7 THINGS BAKE OFF has taught me

Presenter Tom Allen, who turns 37 this week, tells TV Times what he’s learnt from TV ’s toughest baking contest…

- CAREN CLARK, REBECCA FLETCHER

BAKE OFF: THE PROFESSIONALS

TUESDAY / C4 / 8PM / EP 4 of 10 / COOKERY

1 I CAN’T MAKE PASTRY!

‘First and foremost, I’ve learnt what makes a good croissant. It should be crispy on the outside and have a honeycomb structure in the middle – anything else is a waste of time!

‘Not that I’ve made any croissants myself – I wouldn’t dare present my efforts to Bake Off: The Professionals judges Benoit Blin and Cherish Finden! Saying that, I did have a dream that I could make croissants. See what this show has done to me!’

2 BEWARE OF EXCITABLE JUDGES…

‘If you bang a table, sugar sculptures will collapse – as Cherish found out! She wasn’t cross with the chefs; she was actually excited.

‘She was wearing a sort of space-age outfit, which made the whole thing even more extraordinary as she excitedly banged a table and made a huge, elaborate sugar sculpture come crashing down!

They’re like massive shards of glass, so it was quite terrifying. Luckily, the chefs didn’t seem to mind as Cherish had already judged it. I was just delighted it wasn’t me!’

3 DRESS FOR SUCCESS

‘Presenters clothes are never as immaculate as they look on TV. I’m constantly being sponged down. Viewers often ask how I manage to look so smart when there’s flour flying about, but there are a lot of people going around out of shot, tidying us up.