Meet the Junior Bakers

Aiyla F lives with her maths teacher parents and younger brother, Rumi in West Yorkshire. She loves writing, especially poems and enjoys doing science experiments with her brother. Her curiosity doesn’t end there – she likes all things Japanese, from the cuisine to the language, and is currently saving up for a dream holiday there.

She makes her own bubble tea and Kohakuto candy, (edible Japanese crystals), and often uses Japanese flavours in her bakes. She treats her kitchen as her creative outlet and her bakes as ‘experiments’. Her signature bake is triple chocolate brownies.

Aiyla lives in West Yorkshire with her parents and older sister Anaiya. Sweet treats are a rarity in Aiyla’s household, as her mum is a dentist, but none of the family can resist Aiyla’s lemon and raspberry blondies. Aiyla needs all the energy she can get for her various hobbies, including playing netball, ice-skating, learning French and mastering the piano. And when she’s not busy with school, hobbies, or baking, Aiyla will most likely be found with her nose in a book.

An accomplished and creative baker, Aiyla has been biding her time before applying for Junior Bake Off because she wanted to feel totally ready. She loves working with fruit and takes flavour inspiration from the various holidays she has been on with her family.

Aspiring musician Cole is joining the tent with recipes he hopes will be a hit with the judges. Outside of JBO, he lives in Derbyshire with his mum, dad, older siblings, Amber and Leo, younger brother, Carson, and their pet beagle, Rita. Cole loves music, baking, and a good business idea.

Cole plays the drums and saxophone and dreams of starting a band one day. When he’s not in the kitchen or behind the drum kit, he’s usually hunting for bargains at the local car boot - always looking for ways to turn a profit.

Cole is famous amongst his family and friends for his Biscoff lemon cheesecake and Cole credits his dad (a former chef) and nan for his love of baking. He loves experimenting with new flavours and says "if you don’t try, you’ll never know".

Elroy lives in Surrey with his parents and older sister, Sharrelle, with whom he shares a special bond. The dynamic duo enjoy similar hobbies, such as spending time together on the tennis court, playing music or watching F1 at weekends.

Elroy has a whirlwind of interests and talents. He plays saxophone and cello and is a member of the school orchestra. He values academic subjects, such as Maths, Literature and Science and is also an all-round sports enthusiast; playing cricket, hockey, tennis, golf and horse-riding. He loves performing arts, as well as playing chess, when he’s not baking of course!

Known at home as the ‘Star Baker’, Elroy often treats his family to delicious bakes, including his signature golden lattice-topped apple pie. He’s skilled with breads such as batbout and khobez, as well as savoury pies.

Ethan lives in East Yorkshire with his mum, dad, younger sister Georgia, dog Archie, and guinea pig Nibbles. Ethan is fondly known as ‘the Nerd of the School’ by his friends and his young brain is brimming with facts, particularly about history and the natural world. He takes pride in knowing what is going on in the world and is glued to BBC Breakfast by morning and nature documentaries by night. When he isn’t broadening his knowledge, he loves building his favourite beasts in Lego or battling his sister in a game of Minecraft. He also loves being outdoors, riding his bike or climbing trees, but no day is complete until he has read a chapter of his favourite book series ‘Beast Quest’.

Ethan is close to his grandparents and enjoys baking with the family. He is particularly proud of his illusion, upside down, ice-cream cake.

Harvey lives with his parents and younger brother in Cornwall. He is a passionate BMX rider who regularly attends a local club and has recently started coaching some of the younger riders, with a view to becoming a professional BMX coach in the future. Harvey loves gaming and has a flair for technology, often building computers from scratch.

Harvey started baking with his mum aged five and it’s been a shared passion ever since. He’s known for his imaginative combinations, such as pistachio eclairs but his standout bake is the Cornish pasty – so good, it got a shout out in the school newsletter.

Humphrey hails from Derbyshire, where he lives with his mum, older brother Alfie and cocker spaniels Ned and Poppy. He enjoys spending time with his dad and loves the great outdoors, particularly when he's playing football – he's goalkeeper for the local team. Humphrey describes himself as a ‘bit of a nerd’ and loves memorising random facts and watching quizzes. But his big passion is baking, which he first learnt from his grandma and is now carrying on into a GCSE in Food Tech. He particularly enjoys baking bread, as he finds the kneading ‘therapeutic’ after a long day at school.

Born in Devon, Khadeejah now lives in London with her mum and younger brother. Hailing from the South West, she has a strong opinion on cream teas, ‘cream then jam, always’. Khadeejah's dad passed away two years ago but she is very much inspired by him, both in her love of baking, and in her desire to become a doctor. She is a proud member of the Scout community and has taken part in many Scout activities, such as sailing, archery, ice-skating, zip-lining and camping. She also loves to horse-ride, saving up all her pocket money for lessons and enjoys exploring her creative side by weaving. Her baking strength is pastry and her signature bake is a lemon meringue pie.

