Whoever thought that the world of competitive baking could take the UK by such storm? The Great British Bake Off seems like part of our national identity these days, and whenever we post a picture of something we’ve baked online there’s always a slight air of outdoing one another. While some are bursting with pride over their first ever loaf of soda bread, others are putting the finishing touches to gargantuan gateaux, intricately decorated with piped creams and homemade praline dust.
Whether you just like looking at beautiful pictures of pâtisserie and marvelling at the amount of work required or feel confident enough to give them a go yourself, the following five recipes will test the skills of even the professional baker or pastry chef. If you do happen to give them a go, please send us a picture on social media!