It takes a brave amateur to tweak one of Mary Berry’s cake recipes, then serve up the result to the “doyenne of dough” herself. Berry’s verdict? “A bit cheeky.” Yet cancer research scientist Pippa Middlehurst got away with it and went on be crowned Britain’s Best Home Cook (BBC One).
After eight weeks of eliminations, we were down to three finalists: Pippa, civil servant Dipa Jahku and maths teacher Philip Friend. They had been “bench buddies” all series, meaning this final was more about camaraderie than cut-throat competition.
The judges threw a curveball by reversing the usual rounds. The first challenge was a Scotch egg with tartare sauce. Nobody nailed the runny yolk. Philip’s “resembled...