Announcement: One of our contributors is on The Great Irish Bake Off!

Mr E

Is it true that there is a showstopper every second week?

Faith

Do you watch the British version? If so, how do you feel your experience on the Irish version compared to what you were expecting from watching the British version?

I haven't seen it yet, but I heard one of the judges on the Ray D'arcy show the other day and she seemed very... wishy washy. She had decent critiques, but she used a whole load of flowery adjectives ('it's a teensy weensy bit dry' kind of thing). She stuck me as being no Mary Berry (but there is only one Mary Berry in fairness).

Chong

Faith wrote: »

Prior questions asked .

Should be more available now from this week on as I had huge baking launch last night. The cakes sit around for a while as they need to be shot and filmed, but in the main the cakes are treated like celebs

Chong

Lisha wrote: »

Best if luck in show Will, I think you're doing great .

What would happen if you needed an ingredient that was not on set? Or is there a huge store room ?

Not really if its an egg or key ingredients you are good but for example lets say I am baking and what a passion fruit, its not necessarily going to be there unless for some reason another baker has spares.

Thank you!

Chong

We were given a bit of advance notice to cover first few eps should you get through them.

Chong

Mr E wrote: »

Is it true that there is a showstopper every second week?

This is 100% true, its all down to air time and the ads, its a pity we are not like the BBC

Lisha

Chong wrote: »

Not really if its an egg or key ingredients you are good but for example lets say I am baking and what a passion fruit, its not necessarily going to be there unless for some reason another baker has spares.

Thank you!

Did it annoy you that you had to use the specific brands of ingredients or equipment provided?

Did ye get to (play) practice with equipment before recorded show?

Thanks

Chong

Faith wrote: »

Do you watch the British version? If so, how do you feel your experience on the Irish version compared to what you were expecting from watching the British version?

I haven't seen it yet, but I heard one of the judges on the Ray D'arcy show the other day and she seemed very... wishy washy. She had decent critiques, but she used a whole load of flowery adjectives ('it's a teensy weensy bit dry' kind of thing). She stuck me as being no Mary Berry (but there is only one Mary Berry in fairness).

I do indeed watch GBBO , I wouldnt be doing this otherwise. Its a dream to be doing some like it for me. The judge was Biddy White Lennon, however there is only one Mary Berry and she is the baking female Jesus end of. Paul Kelly the other judge is a genius and cant say this enough, what he does in the Merrion is mind boggling, plus this is the man's first time on TV.

grey_so_what

Hi Chong,

Thanks a million of doing this, it's great to have a bit of insight!....:)

Have ye enough room on the work station?, I thought it looked tight for space...

Chong

Lisha wrote: »

Did it annoy you that you had to use the specific brands of ingredients or equipment provided?

Did ye get to (play) practice with equipment before recorded show?

Thanks

No practice play at all, thrown in at the deep end, BAKE! to be honest feck the equipment, if you are a good baker that will shine through, a bad baker is always going to blame their tools.

Chong

grey_so_what wrote: »

Hi Chong,

Thanks a million of doing this, it's great to have a bit of insight!....:)

Have ye enough room on the work station?, I thought it looked tight for space...

I actually thing we had ample room, and we are always helped out by production in clearing our mess, unlike GBBO we even had 4 hobs to work with it.

dubsgirl

Well done! I hope you do really well in the coming weeks.

My Question for you, when they say times up does everyone really stop immediately or is there some sneaky frantic last minute touch ups?

Chong

I promise you that once Anna says its done its done no extra time is given at all.

Oh and thank you!

MugMugs

How in depth are the recipes ?

The flour last night have to be sieved to avoid lumps. Was this stated on the recipe card? Were you given recipe instructions for the Cupcakes or working off your own sort?

Chong

MugMugs wrote: »

How in depth are the recipes ?

The flour last night have to be sieved to avoid lumps. Was this stated on the recipe card? Were you given recipe instructions for the Cupcakes or working off your own sort?

For cupcakes they are completely your own recipes.

For the genoise, gen waz or genoese you are given a very scant recipes, the measurements are way off, I dont think there were oven temps and as for timings they were like "cook until done" I think.

goose06

How were the nerves and do you think people will settle down as the show progresses or get worse?

grey_so_what

Hi Chong, thank you so much for that answer, do you mind me asking, when you are cooking, how many camera men are hovering over you?....do they constantly roam around and does it distract you?.......

Chong

goose06 wrote: »

How were the nerves and do you think people will settle down as the show progresses or get worse?

I am not going to lie I was bricking it, I am the same in week 2 dying with the nerves, people settle down next week I don't ....

Chong

grey_so_what wrote: »

Hi Chong, thank you so much for that answer, do you mind me asking, when you are cooking, how many camera men are hovering over you?....do they constantly roam around and does it distract you?.......

Its hard to get used they are like flys around you but the camera men are funny and gents so you have the laugh with them

grey_so_what

Chong wrote: »

Its hard to get used they are like flys around you but the camera men are funny and gents so you have the laugh with them

You are great to be able to do any cooking at all with all that going around you.

What was your opinion of the Special K cake as I call it, I wasn't a fan of it, how would you rate it?

Chong

For me the special K part was the nicest, I hate overly creamy cakes so for me that was not my favourite at all. I also had no clue what to do when it came to decorating, I dont cream cakes, I love buttercream but fresh cream turns me right off.

The so called "Crunch" was tasty weirdly

MugMugs

Chong wrote: »

The so called "Crunch" was tasty weirdly

That word !

Chong

So over used, its a freaking Genoese and all people talked about on the day or last night is the crunch

grey_so_what

Biddy will be remembered for that word for sure!!...

Have to go Chong, thanks so much for the inside track, I wish you well in the competition, lovely to talk to you, GSW

Take a bow!!

Chong

Thanks alot GSW see you soon

BaZmO*

I watched it late last night. The ads are a bit of a pain when you're used to watching the Beeb version.

I knew you were safe when you weren't featured too much. Felt sorry for the young girl but they showed her home.......she was always gonna go!

Chong

I felt lousy for her such an awful way to go and she was very nice outside the tent aswell, takes a lot to throw yourself in at that age

Hiya Chong,

Have all the episodes been recorded already?

Chong

Yup all the episodes are done

BaZmO*

Chong wrote: »

Yup all the episodes are done

So did ya win?