The Great British Bake Off 2015: Meet the contestants!
We take a look at the 12 new bakers hoping to impress Mary and Paul

On your marks, get set, BAKE!
Yes, the Great British Bake Off is back on our screens on Wednesday, August 5, and here are the 12 new bakers hoping to impress Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood in the tent this year...
Stu, 35
Stu is actually a professional musician and has toured the world as lead singer of his band. He lives in Surrey with his wife and two children.
Flora, 19
Flora is the youngest baker in tent
(just two years older than last year's youngest, Martha). An assistant at a contemporary art gallery, Flora lives at home with her parents and two younger sisters in the Scottish countryside.
Ian, 41
Get the Ideal Home Newsletter
Sign up to our newsletter for style and decor inspiration, house makeovers, project advice and more.
Ian lives in Cambridgeshire with his wife and two children. He's a travel photographer and is personal photographer to the Dalai Lama when he visits the UK!
Nadiya, 30
Nadiya has been baking for 10 years after wondering why her father only served ice cream for dessert at his restaurant!
She lives with her husband and three children in Luton.
Mat, 37
Mat began baking three years ago in between shifts as a London fire fighter. He lives with his wife in London.
Alvin, 37
Origianlly from the Philippines, Alvin works as a nurse in Berkshire, where he lives with his wife and their two children
Dorret, 53
Dorret's family are from the West Indies but she grew up in Preston and works as an accountant. Mother to her 21-year-old daughter, Dorret's dream is to go to the Cordon Bleu school in Paris.
Paul, 49
Paul lives in Wales and has been a prison governor for eight years. Before that, he performed ceremonial duties at Buckingham Palace in the Coldstream Guards.
Ugne, 32
Ugne is a bodybuilder, and is originally from Lithuania. Ugne now lives in Essex with her partner, also a bodybuilder, and their two young children.
Marie, 66
Marie was entered for The Great British Bake Off by her daughter, but her children claim at one point when they were growing up their mum couldn't even boil an egg - so she's come a long way!
Sandy, 49
Sandy is a child welfare officer who lives and works near Bradford. A mother of one, Sandy says that she bakes to show her family, friends and colleagues that she cares about them.
Tamal, 29
Tamal is a trainee anaesthetist working at a hospital in Manchester. He grew up in Hertfordshire where his parents moved from India in the 1960s.
******
Thea Babington-Stitt is the Managing Editor for Ideal Home. Thea has been working across some of the UK’s leading interiors titles since 2016.
She started working on these magazines and websites after graduating from City University London with a Masters in Magazine Journalism. Before moving to Ideal Home, Thea was News and Features Editor at Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc and Country Homes & Interiors. In addition to her role at Ideal Home, Thea is studying for a diploma in interior design with The Interior Design Institute.
-
Does your fitted sheet keep coming off your bed? I've found a £7 solution that will put a stop to it for good
Wondering how to keep your fitted sheet from coming off? I asked experts how to stop this happening and found a quick and easy solution
By Amy Lockwood
-
The chrome fittings in Meghan Markle's elegant farmhouse kitchen are set to be a big trend in 2025 - this is how to get the look
This metallic tone is the epitome of timeless style
By Holly Cockburn
-
Aldi's mini wooden greenhouse is back in stock for 2025 — at £50, it's a bargain for small-space gardens
If you want to grow your own this summer, you don't want to miss out on this Specialbuy
By Kezia Reynolds