Tuesday, September 3, 2019

The Best Gifts for Fans of ‘The Great British Baking Show’

gifts for GBBO Great British Baking Show fans

Does the return of “The Great British Baking Show” feel like Christmas? We can relate. That’s why we’re revisiting our 2018 holiday gift guide now that the new season 10 has started airing on Netflix (this time, one episode per week, every Friday). And hey, if pumpkin spice products are already back, then it’s not too early to start holiday shopping.

By turns touching, tense, dramatic, drool-worthy—cringe-worthy too—often hilarious, inspiring, and always delightful, “The Great British Baking Show” (aka, GBBS, GBBO, or “The Great British Bake Off”) has won fans far and wide. If you happen to know one, finding a perfect present doesn’t have to be a technical challenge—we’ve rounded up gifts that have both style and substance, and some are definite showstoppers.

Whether your recipient still pines for Mary, Mel, and Sue, or finds the new batch just as charming, when they unwrap one of these presents, from show-specific merchandise to essential baking tools, they’ll deem you star gift-giver for sure. Ready, set, shop!

Note: Prices do not include shipping and handling, where applicable.

“The Great British Bake Off” Coloring Book, $13.99 on Amazon

"The Great British Bake Off" Coloring Book

Amazon

Even when the bakes don’t turn out as planned (collapsing cakes, melting mousse, grabbing salt instead of sugar…forgetting to turn on the oven), the intricate illustrations of each contestant’s creation are always perfect. Many of them, along with drawings of the tent and grounds, are collected in this coloring book for those who’d like to take a crack at shading them in by hand. (Incidentally, if you’ve ever wondered why we call the show by a different name in the U.S., it’s because “Bake Off” is kind of Pillsbury’s thing.)Buy Now

“The Great British Bake Off” prints, $19.11 and up on Tom Hovey’s The Baked Print Shop

Tom Hovey "The Great British Bake Off" prints

Tom Hovey/The Baked Print Shop

If you (or your recipient) would rather just hang one of the lovely illustrations on your wall (albeit sans color), the show’s artist, Tom Hovey, sells prints in his online shop. From contestant Paul’s famous lion bread to Nadiya’s fizzy pop cheesecakes, the classics are well represented. Find prints from the most recent season too, like Kim-Joy’s lemon lavender forest cake adorned with little foxes.Buy Now

“Baking with Kim-Joy: Cute and Creative Bakes to Make You Smile” by Kim-Joy, $17.49 on Amazon

Kim-Joy baking cookbook fall 2019

Amazon

Speaking of last season finalist Kim-Joy, she just came out with her own cookbook full of incredibly charming bakes (would you expect anything less?). From pig-shaped profiteroles playing in a pool of chocolate mud to a dazzling space turtle cake, these are edible art projects as much as they are delicious desserts.Buy Now

Mason Cash Cane Mixing Bowl, $39 – $100 at Sur La Table

Mason Cash mixing bowl from The Great British Baking Show (Great British Bake Off)

Sur La Table

Made in England by Mason Cash since 1901, these iconic bowls that are used in the show are great for mixing all sorts of doughs, batters, frostings, and fillings, and they look fetching, of course—but the raised design also makes getting a grip easier, even when your hands are full of butter. Available in six sizes, the sturdy earthenware bowls are microwave, oven, freezer, and dishwasher-safe as well.Buy Now

Star Baker Wooden Spoon, $16 on Etsy

Great British Baking Show Star Baker spoon

The Sassy Chikkin/Etsy

This beechwood spoon sports a hand-woodburned “Star Baker” motto with a design inspired by the show logo, but if you’d like a version engraved with your giftee’s name, this one fits the bill—while still alluding to the coveted title every baker hopes to earn each week, or at least once in a lifetime.Buy Now

Star Baker Apron, $20.32 on Etsy

Great British Baking Show Star Baker apron

LingArt Designs/Etsy

For those who’d rather wear their love on their sleeve (or chest, anyway), this “Star Baker” apron has a roomy pocket for stashing tools and tidbits (and maybe a recipe that’s hopefully more detailed than “Make the custard.”). Its long length protects clothing from flying flour and lashings of ganache, and it’s available in pink, teal, and a steely gray (much like Paul’s hair), in addition to the festive green shade shown here.Buy Now

