Tom wins third star baker as Clara exits Bake Off
Tom was named star baker for a third time during pastry week on Great British Bake Off, while Clara was eliminated after her showstopper pie cracked.
Clara was eliminated from Great British Bake Off during pastry week after failing to impress judges with her venison pies and Polish Karpatka dessert. Tom, a 25-year-old hairdresser, was named star baker for the third time, having previously won in biscuit week and bread week.
Clara failed to impress judges Paul Hollywood and Nigella Lawson in the Showstopper Challenge. Her pie, shaped like the sun and moon with a pecan, apple, and cinnamon filling, cracked in the oven. Paul Hollywood said Clara's pastry was a little too short. The competition is now in its sixth week with half the bakers remaining.
Tom's third star baker title
Tom received the Hollywood Handshake from Paul Hollywood for his Mexican-inspired chicken pie. The showstopper bake was shaped like his favorite stop-motion chicken from the film Chicken Run. Nigella described Tom's pie as looking like a piece of Aztec art.
Viewers on social media platform X praised the creation, calling it 'possibly the best thing i’ve ever seen on bake off'. Others commented on the irony of a Chicken Run pie, noting the film's plot about chickens avoiding being made into pies.
Pastry week technical challenges
The technical challenge required bakers to make two layers of beautifully baked shoe pastry filled with vanilla custard, based on Nigella's Karpatka.
In the Signature Challenge, which required eight handheld savoury pies, Tommy, Connie, and Moyin received the best feedback. Their pies drew inspiration from Vietnam, Jamaica, and Nigeria respectively. Clara had intended to serve her pies shaped like deer heads.
Judges' feedback and reactions
Pastry week was reportedly more successful than the previous bread week, which had a turbulent technical challenge. For the Signature Challenge, Clara became the latest star to be sent home. She previously shared her bipolar diagnosis on the show. After her elimination, Clara said she had a blast in the tent. "I never thought I could do this with my disorder and I hope I can be an inspiration," she said.
The remaining bakers include Connie, a 63-year-old NHS discharge lead from London, and Moyin, a 22-year-old political economy student from Essex. The full list of twelve original contestants for the 2026 series, the show's 17th, included bakers from various backgrounds, from a paediatric doctor to a drag king artist.
In earlier weeks, Tom first won star baker in biscuit week with an unfinished 'Burn Book' mosaic. Clara won star baker in audience week for her handbag showstopper. Connie won star baker in dessert week, receiving a Hollywood handshake for her self-saucing chocolate orange puddings. Next week the bakers will tackle Party Week. The Great British Bake Off continues next Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.
