Baking The Bake Off! Week 5: Tropical Manchester Tart

In the wake of the previous episode's 'bin-cident', Pies and Tarts Week on the Great British Bake Off was relatively drama free! Before I tell you my thoughts, it's time for my innuendo of the episode:

As usual the contestants were challenged to complete three rigorous bakes to show off their pastry skills to Mary and Paul. The Signature Challenge saw the contestants rustle up a family sized custard tart. My favourite Signature Bakes were Luis' Tropical Manchester Tart (obviously!), Kate's Rhubarb and Custard Tart, and Nancy's Chocolate Crusted Passion Fruit Tart.

The Technical Challenge saw the bakers battle with Poached Pear Pies. On the surface the bake seemed so simple, but as Richard showed us, simple does not mean easy! I'm so happy for Martha coming first though!

This week the Show Stopper Challenge consisted of a 3 tier (minimum) set of pies. I was so impressed with Norman pushing the boat out by adding decadent & exciting flavours to his pies. It's just a shame lavender meringue is such an awful combination! Sadly Norman was eliminated from the competition, but I felt it was probably his time to leave.

As you will have gathered from the title of this post, I decided to try Luis' Tropical Manchester Tart for this week's bake. You can find the recipe on the BBC website.