Here's who left the Bake Off last night - and who was voted star baker

After five weeks of furious baking, we've now reached the halfway point of this year's socially distanced edition of the Great British Bake Off.

But who was this week's star baker, and who got the boot?

Here is everything you need to know.

What did the bakers have to make this week?

On this week’s episode, the remaining eight bakers were tasked with making eight Cornish pasties.

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In the technical challenge, they were asked to make three raspberry and three salted caramel eclairs, and, for the showstopper challenge, each baker had to make a caged tart.

Who got voted off?

The unfortunate baker to be leaving the show this week was 61-year-old retirement-living team leader, Linda.

Despite impressing the judges with the flavour of her pasties in the first challenge, Linda had some difficulties when it came to her eclairs. After three attempts at making them, she was left with no time to add the filling.

Both judges criticised the flavour, with Paul Hollywood describing her eclairs as ‘terrible’; she was ranked in last place, and left with a lot to do on the final challenge.

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Linda’s gypsy tart nestled in a colourful rose-water flavoured pastry dome was not enough to save her, and despite impressing the judges with her flavours, the cage collapsed and she became the fifth person to leave this year’s show.

Prue Leith described Linda – who had previously won two Technical Challenges heading into this week – as a “very good baker” but said she had a “terrible” week with the pastry.

Linda said: “I can’t really be sad. I’ve been like a child at DisneyLand really. It’s been amazing. One of the highlights of my life.”

Who was voted star baker?

(Photo: Channel 4)

This week’s star baker was Laura, the 31-year-old digital manager from Gravesend, Kent.

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Leith particularly loved Laura‘s pasties, saying she could “gobble” them up, and Paul Hollywood was similarly impressed as he praised her pastry making skills.

Edinburgh’s Peter – the youngest of this year's contestants at just 20 years of age – may have won his first Technical Challenge for his bakes, but in the Showstopper round, Laura won the judges over with her caged tart.

“I think you’ve excelled yourself!” Prue said as she tasted Laura’s key lime tart.

The judges were torn over whether to award the star baker accolade to Hampshire security guard Dave or Laura, but in the end, with Laura pulling off both the Signature and her Showstopper, the judges decided she was this week’s champ.

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What will the bakers have to make in next week’s show?

The bakers have now been cut down to seven as they prepare to take on Japanese week, next Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.

How was Bake Off filmed during the pandemic?

(Photo: Channel 4)

The bakers were selected by April of this year, but coronavirus restrictions meant that the filming schedule had to be rewritten, with this year’s series hitting TV screens a month later than it usually does.

The popular baking show is normally filmed over three months, largely taking place on weekends, but this year, producers asked the contestants to take six weeks off work and stay in a secure filming location due to coronavirus restrictions.

The show’s new base this year was Down Hall Hotel in Essex, which housed the production team, bakers, hosts, judges, hotel staff, and cleaners all together.

A version of this article originally appeared on our sister title, the Yorkshire Evening Post

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