Quilted Heat-Resistant Double Oven Mitt, $12.98 on Amazon

double oven mitt

Cuisinart/Amazon

The handy double mitts many contestants use when taking their bakes out of the oven make great stocking stuffers or housewarming gifts, or can be combined with a few other baking tools for a multi-part present.Buy Now

“Nobody Likes a Soggy Bottom” Mug, $12.95+ on Etsy

GBBO Soggy Bottom mug

Nerdy Design Shop / Etsy

Soggy bottoms are a big no-no, but this cheeky catchphrase is sure to bring a smile to many fans, whether emblazoned on a mug or printed in t-shirt form (with Mary Berry’s likeness to boot).Buy Now

“The Great British Baking Show” Seasons 1-5 DVD Set, $79.95 on Amazon

The Great British Baking Show classic DVD set

PBS/Amazon

For those who haven’t quite gotten used to Prue, Sandy, and Noel (or who adore them, but still have a soft spot for the original crew too), the DVD set of the first five seasons (as aired on PBS) makes it easy to re-watch favorite episodes, or just put them on for comforting background ambience, anytime. Sure, you can stream episodes—”The Great British Baking Show” Christmas special on Netflix is a must-watch!—but some people (my mom, for one) still fancy the old-fashioned option too.Buy Now

“The Great British Bake Off Big Book of Baking” by Linda Collister, $21.94 on Amazon

Great British Baking Show cookbook: The Great British Bake Off Big Book of Baking

BBC Books/Amazon

Anyone who’s not only been inspired to bake by GBBO but tempted to recreate some of the specific show recipes will love this cookbook, although be aware that the measurements are metric. That’s easy enough to deal with if you have a kitchen scale (if your giftee doesn’t, be extra-generous and include one along with the book).Buy Now

“Mary Berry’s Baking Bible: Over 250 Classic Recipes” by Mary Berry, $23.32 on Amazon

Mary Berry cookbook: Mary Berry's Baking Bible: Over 250 Classic Recipes

BBC Books/Amazon

Follow Mary Berry‘s recipes for muffins, scones, cakes, and breads and you’ll end up with something absolutely scrummy. You’ll appreciate the full-color photos and illustrations for more detailed steps, too, but again, the measurements here are metric. (The more recent “Baking with Mary Berry: Cakes, Cookies, Pies, and Pastries from the British Queen of Baking” does have recipes that have been converted to U.S. measurements, but some reviewers feel it’s lacking in personality compared to Mary’s Bible.)Buy Now

“Paul Hollywood’s Bread” by Paul Hollywood, $21.99 on Amazon

“Paul Hollywood's Bread” cookbook

Bloomsbury Publishing/Amazon

A perennial fixture of the show and a master bread baker himself, Paul Hollywood has several books of his own (like the simply titled “How to Bake”), but this is a great starting place, because it teaches you how to make dozens of types of bread, and then how to turn them into meals (not that you can’t make a meal out of bread alone, perhaps with a bit of butter). Step-by-step photos and allegedly foolproof instructions make it easy to achieve homemade bread worthy of the Hollywood handshake. We’re betting there’s no recipe for pita bread cooked on a campfire, though.Buy Now

“Nadiya’s Kitchen: Over 100 Simple, Delicious Family Recipes” by Nadiya Hussain, $27.69 on Amazon

Great British Baking Show Nadiya Hussain cookbooks: Nadiya's Kitchen: Over 100 Simple, Delicious Family Recipes

Penguin UK/Amazon

Following in the judges’ footsteps, several past GBBO contestants have also published cookbooks, including the memorably expressive and totally endearing Nadiya Hussain. With one of her tomes—which include recipes for all sorts of meals, not just dessert—you can and you will make a lot of delicious food! You might want that digital scale, though, because this book also uses metric measurements.Buy Now

Digital Kitchen Scale, $8.99 on Amazon

digital kitchen scale

Greater Goods/Amazon

Seriously, digital scales are so affordable and so accurate, they’re a great purchase even if you’re not making metric recipes. Measuring by weight gives you the most precise results, which goes a long way toward a perfect bake (although, of course, there are other factors involved, accidental sabotage among them…just ask anyone who remembers BinGate).Buy Now

100th Year Edition KitchenAid Stand Mixer, $399.95 at Sur La Table

KitchenAid 100 Year Anniversary Stand Mixer

Sur La Table

Any serious baker without a KitchenAid mixer likely covets one, and while this exact model was never used on the show, it looks quaint enough to be right at home in the tent. (For a bit more dough, it comes with a darling hobnail ceramic bowl at Williams-Sonoma, in the same pale blue shade.) Any model will mix batters and whip cream and egg whites to perfection, though, making everything from Bakewell tarts to baked Alaska that much more achievable.Buy Now

