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Who is David Atherton? Great British Bake Off 2019 winner and health adviser from London
THE Great British Bake Off's David Atherton has been crowned the champion in the big finale, despite never being named Star Baker.
Here's everything you need to know about the health adviser from London...
Who is The Great British Bake Off 2019 winner David?
David Atherton was brought up in Yorkshire, where his mother, who was an avid baker, inspired him to take it up.
The 36-year-old continued to explore his pastries making abilities when he travelled to Malawi, among other places, as part of his work as a health adviser.
In Malawi, he learned to build an oven out of an oil drum and invented a cake that could steam cook over a village fire.
David specialises in bread making and is not a fan of colourful icing but prefers robust flavours and good, solid bakes.
The baking enthusiast shows off his culinary skills on his Instagram page .
He was crowned Bake Off Champion 2019 on October 29, 2019.
What happened to David on Bake Off?
- Week One, Cakes - David wowed the judges with his first Showstopper of the series - The Snakey Bakey Cake - with a beautifully green and pink, fork-tongued reptile. Paul said it was "charming", and they loved his egg with baby snakes in it. He redeemed himself after placing tenth in the Angel Cakes technical.
- Week Two, Biscuits - His "messy" Coco-Nutty chocolate bars were praised for the flavours, but it was his Wedding Spray sculpture that really had the judges gushing.
- Week Three, Bread - David's Showstopper African masks may have split but they still earned him praise for their look from Prue and Paul - and probably saved him from the Bake Off axe too - although he did come second in the technical making burger buns.
- Week Four, Dairy – David might not have been named Star Baker but he definitely ranked highly with the judges after dishing up a Poppy seed and Lemon cake with Limoncello glaze which Prue “loved”. He also did well in the lemon curd tart Technical and got heaps of praise for his “neat, precise and aromatic” mishti Showstopper.
- Week Five, The Roaring Twenties - It was a great week for David when he got a Paul Hollywood handshake for his Classic vanilla custard pie with flapper girl biscuit toppings, though he nearly ruined it all by coming last in the Technical challenge. However his lemony Showstopper cake saved him from the axe despite its grainy buttercream.
- Week Six, Dessert Week - David started off with a Spice Meringue Surprise, which Prue said "looked like a painting". Unfortunately she then said it "didn't taste as good as it looked". His Delightful Bombe Showstopper was called "beautiful" and "delicious" but sharp, with the jelly a "little bit rubbery"
- Week Seven, Festival Week - David was second once again in the Technical Challenge and he was understandably disappointed to have missed out on doing enough to win something. Thankfully his Bulgarian Easter bread Signature dish and his monochrome and multi coloured cake sculpture Showstopper did enough to keep him in the competition.
- Week Eight, Pastry – David finally came top in the Technical when he was the only baker that made a decent Moroccan Pie. The judges also liked his Signature Tarte Tatin filled with shallot, walnut and caramelised carrot as well but Paul wasn’t as pleased with his open fish pie Showstopper.
- Week Nine, Patisserie - The judges were torn over David's aperitif domed tarts with roasted rhubarb and chopped hazelnuts and they were equally disappointed in his greenhouse inspired Showstopper which was a sugar glass case with a pastry tower cake. After peaking in the Technical in Pastry Week, he went back to his usual spot of second as the bakers produced a Gâteau St-Honoré.
- Week Ten, The final – David was crowned the unexpected winner of GBBO 2019 after nailing the double-baked Stilton soufflé Technical and creating an “exceptional” deceptive picnic including a cheese board out of biscuits and fig rolls that looked like sausage rolls.
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What has David said about The Great British Bake Off 2019?
The keen baker is a long-time fan of the Channel 4 show and has watched it since its inauguration in 2010.
He admitted to questioning his ability to perform on the programme when he was accepted as a contestant.
David said: “When I got accepted it was such a mixture of emotions. Then I thought, this is really crazy, am I good enough, will I have enough time to practice?”
The avid traveller went on to joke that the contestants on the show are treated like “royalty walking into the tent”.
After his win he said: “I saved the best till last — and it’s the best feeling in the world. Week on week other people were stronger, I was always the underdog and yet I just managed to get through.
“I think I just didn’t get stressed at the pressure. I really enjoyed every episode in the tent and I never felt that I was flaky throughout the whole series, although I did feel very nervous at the final.
“But honestly it was never in my mind that I could win this, though I have had daydreams of winning Bake Off for about ten years.
“I didn’t imagine for one micro second that I would get to the final, let alone win it. It’s just unreal.”
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When was The Great British Bake Off final?
The Great British Bake Off final took place on October 29, 2019.
If you missed the big showdown, it's available to stream on 4oD.
And you can catch the finalists on Friday, November 1, on An Extra Slice, where they'll be chatting to Jo Brand.
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