With the Great British Bake Off final fast approaching, the bakers have been whittled down to just four – but the latest departure has left viewers feeling particularly bereft.
Wednesday night’s quarter-final saw fan favourite Henry leave the tent after failing to impress during Pastries Week.
Only last week the 20-year-old was named Star Baker, and secured the coveted “Hollywood handshake”, after delivering a lime and lemon showstopper.
However, Henry floundered under the pressure of this week’s technical challenge, which saw his under-flavoured Moroccan pie collapse under its own weight.
In the showstopper, his tower of sweet and savoury pies was also criticised for being “bone dry” by Paul Hollywood, while Prue Leith described his soggy pastry as “maddening”.
But for viewers – who’d grown to love tie-wearing Henry for his eccentricity and support of his fellow bakers – the fact he’d just missed out on a place in the semi-final was heartbreaking...
In his final episode, which was filmed at the height of summer, viewers saw Henry wearing his trademark shirt and tie despite the sweltering heat inside the Bake Off tent.
He said: “The lovely people in the crew gave us icy tea towels to wrap round our necks – but I was determined to keep my tie on.
“I wore a shirt and tie early on in the series, basically because I didn’t have many clean T-shirts, and I’m not entirely sure why I carried it on.
“But I felt it was a bit of a good luck charm and I didn’t want to break it.”
Steph was crowned this week’s Star Baker and will compete against Rosie, David and Alice in the semi-final.
The Great British Bake Off continues on Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.
