Meet Nelly, Great British Bake Off 2024 contestant who is completely self-taught

One of those bakers is Nelly, who is completely self-taught, only extending her baking skills to sweet treats when she was an adult.

Tonight (22nd October), she will tackle a frangipane tart and a Paris-Brest, complete with a freestanding podium.

But will she continue to impress the judges with her baked goods? Only time will tell, but in the meantime, read on for everything you need to know about Nelly as she bakes her socks off!

Who is Nelly?

Age: 44

Job: Palliative care assistant

Location: Dorset

Nelly is a 44-year-old palliative care assistant from Dorset, who is also a devoted mum to two young boys, who, with her husband, are the biggest fans of her bakes.

Nelly grew up with her father in Slovakia before moving to Austria to study nursing. Her father always loved to bake bread, but wasn't keen on sweet baking, so it wasn't until she was an adult when Nelly extended her baking skills.

Completely self-taught, Nelly loves adding flavours of Slovakian cuisine into her bakes, as well as spices that represent her husband's Pakistani heritage - with apple and cinnamon among her favourite ingredients.

What was Nelly's reaction to being cast in The Great British Bake Off 2024?

Asked what her reaction was when she received the call confirming her place in this year's line-up, Nelly said: "If you asked me before I would say never ever, it would not be possible.

"I got the call when I was picking up my sons from school at lunchtime, so I couldn't talk then. I was so nervous to call them back, but I sat down in my car and got the news!"

The Great British Bake continues on Tuesday 22nd October at 8pm on Channel 4.

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