Who is Great British Bake Off 2017 finalist Steven Carter-Bailey?
The 34-year-old is leading the pack with the most Star Baker prizes this series
Day job: Marketer
Twitter: @SpongeCakeSqTin
Instagram: @SpongeCakeSqTin
What do we need to know about Steven?
Steven works in marketing, but his passion in life is for baking. He credits this to his mum Judi, who taught him the basics at age nine.
“My mum has been such a massive influence on me,” says Steven. “My grandmother was a war time nurse and she was always on the go, so never had the time to bake.
“When my mum had children, she wanted to provide a warm environment where the oven was always on. Toad in the hole, pies, cakes, she always had something on the go. I learnt so much as I grew up watching mum bake.
“The first thing I ever made was a lemon drizzle cake at the age of nine and I carried on from there. I’ve now been baking for 25 years!”
In recent years, Steven has begun to take baking seriously. He has taken to cooking or baking everything he eats, losing five stone in the process.
Check out some of his masterpieces below:
How well is Steven doing on The Great British Bake Off?
Steven was Star Baker in week one AND week two, so he'll have a lot to live up to as the series goes on.
Big hits so far include his Bonfire Night Cake and his 'A Baker's Lunch' Cake, as well as his Amarpressi Biscuits and his flawless biscuit board game.
In week three he narrowly missed out on winning the Star Baker crown for the third time when he made his first serious misstep: an awful batch of Madras Cocktail Teacakes.
But so far he has left the judges seriously impressed with both his flavours and his presentation, so he's ticking all the boxes. He earned himself a Hollywood Handshake in episode five's Pudding Week, one of three people to receive the accolade. But it all went a bit wrong in the showstopper challenge when Paul said his trifle terrine tasted like "rubber".
However, Italian Week saw Steven named Star Baker for a third time, putting him well out in front of the rival bakers. Can anyone catch him?
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