Chigs from Great British Bake Off hailed as ‘the real dessert’ by lovestruck viewers

Move over Jürgen, there’s a new Star Baker in the tent.  

Great British Bake Off Season 12 hasn’t failed to deliver when it comes to this year’s talent, serving us an eclectic line-up of lovable bakers from all corners of the country. 

The Channel 4 culinary competition returned in September after an agonizingly long hiatus for another series of tense challenges, kitchen banter and of, course, side-splitting sexual innuendos. 

As of last night’s episode, its original group of twelve amateur bakers had dropped to single digits—with three Great British Bake Off contestants 2021 having already been eliminated from the iconic Essex tent. 

One of the remaining bakers to have won audiences' hearts is Chigs—and there's a good reason for that. 

The 40-year-old sales manager from Leicester is fast becoming one of the show’s ‘ones to watch’, after stealing the esteemed title of Star Baker from fan-favorite Jürgen during Monday’s Dessert Week episode. 

Chigs wowed judges Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood with his recipes for the ultra-sweet assignment, whipping up a Tropical Pavlova for his Signature Dish and a Black Forest Imprime Dessert for his Showstopper. He also placed 3rd in the infamously complex technical challenge segment, which had the contestants create four sticky toffee puddings with minimal instructions. 

Chigs’ ace performance even earned him a handshake from Paul, who was rightfully impressed by the novice’s professional results. 

"Getting a handshake and star baker in the same week… I can't believe it. It never happens, but I'm lost for words," he said, before giving his proud mum a call to share the exciting news.

This successful feat was largely celebrated by viewers, who took to Twitter to voice their support for the rookie baker. 

“Chigs is brilliant. He’s only been baking less than a year and is baker and got a handshake,” one person wrote. 

“Chigs is a dark horse in this competition,” another said. 

Chigs’ delicious bakes weren’t the only assets to grab fans’ attention though. His undeniable good looks have also gone down a treat, with many viewers shamelessly sharing their affection for the adventure man online. 

“Chigs from this season of bake off is the real dessert,” one person swooned. 

“I’m not gonna lie, kinda have a big crush on Chigs from Great British Bake Off,” another person admitted. 

With his incredible performance last night, some fans have even tipped Chigs, who only started baking during lockdown, as their hopeful winner. 

We'd wait until German Week, when he'll go head-to-head with Black Forest native Jürgen, to make any bets on that one. Let the countdown (or should we say timer?) till the next episode begin. 

The Great British Bake Off is available to watch online at Channel4.com with the next episode airing at 8pm on Tuesday, October 19, 2021.