Perthshire grandmother Marie Campbell last night became the second contestant to leave The Great British Bake Off but insisted the show had given her “more confidence” in her baking.
Campbell who was given the title of star baker by judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood in the first week was eliminated from the BBC show after presenting the judges with non-uniform biscotti Italiano and a disappointing biscuit box, as well as failing to complete the technical challenge.
The 66-year-old from Auchterarder said competing in the Bake Off had been on her bucket list, adding: “Every moment was a fabulous experience for me. Some grannies want to bungee jump but, for me, it was always to get on Bake Off.”
Campbell impressed in the first week with her Black Forest gateau and her Madeira cake labelled “perfect” by Hollywood. Though her walnut cake in the technical challenge was not a top scorer, the grandmother’s other bakes were enough to earn her the title of star baker.
She said: “We had a great party for episode one with the children and grandchildren at my daughter’s house and she had put up bunting and balloons. It was a great atmosphere and we all watched together, as my family and friends are all huge Bake Off fans.”
But Campbell failed to excel in the second week, presenting the judges with an underwhelming “Russian Box” made of biscuits. Hollywood said: “The biscuits look quite … plain?”, adding: “The flavour’s a little bit muddled up inside,” while Berry said: “It isn’t really crisp. It’s a little bit soft.”
A disaster with the oven during the technical challenge also left her with only four arlettes instead of eight, putting her in last place.
But the former contestant insisted there was no bitterness at her stint coming to an end, saying: “The show has given me more confidence in my baking, and where Paul said my Madeira cake was perfect on the show, I just have to keep rewinding that bit on the tape.
“It has been a fantastic experience for me and I have enjoyed it from beginning to end.”