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Deputy churchwarden impresses judges on The Great British Bake Off

03 October 2023

Channel 4

Abbi Lawson competes during the first week of Bake Off, which was shown on Tuesday of last week

Abbi Lawson competes during the first week of Bake Off, which was shown on Tuesday of last week

A FORAGING deputy churchwarden from Cumbria is among the 12 contestants competing on the latest series of The Great British Bake Off, which began airing on Channel 4 last week.

Abbi Lawson, who is 27, is the deputy churchwarden of St James’s, Tebay, in Penrith. Among thousands of applicants who apply each year, she made it through several preliminary rounds to feature on the hit television show, which is now on its 14th series.

She said of her decision to apply: “I had success at my village show, and that made me think ‘Give it a shot. What’s the worst that can happen?’”

Viewers of the programme saw Ms Lawson, who is among the youngest contestants this year, take on Cake Week. She impressed the judges, Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, with her signature vertical layer cake — using wild blackcurrants and poppy seeds that she had foraged from the local area — and a Herbert the Herdwick sheep cake in honour of her Cumbrian heritage.

The Priest-in-Charge of St James’s, the Revd Brendan Giblin, said that members of the congregation were cheering her on. “We were all thrilled to hear that Abbi had been successful in applying for the programme. She’s a star baker in her own right, and has done so well to make it through to the show, as thousands of people apply each year.

“We’ll be praying for Abbi over the coming weeks as she faces all the various challenges in the Bake Off tent.”

The next episode airs tonight.

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