A SOLIHULL-based pastry chef has made it through to the quarter finals of Britain’s ‘toughest’ baking competition.
Darryl Collins and his sous chef Bharat Chandegra from Resorts World have made it through to the final five of Bake Off: The Professionals on channel four.
The pair went head-to-head against hotels, restaurants and cafes from across the country in the elimination round and despite almost leaving the competition in the first episode they made it into the final six.
Speaking to The Observer Darryl said: “We didn’t really expect to get this far, we thought we would give it a go and in the competition we are going from strength to strength.
“Making it through to the quarter finals was amazing, we were up against stiff competition and its extremely difficult.”
However Darryl skills have been pushed even further to the limit as he has an egg allergy so is unable to taste his creations.
He said: “It’s not a problem as I know basic structures and flavour combinations and I have lived with it for a long time so I know what to avoid.
“I don’t shy away from my work because of my allergy, neither should anyone who is thinking of joining the industry – there are many chefs with allergies and they work around it.”
On Sunday’s episode (June 24) the duo are taking on the theme childhood.
Judges Cherish Finden and Benoit Blin have set the remaining five teams to firstly create macaron cake and lollipops.
The teams will then have to create a fairy-tale inspired show piece which not only boasts delicious patisseries but also has been hand-crafted by the teams out of sugar and chocolate.
Darryl added: “When we first applied for Bake Off, my idea was to put Birmingham on the map for patisserie and inspire the next generation of pastry chefs in the Midlands.
“We’ve been up against some of the best hotels and pastry chefs in the country. But now that we’re through to the final rounds I feel like we’ve got everything to play for.
“I owe a lot to Resorts World, they have allowed me to be creative with my team and have backed us from the opening of the resort to where we are now.
“The next part of the journey is to see if we can smash it on the Bake Off and try to get through to the grand final.”
The five teams will be whittled down before the grand final on July 8 where the top three teams will be asked to create a patisserie banquets in a bid to win the title.
