Meet Mike, Great British Bake Off 2024 contestant and farm manager

Among the 2024 cast is 29-year-old Mike, who takes pride in growing his own seasonal fruits for his bakes.

But who is Mike, and what has he said about appearing on the show? Read on to find out more.

Who is Mike?

Age: 29

Job: Farm manager

Location: Wiltshire

Mike is a 29-year-old farm manager from Wiltshire who was recently shortlisted for Young Farmer of the Year at the 2024 National Arable and Grassland Awards.

A fourth-generation farmer, Mike works on his family farm alongside his parents and sister and is an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community within farming and was an ambassador for the National Farmers Union in 2022.

To impress you even more, Mike is growing all the flowers for his upcoming wedding! He especially loves using seasonal fruits and edible flowers from his garden and farm – and is even making his own wedding cake!

Mike enjoys making big, hearty bakes, using high-quality local ingredients that can satisfy lots of people at parties and gatherings, with his baking style being homely and wholesome.

Why did Mike sign up for The Great British Bake Off 2024?

Over the years, many of Mike's friends have said he should apply for the show and he and his fiancé Matt had always spoken about the incredible opportunity, but it was simply just a dream – until now!

Matt missed the original call asking him to appear on the series and when he called back, he initially thought he had missed his chance.

He explained: "Then when I got through to one of the producers, she was so kind and complimentary, but I thought that there was a 'but' coming and that she was trying to let me down gently because I hadn't made it, so when she said they’d like me to be one of the bakers, I was just dumbfounded and got very tearful.

"I phoned Matt straight away and the first thing I said was that I can bake our wedding cake – he knew that that meant I was going into the tent and I cried again! (Matt thought baking the cake on top of organising everything else for the wedding would be too stressful, so we agreed I would only bake it if I got into the Bake Off tent!)"

The Great British Bake starts on Tuesday 24th September at 8pm on Channel 4.

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