Living near the beach in Dorset with his parents and two older brothers, water-sports loving Kitto is hoping to sail through the competition. He loves outdoor pursuits, such as skiing, surfing, windsurfing and rugby, and is also goal-keeper for his town and county hockey team. To unwind, Kitto loves to crochet and creates different toys, clothing and flowers, some of which he sells for charity. His creative side is also expressed in his love of playing violin, singing and drama.

Kitto’s love of baking comes from his nan. He uses his German heritage as inspiration, conjuring up delicious bakes including black forest gateau, Mandelsichel and apple strudel.

Musicals obsessed Lyla hopes to bring her ‘wicked’ baking skills to the tent. Lyla lives with her mum, dad and two younger brothers, next-door to her grandparents’ farm. The family keep chickens and Lyla has her own pet cat named Gabriel. With six Blue Peter badges to her name, Lyla has a host of interests, including traditional Irish dancing and playing the clarinet. She’d like to be a historian when she’s older.

Lyla has learned how to bake with her mum and granny, using recipes from her great-grandmother's recipe book. Cupcakes are her speciality, but whatever she bakes, her younger brothers devour within minutes.

Miko lives in Surrey with her parents. She has two older sisters, one of whom lives in Singapore.

She is an animal lover; taking pride in caring for her pet bunny, Bubbles. She loves all things creative, such as art, drama, singing and, of course, baking. When she’s not thinking up new flavour combinations, she is busy crafting.

Now an accomplished baker in her own right, Miko’s love of baking comes from her mum, who taught Miko everything she knows, from cupcakes to chiffon cakes. Miko is known as ‘the baker’ at school, particularly celebrated for her incredible decoration.

Aspiring performer Myla is swapping singing scales for weighing scales in the JBO tent and hoping to hit all the right notes. Along with her younger brothers, Myla divides her time between her mum’s and dad’s houses. Myla’s favourite hobby is drama but when she’s not on stage, she can be found at local fun runs, or in the ring with her dad, who has recently introduced her to boxing.

Myla learnt to bake from her mum and great grandma Theta. Her signature bake is banana bread, as it’s the first thing she ever made, but her ‘wonky donkey chocolate cake’ is also a firm family favourite.

Niamh’s quirky humour keeps her family entertained at their home in Tyne & Wear. She lives with her parents and older brother, Leo. They have two pet guinea pigs, Moll and Tayto; the latter named after her likeness for a potato. Niamh is animal obsessed and enjoys combining her love of animals and baking by visiting the local cat cafe. Niamh’s interests include roller-skating, climbing walls (and trees!), playing the piano and crafts.

Niamh has always enjoyed baking with her family but has developed her skills as an independent baker by watching TV series, such as The Great British Bake Off. She’s a huge fan of previous contestant Kim Joy and loves using lemon in her bakes, as citrusy flavours are a hit with all the family.

The youngest of the bakers, Penelope lives in Hertfordshire with her mum, dad, older brother and pet cat Hamilton. Penelope is home-educated, and has a passion for history, especially women’s history. She attends a forest school and is a committed member of the Brownies. Her favourite things include making origami, going to musicals and visiting Chinese bakeries for a sweet or savoury treat.

Penelope skills-up her baking by trying out past JBO technical recipes. She’s a whizz at flapjacks and profiteroles, as well as traditional Chinese bakes, such as bao and gai mei bao (Chinese cocktail buns).

Umayr lives in London with his parents and two sisters. Umayr’s baking passion started off with his mum, before he discovered a love of baking at school after an inspiring Pancake Day lesson. His three chickens – Peri, Nugget and Zinger – have been providing the eggs for his bakes. Fascinated by the science behind baking, Umayr can often be found creating his signature ‘brookies’ and other sweet treats which he shares with his friends and family.

When he’s not in the kitchen, he enjoys martial arts, outdoor adventures and team sports. He trains in taekwondo and is a proud Scout, having previously won ‘Beaver Boy of the Year’.

A devoted Man United fan with big ambitions of becoming a Chartered Accountant, Umayr also loves travelling with his family, discovering new places and enjoying different cultures and cuisines along the way, inspiring his bakes.

Keen mathematician, Zakariya is ready to prove himself in the tent. He lives in Yorkshire with his mum and younger brother, Layth, who he is very close to.

When he isn’t baking, Zakariya loves challenging himself with puzzles and riddles, and his problem solving skills even won him an award in a national maths competition. He loves to read and prides himself on always picking a good book. Away from his studies, Zakariya is a keen swimmer, tennis player and performer.

In terms of baking, Zakariya is a peanut butter enthusiast, using it in bakes whenever he can. His signature bake is a Millionaire’s Shortbread, and he’s always thrilled when he can conjure up a celebration cake for a friend or family member’s birthday.