Meet Makbul, GBBO contestant and accountant
Meet the 51-year-old stepping into the Bake Off tent this series.
The Great British Bake Off is back – and now that Channel 4 has revealed the line-up for this year's series, it's time to whip out the oven gloves and stock up on flour.
One of the 12 contestants taking part in the 11th series is Makbul – an accountant from Greater Manchester.
The 51-year-old amateur baker will be swapping spreadsheets for saucepans in the upcoming series, but won't be needing scales – the pastry-enthusiast has learnt to measure ingredients by eye.
Here's everything you need to know about one of the Great British Bake Off contestants, Makbul.
Who is GBBO contestant Makbul?
- Name: Makbul
- Age: 51
- Where is he from? Greater Manchester
- What job does Makbul do? Accountant
Accountant Makbul is a self-taught baker, learning to cook at home in order to support his mum.
Through watching cooking shows, reading books and drawing inspiration from famous chefs, the 51-year-old honed those skills and learned to measure out ingredients just by eye.
When it comes to baking, Mak says his strengths lie in pastry – although he's better at puff than shortcrust – and for celebrations like Eid, he can be found making traditional Asian nankhatai biscuits.
Makbul thinks his baking hobby has given him more patience, but he likes to stay in control in the kitchen – woe betide anyone (even his wife) who tries to take over culinary duties, although the couple's three grown-up children are Makbul's harshest critics.
Outside of the kitchen, Mak is a keen beekeeper – he produces his own honey, which he loves to use in his bakes as much as possible.
What are Makbul's Strengths? "As a baker one of my biggest strengths is that I'm not daunted by much. I will have a go."
What are Makbul's weaknesses? "My biggest weakness is the mess I create!"
What has Makbul said about joining Bake Off?
Makbul revealed that seeing the Bake Off tent for the first time was "thrilling".
"To actually go into it was like stepping into another world, 'at last, I am here!'"
Looking back on his time in the competition, he said that his fondest memory of week one was meeting his fellow competitors, with whom he clicked.
"At last getting to meet all the people on the Bake Off team and the amazing support and friendship they gave me," he said.
When is GBBO back?
Series 11 of the Great British Bake Off lands on our screens on September 22nd, airing on Channel 4 at 8pm.
Production on the show took place over six weeks throughout July and August in a contained biosphere to ensure cast and crew were safe during the coronavirus pandemic.
Bake Off's producers recently revealed all the behind-the-scenes measures they had to follow in order to make series 11 happen, including how the show handled the flour shortage during the pandemic.
The Great British Bake Off starts on Channel 4 on September 22nd at 8pm. To keep up to date with the latest Bake Off news, see here. If you’re looking for more to watch, check out our TV guide.
