CRUNCH time!

BENOIT BLIN on exceptional final challenges, edible fairy tales and, er, evil lairs...

- HANNAH DAVIES, REBECCA FLETCHER.

BAKE OFF: THE PROFESSIONALS

FINAL SUNDAY & MONDAY, 8PM, C4 COOKERY

Benoit Blin is telling us that he plans to go easy on the patisserie teams as the ninth series of Bake Off: The Professionals draws to a close this week with the remaining two episodes airing on Sunday and Monday. But, unsurprisingly, we're not buying it...

'Why not, TV Times? It's true!" smiles the illustrious French pastry expert, 56, who, over the past four weeks, has put 12 duos through their baking paces in a quest to find the 2024 champions.

"This week's final focuses on the "best of British" patisserie, which the teams should have a good idea of, so it's easier, non?" Hmm, given the fiendishly tricky challenges that he and ruler-wielding colleague Cherish Finden have set so far during the competition, we somehow doubt there'll be anything easy about the final! Next he'll be saying that they're also going soft in their judging style...

'Oh, but we are! Cherish and I are soft, kind and gentle people!" grins Benoit, who is Chef Pâtissier at Raymond Blanc's two-Michelinstarred Oxfordshire restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons.

Here, in an exclusive interview, he tells us what's on the menu...