Who is Matty Edgell, the ‘underdog’ winner of The Great British Bake Off?
The Cambridgeshire teacher didn’t think he had what it takes to compete in ‘Bake Off’. But after his fiancèe applied for the show on his behalf, Matty rose to the challenge
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Your support makes all the difference.The Great British Bake Off has announced that 28-year-old Matty Edgell has been crowned its winner for 2023.
Matty, a PE and science teacher from Cambridgeshire, had been an undercover baker before he made his way into the famous white tent after his fiancée Lara signed him up.
When the first episode of the series was aired on Channel 4, Matty had to apologise to his friends on social media who were only just finding out “his best kept secret”: he is an avid home baker.
While on the series, Matty called himself “the official underdog”, since many of his fellow contestants had more baking experience by comparison. Matty said he thought he “wasn’t good enough” to compete in the series but eventually, after some encouragement from his fiancée, he became confident in his own baking talent, thanks to the skills he learnt from his grandmother while growing up.
The teacher first started baking as a child after being impressed by a teddy bear cake his grandma made him for his fourth birthday. He aims to be on par with his grandmother’s legendary bakes, including the South Pole-inspired cake she made for him at Christmas time.
Matty, who is now his family’s designated baker, always has a list of cake requests for upcoming celebrations. He describes his baking style as rustic but neat, and his flavour preferences as quite traditional – he particularly loves chocolate, citrus and nuts.
Matty said that his students were “impressed” by his penchant for baking when the competition started airing on Channel 4.
“The pupils at school were a bit impressed that I was in the series and I did get some really nice comments at school,” he told Channel 4. “I know they will think it’s cool that I have won but at the same time, they will be really surprised. They have invested in me throughout the series so there will be a sense of pride with them all sharing the win with me.”
Matty had to hide the Bake Off trophy – a glass cake stand with the show’s logo etched into it – in his loft until the final episode was aired on Thursday (28 November).
“I watched the final at home with my fiancée Lara and friends and family,” he said. “It was a lovely evening we had some bubbles to celebrate and needless to say...I made some bakes. I have kept the trophy hidden away in a box in the loft but I think it will have pride of place in the dining room from now so everyone can see it.”
After hearing about his win, Matty said: “I don’t know what to say, everyone said ‘you should go on Bake Off’ and I thought it was a throwaway comment and never really listened to it.”
After applying for the series and careering through the 10 weeks of competition, Matty was pleasantly surprised by his own performance.
“There have been so many ups and so many downs. So many times when I had to be pulled through by the people closest to me. I cannot imagine I have been that much fun to live within the last 10 weeks. I am happy for them as much as I am for me. It still doesn’t feel real.”
“It was quite a tough final,” Matty added. “We were all aware of how close we were in baking skills. Dan and Josh were great to have as fellow finalists, but it was a shock for everybody when Tasha went at the semi-final. She was such a good baker and equally such a lovely person, we were all so sorry to see her go.”
Throughout the 2023 competition, the bakers have made everything from a vertical layer cake to a menagerie of animals, which included a fan-favourite “Beaver cake”. During pastry week, the bakers avoided soggy bottoms as they produced mini picnic pies, a dauphinoise potato pithivier and a decorative sweet pie display.
Matty had a standout moment when he received a prestigious handshake from Hollywood after he won the judge over with his “delicious” sausage rolls. He was praised for the flavour, colour and texture of his creation.
He told Channel 4 that his next big bake will be the mammoth task of making his own wedding cake for when he marries his fiancée Lara.
Matty will join Jo Brand and Tom Allen and all the other bakers, on The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice on 30 November at 8pm on Channel 4.
If you think you’ve got what it takes to be in the tent, you can sign up for Bake Off here – applications close on 2 January 2024 at 1pm.
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