RARELY does a baking show attract national controversy, but The Great British Bake Off had Twitter in meltdown this week.

So says local self-confessed cake-oholic, Sharanne Basham-Pyke.

Fans of GBBO love the technical challenge, as it really separates the wheat from the chaff, she says.

“In essence, the contestants are asked to bake a specific item, but with minimal instructions, method, or recipe.

“So any variation on the finished product will be a result of their own technical knowledge and experience – or lack of.

“Bakers are left to their own assumptions and guesses about what the end result even should look like.

“So onto this week’s technical challenge: to make a lemon meringue pie. It caused the most furore online because that was the ONLY instruction given.

“Just those five words: Make a lemon meringue pie.

“Now I’ve been baking cakes for decades, and I still work to my own recipes and written down methods. Every time.

“Obviously, the resulting pies were a mixed bag. I won’t spoil it for those who have yet to see this week’s episode, but it was heart-breaking for us diehard viewers to see Carole and Dawn struggle.

“Yet it is heart-warming to see the other bakers gather round and support their fellow bakers; even though it is a competition.

“There was an apt episode in my book, A Slice of Life: women babies cakes, where one of the characters, Myfanwy, had her own meltdown with her first attempt at lemon pots; and her friend comes to save the day.

“And that is why I love the show so much: it is a microcosm of all things good about our communities. Despite what the newspaper headlines want you to think, when things go wrong for a stranger, we are essentially a nation of kind people who care.

“It doesn’t getting said enough.”

Sharanne Basham-Pyke is hosting a ‘Slice of Life’ VIP cake party, to take place at the new Mercure Newport Hotel on the evening of Tuesday November 15, the night of the Great British Bake Off finals.

Guests will enjoy an evening of cakes, cake-talk, more cakes, and then the showing of the final show episode on a big screen.

This is an invite only event, but the South Wales Argus has secured tickets to offer as a giveaway to our readers.

Each week from now until November 8, we are giving three lucky readers a pair of tickets each.

To be in with a chance of grabbing a ticket just send your name, address, contact details and why you should win a pair of tickets to jo.barnes@gwent-wales.co.uk. Winners will be notified and usual Newsquest rules apply.

Myfanwy’s Lemon Pots from A Slice of Life

  • Whisk three large eggs with caster sugar and lemon juice, and the zest of some lemons.
  • Whisk in single cream.
  • Place in ramekins.
  • Place the ramekins on a roasting dish of boiling water.
  • Bake the lemon pots for about twenty minutes.
  • Add whipped cream and the zest of the lemons to decorate.