A fresh slice of the archive · new bake with every visit
For bakes that make you gasp. Then ask for seconds.
Sixty-four Hollywood handshakes, the stories behind them, and enough good crumb to make you reach for the cake tin.
Pull up a chair
Six bakes ready for their close-up
Ryan Chong · 3 (2012)
Lardy cakes/buns, Signature
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Frances Quinn · 4 (2013)
36 canapés: choux tomatoes, carrots, cauliflower-cheese scones, Signature
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Norman Calder · 5 (2014)
36 savoury farthing biscuits, Signature
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Paul Jagger · 6 (2015)
Cranberry-orange sweet soda bread, Signature
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Tamal Ray · 6 (2015)
Middle Eastern game pie, Signature
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Nadiya Hussain · 6 (2015)
Peanut, salted-caramel and chocolate tart, Signature
Read the recipeWhy the kettle stays on
A handshake is a tiny bit of tent magic.
A handshake is not a formal prize. It is a small, spontaneous bit of television: a judge spots something precise, generous, or simply delicious, then reaches across the bench.
The archive keeps track of those moments with admiration, not ownership. Each record names the baker, the bake, the week, and the public source—then makes room for recipes and techniques that let the story travel.
How the archive gives credit →From familiar favourites to wonderfully wobbly showstoppers, every entry is here for a reason.
See all 65 handshakes →