Great British Bake Off 2016: Val Stones delivers emotional speech after suffering ‘soggy bottom’ in pastry week

The beloved contestant had a bit of trouble with her bakewell tart
Ben Travis22 September 2016

Val Stones has become the latest contestant to leave the Great British Bake Off after struggling in pastry week.

The 66 year-old former headteacher struggled with a dreaded ‘soggy bottom’ during the technical challenge, delivering an underwhelming bakewell tart.

Stones admitted during the bake that she had missed a page of instructions – but claimed that she made her own take on a bakewell tart every week at home.

She also underwhelmed with her goat’s cheese filo pastry, delivering fewer parcels than she was asked for – while the completed ones were “underdone” according to Mary Berry.

“I reached my limit,” admitted Val when she received the news.

She gave a passionate and teary-eyed speech marking her departure from the competition, saying: “When you bake, you always bake for a reason. You’re giving it to people, so you make it the best you can and you make it with love.

“Whenever I make anything, I stir love into it. I knead love into it. So when I present it, it’s special.”

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She added: “I’m not unhappy, I had a great time with some great people. I didn’t expect it! I didn’t expect to ever get here.”

Even Paul Hollywood seemed upset that she was leaving.

“I love Val, her character was fantastic in the tent,” he said.“It’s really buoyed everybody up every week.

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“A great baker, without a shadow of a doubt, but this was not her week.”

More fortunate was Candice Brown, who was named Star Baker.

“I thought it was James, I really did,” she said. “It’s amazing, it means a lot. It really, really does.

Next week’s episode will bring another new theme to the competition: botanical week.

BBC One, 8pm

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