The Great British Bake Off 2016: What to expect from Pastry Week as the competition hots up

Baaaaaaaaake!

Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins return to host The Great British Bake Off on BBC1 this evening (BBC)

The tension is ranking up a gear on The Great British Bake Off as we reach the halfway point of what has so far been a closely-fought competition recently overshadowed by news that your favourite baking show is moving channel and losing Mel and Sue for good. Our tissues boxes are empty too.

There’s no point sobbing though, as there’s still plenty of baking to be done on the Beeb before Channel 4 gets their hands on the popular format. It’s Pastry Week in the tent, with the action kicking off as ever from 8pm this evening.

You’ll have to tune in to watch the nail-biting action unfold, but viewers can expect to watch the bakers battle to do justice to Danish pastries, classic British tarts and a “bite-size showstopper” that is notoriously difficult to make and even trickier to bake.

Judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry love their patisserie, so soggy bottoms simply will not be accepted. Rumour has it that one of the contestants forgets to turn their oven on during the technical, so this could be a nerve-wracking episode.

For the historical segment, Mel takes a shift at a London Turkish bakery making baklava, where she discovers the history of a delicate desert that hailed from the palaces of Sultans.

Last week saw us wave goodbye to Kate after the first Batter Week demanded Yorkshire puddings, lace pancakes and churros showstoppers from our bakers.

Selasi, Candice, Tom, Val, Rav, Jane, Andrew and latest star baker Benjamina are still in the running to win the coveted title of GBBO Champion 2016.