Screw self-doubt

I’m a big fan of Laura. She’s been a relatable ray of joy throughout the last nine weeks of baking, but something wasn’t right tonight, and it showed (except for the part where she was punching her enriched dough, imagining it was Paul’s face).

I think she let the pressure get to her and started to doubt herself and doubt the competition. She bemoaned the fact she was out of her comfort zone (I would argue the whole of 2020 has been a non-stop rollercoaster out of our comfort zones). And she certainly wasn’t happy about the (phallic looking) Danish cornucopia, aka the horn of plenty, aka ‘Paul’s horn’ saying: “I’ve never heard of it, never eaten it, never seen it: that’s going to be fun isn’t it!” Before getting tearful and uttering a heartfelt: “I don’t have a logical brain. This my worst fear of not being able to present anything.” And although Matt offered some reassuring words her self-doubt showed.

However Laura seemed to have an attitude shift on day two - maybe that large gin and sambuca shot she promised herself at the end of day one helped, saying: “I’m just going to have fun today, bake from the heart. What will be, will be.” And though what came from her heart was a melted mirror glaze that gushed chocolate all over every surface, she produced a black forest cube cake that Prue decreed “worth all the calories”.

Was it fair that Laura got to stay in over Hermine though? I’m still to be convinced of that one.

GBBO: the life lessons I learned from the female bakers in the semi-final