Joseph Joseph Adjustable Rolling Pin with Removable Rings, $13.64 on Amazon

wooden rolling pin with adjustable rings to control dough thickness

Joseph Joseph/Amazon

Even seasoned bakers can struggle with rolling out pie crusts and cookie doughs to an even thickness, but this beechwood rolling pin is a real confidence booster, as the adjustable plastic rings control the height of the pin relative to the rolling surface—an easy shortcut to perfection (at least during the beginning stages of the baking).Buy Now

Extra Large Non-Slip Silicone Pastry Mat with Rolling Guides, $19.95 on Amazon

silicone pastry rolling mat with size guide

Folksy Super Kitchen/Amazon

Another super-useful tool for bakers? A silicone mat on which to roll out dough, that’s also oven-safe and nonstick so it can be used to line sheet pans too. This one has a helpful size guide for getting pie and tart crusts to the correct diameter (always add a couple inches to allow for crimping!), and the mat itself is 20 by 28 inches, so you can even roll out enough fondant to cover a cake.Buy Now

OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Bench Scraper, $9.99 on Amazon

OXO Good Grips bench scraper and pastry cutter

OXO/Amazon

Bench scrapers may seem so basic they’re boring, but they’re great for blending butter, scraping up sticky dough, and cutting it into portions–so no wonder it’s one of Paul Hollywood’s must-have baking items. Consider wrapping it up along with one of his cookbooks…Buy Now

Rubbermaid Stainless Steel Oven Thermometer, $6.30 on Amazon

Rubbermaid oven thermometer for accurate baking temp

Rubbermaid/Amazon

An accurate oven temperature is crucial to exceptional baking (which is why “The Great British Baking Show” crew bakes a finicky Victoria sponge in every oven each day before taping begins). Oven thermometers are cheap and fantastic for discovering your oven’s true temperature—and they’re also the perfect size for a stocking stuffer.Buy Now

Betty Crocker 3-Tier Cooling Rack, $14.21 on Amazon

three tier cooling rack

Betty Crocker/Amazon

A three-tier cooling rack frees up valuable counter space and means you can make multiple traybakes, pies (hand-raised or otherwise), cakes, and/or batches of cookies at once.Buy Now

Kootek Frosting Tools Set with Piping Tips and Bags, 42 pieces for $9.94 on Amazon

professional cake decorating set with silicone piping bags and frosting tips

Kootek/Amazon

A professional-grade decorating set (this one includes two reusable silicone pastry bags, 36 different icing tips, and two flower nails for building beautiful roses) is great for creating showstopping cakes, of course—but also useful for piping meringue, forming and filling macarons, and squeezing out choux pastry for protfiteroles, éclairs, and so much more.Buy Now

Handmade Porcelain Cake Stand, $31.96 at Sur La Table

porcelain cake stand

Sur la Table

Once all the finishing touches have been put on a bake, it needs a pedestal to be placed upon, and this classic white porcelain cake stand is simple, elegant, and lets the dessert take center stage—even if the only ones judging it are friends and family. A cake plate with a frilly scalloped edge is also pretty, but still won’t steal the show.Buy Now

Passion Fruit Petit Fours, 60 for $64 at Sur la Table

Passion Fruit Petit Fours, 60 Pieces

Sur la Table

Then again, if you know your “Great British Baking Show” fan isn’t destined to be star baker no matter what tools are at their disposal—or if they only enjoy being in the kitchen vicariously—you can always give them the gift of a delicious confection, like these high-end petit fours, tidy enough to impress even Mary Berry. The flavors are mostly fruity (pineapple, berry, orange, strawberry, and tangerine), plus mocha (that’s pronounced “mocka” of course).Buy Now

Asymmetric Necklace, $47.60 on Etsy

handmade bright chunky asymmetric statement necklace Prue Leith

ORIKO/Etsy

No, it’s not kitchen-related, but if your recipient has been won over by new judge Prue Leith (whether because of or despite her habit of talking with her mouth full), her bold style may well have something to do with it—in which case, consider gifting them a bright and chunky asymmetric statement necklace like the ones Prue wears.Buy Now



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