Looking for adventure, when British-based food stylist, author and TV cook Rachel Khoo moved to Paris almost 17 years ago, she enrolled in a three-month patisserie course to refine her baking skills.
It kickstarted a career with her quirky The Little Paris Kitchen series and eventually led her Down Under to work with high-end pastry chef Adriano Zumbo for his popular Just Desserts.
Having trained in kitchens in London and Paris, she describes herself as the “reigning queen of sweet treats and French classics”.
And while she’s also had her fair share of low-budget TV cooking shows, fronting the best of the best of baking on The Great Australian Bake Off alongside king of the pastry world, Darren Purchese, is a “joy”.
“A total dream job!” she says.
Tweet from @Foxtel
With a bit of good timing before the series launch, The Great Australian Bake Off, now in its sixth season in Australia, won best reality series production of the year at the Screen Producers Australia 2023 Awards on May 5.
The franchise began in 2021 with The Great British Bake Off and became a ratings phenomenon.
The format has been produced in 35 countries including the US, Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Poland, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Ukraine and Algeria.
The two new judges (alongside hosts YouTuber Natalie Tran and comedian Cal Wilson), take over from Matt Moran (ARIA), respected cook and author Maggie Beer, Mel Buttle and Claire Hooper after five seasons at the helm.
When the new line-up was announced at an afternoon tea on the shed set last year, Foxtel’s general manager of lifestyle Wendy Moore described it as “one of the most beautiful shows on TV”.
“[It] is truly loved by our audience. We are so excited to welcome into the family Rachel and Darren, who are such passionate and respected bakers.
“They are the perfect people to continue this loved show into the future.”
Purchese said he hoped to learn “stuff of the bakers, because no one knows everything”.
“I think my almost 30 years experience in kitchens, mostly pastry kitchens, at lots of places all over the world give me credentials to come in and judge the food – as well as my love of baking and domestic baking.
“But I’m hoping that I will learn one or two things whether it’s a dish, or a trick or technique.”
Every high-pressure cooking show has its own format with, for example, Ten’s MasterChef using pressure tests to eliminate contestants and Seven’s My Kitchen Rules getting couples to cook in their home kitchens.
Some attract big prize money. All are asked to cook everything from a meat pie to pizza, filleting fish and cooking gourmet roast dinners.
Here, it’s all about baking.
So confident are the creators, they’re already putting out feelers for a seventh series before this series launch on June 13.
This season will see culinary queen Khoo and pastry perfect Purchese mentor 12 home bakers over a series of challenges to test their skill set and creativity.
Each episode sees them tasked with three themed baking challenges – Signature, Technical, and Showstopper, covering everything from desserts, cakes, biscuits, breads and pastries.
The end game after 10 weeks and 30 challenges is finding Australia’s best amateur baker.
The winner goes home with flowers, a cake stand, and of course the prestige of being named the top baker of the season.
The Great Australian Bake Off premieres June 13 on FOXTEL and On Demand
