My sister Hebe persuaded me to apply and I didn’t tell anyone until I knew I had to go to Manchester for the first audition. So then I thought I must tell someone as I needed to get there, so I told mum, dad and Hebe. We didn’t tell my wee sister Willow until they came to film at the house, so it was a great surprise for her.
I watch the show with my family and friends and everyone has loved it, even though I do get a bit of teasing from certain lines that I have said. Each week I have tried to bake a variation of what I make in the episode. I really never expected to get to the semi-finals, but then I didn’t expect to get into the tent in the first place!
My best moment in the series would be my first Showstopper in Week 1 for the Black Forest Gateau, but I think it was more that I had survived and managed to bake three things in the tent in the opening episode.
My worst moment was whenever something went wrong, with that horrible sense of dread waiting for the judges wasn’t fun. Game Pie didn’t go well for me in week seven, and it was hard for me to get my head round the whole retro thing.
I didn’t notice being the youngest baker as everybody got on so well with each other, we always had a good laugh, and shared a common interest. But there were moments when I did feel my age and that I was lacking a certain experience – in week five I didn’t know what an Arctic Roll was until we got into the tent, but then I am only 19!
Mary said quite a few of my bakes were beautiful which is a really nice thing, and Paul said my combination of flours in bread week were bang on. That was quite a good comment to get from him! I think I might have been intimidated by them initially, but it was always good to hear what they thought.
From an early age my mother and grandmother influenced me to bake starting with something simple like pancakes and fairycakes. There was always lots of sprinkles and icing sugar. All the women in my family have always baked, and I think I am just a copy cat of my mum. She and my grandmother have been a great inspiration, and I have never known not to bake, and will always continue to bake.