The Great British Baking Show Season 15 (aka Collection 12) has returned to its autumnal Friday residency on Netflix.
The fall classic returns at the perfect time of year. Here in the Northeast, there’s nothing better than turning off the AC, cracking the windows open to let a crisp breeze in, and gathering around the TV to watch Paul, Prue, Allison and Noel crack wise, warn people about stodginess and soggy bottoms, and taste some of the most delicious epicurean delights ever to grace a television screen.
Sounds like the formula for literally every season of The Great British Baking Show, right? We’re not going to argue that one. As we’ve said before in previous iterations of this column, The Great British Baking Show is like a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. It’s reliable, delicious and just hits the soul and senses in the most British way possible.
Yet this season, unlike previous, has a near across-the-board level of highly skilled contestants. Usually, there are one or two contestants who knock it out of the park at the beginning – although as we’ve seen with Jurgen (Season 12) and Tasha (Season 14), a hot start does not equal winning the season. This level of baking excellence is usually combined with contestants who fumble every opportunity they get. Things even out by mid-season as the talent rises to the top (with one shocking early departure) and we’re off to the races for the final few episodes.
This is not the case (so far) in Season 15. We saw a Paul Hollywood handshake in the first signature bake challenge. Bakers who were stodgy in the signature bake aced the technical. Then there were those who didn’t know a pastry from a patisserie in the first two challenges rise like a Phoenix from a heap of soggy bottoms to deliver masterful showstoppers. It’s not just the winners of the challenges who are producing at a high level, as the majority of the contestants have a high baking acumen and are wildly creative. This makes for a much more competitive, visually tantalizing and mouth-watering season.
The Great British Baking Show’s latest season is a wonderful Friday night tradition that will delightfully end your busy work week as we go from the dog days of summer to the food-filled holiday season. Enjoy!
