The time has finally come, and The Great British Bake Off has arrived for its fifth series, with a whole batch of new contestants who hope to hold the trophy high when all is said and done.

Resident hosts Mel and Sue are back as well as the judges we all love to love, Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry.

Mel, Paul and Mary / Credit: BBC

But taking centre stage is the 12 contestants, who hope to put new spins on old classics, showcasing something that hasn't been done before and taking the panel by surprise.

Chetna

Chetna / Credit: BBC

A 'late bloomer' in the baking world, it was birthday cakes that really ignited a passion for Chetna, who became a fashion designer and started her own clothes label after graduating from a university in Mumbai.

She says her "range of flavours" set her apart, and it was her friends who gave her the push and confidence to apply for the Bake Off.

Claire

Claire / Credit: BBC

Baking since she was 11, Claire's been around the industry all her life with a mother and grandmother as wedding cake decorators, and a father who worked as a chef.

She hopes her "quirky ideas" will steal attention and says that Paul is the scariest judge: "He is mean and has Satan's eyes."

Diana

Diana / Credit: BBC

As the oldest contestant to ever come to the Bake Off, Diana is hoping to prove she follows in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother who were "superb" bakers.

Describing Mary and Paul as "pussy cats", she does note she's had some baking disasters, including one where 12 cakes she had on an extending table "took a dive" when the table collapsed. She had to spend a week re-icing them all, but luckily nobody noticed.

Enwezor

Enwezor / Credit: BBC

In the past three years, Enwezor has self-taught in the kitchen and realised this is a passion he'd like to take to the next level, even doing a night shift creating over 900 loaves of bread with a professional baker just for the work experience.

He enjoys technical bakes and set up a small amateur bakers group on social media, which he says has taught him so much because of being around other bakers.

Iain

Iain / Credit: BBC

With parents who are passionate about organic foods, Iain's style of baking has been directly affected by this outlook.

Dreaming of one day opening a cafe in East London, Iain enjoys using vegetables in his bakes and loves to keep using difficult techniques until he's mastered them.

Jordan

Jordan / Credit: BBC

The self-confessed 'nerdy baker' fo the tent, Jordan's girlfriend was the one who used to decorate cakes and got him to join a local baking club with her.

Now he believes that 'more is always more', and hopes to reflect his personality in his bakes, combining as many things as possible to create "uber-food".

Kate

Kate / Credit: BBC

Creative and treating each bake as if it's an experiment, Kate doesn't like to use recipes and so doesn't "mind too much when I make a mistake - it's all part of the process".

A friend made her apply for the Bake Off and she admits she's had baking disasters "all the time, but you can hide anything with a good bit of piping."

Luis

Luis / Credit: BBC

Extremely inventive, thoroughly researched, unique bakes are what Luis likes to show off including his Tequila Slammer Cheesecake.

He tries to have a "theme" or "put an element of design" into his bakes, and thinks that Mary is the scarier judge: "she has a piercing stare combined with a look of disappointment when she clearly isn't happy with something you've made."

Martha

Martha / Credit: BBC

At 17 years old, Martha is the youngest baker to step foot into the tent and combines her AS Level exams and coursework with baking in the kitchen, taking revision breaks to 'unwind' with macaroons or profiteroles.

The science of baking fascinates Martha, and she hopes not to let Mary down on the show, despite finding Paul the scariest.

Nancy

Nancy / Credit: BBC

Known for her sense of humour, Nancy notes her "attention to detail" as just one of her attributes that set her apart from the baking crowd.

After watching previous series of the show, Nancy thought she could get on and do a good job, and says her favourite thing to bake is lemon merinque pie.

Norman

Norman / Credit: BBC

He applied for the show because he "thought it would be a laugh", and realises that as an amateur baker he'll be prone to frequent disasters in the kitchen.

His favourite thing to bake is bread, because "it's quick, easy and costs less than 60p a time, plus the fuel cost, of course."

Richard

Richard / Credit: BBC

After watching Bake Off every year, he says friends and family convinced him to sign-up for the show this time around, finally putting his money where his mouth is.

He never wants to disappoint Mary and loves baking bread, remembering how he watched what the baker made each week as a teenager when he worked a Saturday job washing up at the local bakery.

The Great British Bake Off comes to screens this Wednesday at 8pm on BBC One.

by for www.femalefirst.co.uk
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