Bake Off: The Professionals (2018)

Name: Bake Off: The Professionals
Rating: 5.8

Rating: 5.8

Synopsis

Teams of professional pastry chefs do battle in the kitchen.

First Air Date: 2018-05-06

Last Air Date: 2026-07-22

Number of Seasons: 9

Number of Episodes: 90

Created By: Richard McKerrow

Networks: Channel 4, BBC Two

Top Cast

Liam Charles as Host
Benoit Blin as Judge
Cherish Finden as Judge
Tom Allen as Host
Ellie Taylor as Host
Stacey Solomon as Host

Seasons

Series 1 (2018)

Series 2 (2019)

Series 3 (2020)

Series 4 (2021)

Series 5 (2022)

Series 6 (2023)

Series 9 (2024)

Series 10 (2025)

Series 11 (2026)

Series 1 (2018)

The first series of the competition was filmed at Welbeck Abbey in Nottinghamshire, It was presented by Tom Kerridge, and the competition was judged by Benoit Blin, Cherish Finden and Claire Clark. There were fifteen teams of pastry chefs in the first round. The team from Marks & Spencer, British Armed Forces, London's Boulangerie Jade, London Hilton on Park Lane, and Leed's Lauden Chocolate winning their respective heats to reach the semifinal, while Squires Kitchen Cookery School from Surrey also went through as the best scoring runners-up. The Squires Kitchen and Hilton teams won their semifinals, with Boulangerie Jade chosen for the third spot in the final. The competition was won by the team from Squires Kitchen led by Mark Tilling with his former pupils Helen Vass and Samantha Rain.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: Miniature Classics & Black Forest Gateau (2018-05-06)

The teams compete to make perfect batches of miniature classics - 24 conversations and 24 tartes aux fruits - as well as a reinvented Black Forest gateau
Ep. 2: Layered Slices & Croquembouche (2018-05-13)

The five teams take on a layered slices challenge including tiramisu. There's also a Showpiece of 36 servings of croquembouches. The lowest ranking outfit will be eliminated.
Ep. 3: Chocolate Week (2018-05-20)

The four remaining teams are challenged to demonstrate their skills with chocolate, and for the first challenge, they must rely on their patisserie knowledge to succeed in a test where the recipe is a secret. They must then produce a showpiece on the theme of masked balls, which must incorporate two types of filled and moulded chocolates and a moving part.
Ep. 4: Eton Mess & Mini Classics (2018-05-27)

Cherish Finden and Benoit Blin challenge the bakers to prepare two batches of perfectly uniform miniature classics - 24 pont neufs and 24 tartes au citron - in just three and a half hours. For the showpiece challenge, they must reinvent a classic Eton mess and turn it into a masterpiece of their own devising.
Ep. 5: Roulade, Opera Slices & Religieuse (2018-06-03)

The teams take on a fruit roulade and opera slices. They also remodel the classic French pastry, the religieuse.
Ep. 6: Secret Recipe Challenge & Chocolate Showpiece (2018-06-10)

Liam Charles and Tom Allen put the remaining teams to the test with a secret recipe challenge, then gives them a chance to impress judges Cherish Finden and Benoit Blin with their showmanship by making a chocolate showpiece inspired by the theme of the four seasons.
Ep. 7: Croissants, Viennoiserie & Romantic Sugar Showpiece (2018-06-17)

Liam Charles and Tom Allen host the next stage of the patisserie contest, in which the three best teams from both sets of heats are brought together, facing new rivals and yet more demanding challenges as they strive to impress judges Cherish Finden and Benoit Blin. For their first task, the six teams must each prepare 24 classic croissants and 24 Viennoiserie in just four hours. The second challenge involves preparing a romantic sugar showpiece, which must incorporate two types of confectionery.
Ep. 8: The Quarter Final (2018-06-24)

Liam Charles and Tom Allen host the quarter final, in which the five remaining teams must impress judges Cherish Finden and Benoit Blin in two challenges on the theme of childhood. The first task is to create a tiered macaron cake and two types of lollipops, before the bakers move on to create a fairytale showpiece combining sugar and chocolate.
Ep. 9: The Semi Final (2018-07-01)

Liam Charles and Tom Allen host the semi-final of the culinary contest, in which the four remaining teams must take on a secret recipe challenge, create a three-tiered cake, and rise to the unusual challenge of `live plating' to impress judges Cherish Finden and Benoit Blin and win a place in next week's final.
Ep. 10: The Final (2018-07-08)

Liam Charles and Tom Allen host the final of the patisserie competition, with the last three remaining teams of bakers pulling out all the stops to impress judges Benoit Blin and Cherish Finden and be crowned as the first champion of the professional series. The bakers face a marathon nine-hour challenge, during which they must create a lavish banquet display large enough to serve 80 people. Their creation has to combine four different types of dessert and a towering showpiece combining chocolate and sugar work. Last in the series.