The Great British Bake Off: How did Edinburgh student Peter fare in the GBBO semi-final?

There are just four bakers left in the tent, and the judges turn up the heat. Will mild-mannered Peter survive?

It’s patisserie week. What is patisserie? I do not know, but it sounds French - and that means it is fiddly.

The first challenge is upon us. The bakers are ordered to create top-notch French savarin (pronounced sah-vah-rah).

Don’t know what a savarin is? Me neither. Don’t panic, Paul Hollywood is here to help.

“A lot of people won’t know what a savarin is,” he explains, “just think of a rum baba.”

Don’t know what a rum baba is? If you are a contestant, it is now time to panic.

(A quick Google reveals it is, in fact, a type of yeast cake. Sounds...delicious?)

Peter is looking more confident this week.

He is in a patterned shirt that he shouldn’t have been allowed out of the house in.

There is flour. There is sugar. There is yeast.

Peter pulls his savarins out of the oven; golden brown and nicely risen is the verdict. He nods happily at the camera crew.

Now it’s on to the piping. Just five minutes left.

Pipe them, Peter! For the love of God, pipe them!

Time is up. Leith and Hollywood are circling.

Peter braces for impact...but the comments are positive!

His savarins are neat, says Hollywood, “delicious,” says Leith.

Then, out of nowhere, a punnet of toffee-coloured sausages floats out towards Peter. He’s got a Hollywood Handshake!!

The technical is a Danish Cornucopia, or as Paul describes it helpfully - a Horn of Plenty - aaaand we’re off to the innuendo races.

There is frenzied mixing, followed by frenzied baking, followed by frenzied piping.

Then time is up.

The judges wander along the table, inspecting a line up of the bakers’ horns.

Hollywood is in a foul mood, and there’s no Sunshine on Leith.

Laura’s horn: not firm enough. 4th place.

David’s horn: too small. 3rd.

Hermine’s: an odd shape. 2nd.

Oh, hang on - that means Peter takes first place! The baby-faced bandit is poised to steal star baker this week.

For the showstopper, the judges want stacked Cube Cakes.

Peter has stumped for some chocolate, raspberry and pistachio constructions.

His strategy, you ask? “Go at it hard and fast,” he tells the camera crew. He doesn’t wink but you can tell he wants to.

There is whisking. There is baking. There is drizzling. There is stacking.

Time is up. The bakers can do no more.

Hermine needs a boost this round, but her cakes are lob-sided, and the texture is “odd”. Oh dear.

Laura’s are a total mess, but she is saved by her flavours.

Dave’s are “neat, tidy, uniform,” according to Hollywood, “a triumph!”

But Peter comes out on top - it was never in doubt.

His cakes are “set beautifully” and “so clever”. There is no deliberation.

Peter takes star baker - a clean sweep of all three challenges.

“I’ve hit the bake off jackpot this week. It’s bonkers,” he tells the camera crew.

Hermine is going home - her horn couldn’t save her.

Our man enters the final as the one to beat.

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