Ep 8. Forgotten Bakes Week

In episode 8 of season 8 of The Great British Bake Off, the theme for the week is "Forgotten Bakes". The bakers are challenged to delve into the retro world of baking and bring back to life some classics that have been sadly neglected for too long. It's a chance for the bakers to show off their knowledge of baking history and impress judges, Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, with their skills in producing forgotten delicacies.

The signature bake for the week requires the bakers to create a floating island, a traditional French dessert made up of meringue floating on a sea of custard. It's a challenge of precision and balance as the bakers have to make sure their meringue is perfectly cooked and delicate enough to float, while the custard has to be just the right consistency to hold everything together. The judges are looking for creativity and flavor combinations that complement each other, as well as a lightness of touch and attention to detail in the bakers' presentation.

Next up is the technical challenge, which is to bake a Sussex pond pudding - a traditional English recipe from the 17th century that's rarely seen today. The challenge is to make a suet pastry casing inside of which is a whole lemon, a lump of butter, and a generous helping of sugar. The pudding is then boiled in a muslin cloth or a pudding basin until the lemon softens and the sugar and butter create a deliciously rich sauce. The bakers are given a basic recipe to follow but are left to their own devices when it comes to getting the detailed technique right.

Finally, for the showstopper challenge, the bakers are challenged to make a forgotten savory dish. The judges are looking for dishes that have been consigned to history, like game pie, savory jellies or savory flans. The emphasis is on the flavors and the presentation, with the bakers having to show some creativity in bringing a forgotten dish back to the forefront of people's minds. It's a chance for the bakers to show off their skills in pastry or in combining different flavors and textures to make a dish that's not just visually impressive but also incredibly tasty.

Throughout the episode, the bakers will be under pressure as they try to impress Paul and Prue while the cameras capture their ups and downs. As usual, presenters Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding are on hand to provide encouragement and light-hearted banter with the bakers to keep the mood light and engaging. In the end, the judges will choose which baker excels in all three challenges and who will be leaving the competition. It's a tense and exciting episode that will keep viewers on the edge of their seats as they watch the bakers try to revive some long-forgotten classics and impress the judges with their culinary skills.