Rahul Mandal has won this year’s ‘Great British Bake Off’, after beating off stiff competition from Kim-Joy and Ruby Bhogal.
The 30-year-old research scientist – who was born in Kolkata, India, and moved to the UK when he was 23 on a University scholarship – has been crowned the winner of the 2018 series of the Channel 4 baking competition during Tuesday’s (30.10.18) thrilling final.
Rahul beat off stiff competition from Kim-Joy and Ruby Bhogal during the show’s final, which saw the bakers tasked with making two batches of doughnuts, a landscape dessert, and a tricky technical which involved making six pita breads and three dips – using campfires for all the cooking.
The finalists were all praised for their iced doughnuts during the signature challenge, but it was mental health specialist Kim-Joy who shone in the technical – which took the bakers outside for the first time in ‘Bake Off’ history – finishing in first place, with Rahul in second and Ruby in third.
It was then down to the showstopper challenge – which saw the contestants create a landscape out of cake, pastry, and biscuits – which secured the win for Rahul, despite suffering a mishap in which one of his glass storage containers smashed due to the heat in the tent.
Speaking after his win, Rahul said it was “the coolest thing that I have done in my life”, as he praised the show for helping to boost his confidence.
He added:
“I hope it helps me try new things and be a bit more adventurous in baking and life itself.”
Judge Prue Leith added:
“The amazing thing about Rahul and why I am so proud of him is that he came in unconfident, but he just kept going, and he never reined in his ambition. He always tried to do a bit more than everybody else, and it paid off.”
