
  59. Here we go. C'mon...  YESSSSSSSSSS! Liam has DONE it. Kudos to his nan.
  60. And leaving is... :( ... it's Julia. :( :( :( :(
    Sandi's eyes are leaking. I think I've just got hayfever.
  61. Next week it's Italian week, which from what I gather from the trailer bit means... 
    PIZZZZZZAAAAAAAAA
    All images via the scrumptious google images 

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