Free Shipping Over $3,000!

Cabinets Fit For Royalty, But Affordable For All!

11 Life Lessons From The Great British Bake Off + Printables

By: Andrew Saladino | min

Two kids baking in the kitchen.

With 8 collections currently on Netflix, the Great British Bake Off, also known as GBBO, has certainly made our lives a lot sweeter. Whether it's the beautiful creations of the amateur bakers, the shining eyes after one of Paul Hollywood's famous handshakes, or the ridiculous puns of the hosts, this competition is easily one of the kindest and most heartwarming formats on television.

Besides teaching viewers more than they ever thought they needed to know about genoise sponge cakes, different types of merengue (who knew there were three?), and time management in the kitchen, the show also teaches us a bunch of valuable life lessons that can be applied outside of the tent.

We compiled some of our favorite moments from the show and created a fun challenge to do with your friends and family at home (or virtually). So make sure your fridge and kitchen cabinets are stocked with lots of butter, fresh eggs, flour, and sugar so you're ready when the hosts announce: "On your marks, get set, bake!"

Note: If you haven't watched collections one through six, this post may contain spoilers.

Things We Can Learn FromThe Great British Bake Off

Great British Bake Off life lessons.

1. Read Everything Twice (And Then Again)

One of the three challenges the bakers face in the tent every week is the technical challenge. They're presented with a recipe of a baked good they've likely never done before (let alone tasted or seen). The recipe usually lacks information like the oven temperature, baking time, or clear instructions on how to assemble the baked goods to make it even more difficult for the bakers to present a good piece when the timer is up.

One of the best pieces of advice judge Mary left the bakers with for one of these technical challenges was: "Read the recipe at least twice to get familiar with it."

Much like the recipes the bakers get for technical challenges, life doesn't come with a set of thorough or detailed instructions. So think twice before you make a decision and then own it! That's how star bakers are made.

2. Lend A Hand When You Can

Although the bakers all compete as individuals, viewers frequently get to see friendly hugs, words of encouragement, and helping hands when watching the Great British Bake Off. Whether it's to stack a multi-tiered cake, carry a fragile bake to the judges' table, or assemble a platter full of biscuits, the bakers are always happy to lend a hand.

In collection five, episode two, the bakers were challenged to present 24 identical biscuits. Baker Tom was short on time but certainly not short on help from his fellow bakers. Steven, James, and Stacey had already finished their biscuits and didn't hesitate to help him assemble, count, and present all of his 24 cookies.

Both Prue and Paul enjoyed his coffee and amaretto kisses--calling the biscuit dough a triumph. The lesson Tom and viewers learned was that accepting help from others is just as important as lending a helping hand. One of Tom's little helpers, Steven, ended up becoming star baker that week. Call it Karma or skill, but everyone agreed he deserved the title.

3. You Can't Make Everyone Happy All The Time

When Flora presented her apricot and rosemary frangipane tart in collection three, episode six, the judges had very different opinions: "It is overbaked, but it isn't bitter and it isn't burned," said Mary to which Paul immediately replied: "It is burned and it is bitter."

To cheer poor Flora up, the lovely host Pam only said: "I tell you who's bitter" before moving on to the next baking station. The moral of the story: You can't please everyone all the time. Even the judges of the Great British Bake Off don't always see eye to eye, so don't take criticism too harsh or personal.

4. You Can Only Move Forward

The competition had just started for baker Lee in collection four, but he was already struggling with the signature bake: a drizzle cake. Instead of giving up, he fought his way through the technical challenge and the showstopper with the words: "You can't turn the clock back now. You can only move on."

Although Lee had to leave the tent as the first baker getting eliminated from the season, he was able to go home with a smile on his face, knowing that he had given it his all and was still one of the top 12 amateur bakers in the United Kingdom.

No matter how messy things look or how often you encounter failure in life, keep moving forward.

5. When Everything Falls Apart: Breathe

Among the fantastic baked goods, we also see the bakers in the tent struggle. Whether it's an underbaked dessert, an over-proofed bread, or a runny mousse--the pressure gets to every participant on the show at some point.

When Benjamina's meringue buttercream curdled and she was forced to start again just 30 minutes before presenting her mirror glazed cake to the judges, host Sue noticed that her frosting wasn't the only thing falling apart. With tears running down Benjamina's face, Sue gave her a pat on the back, reminded her to breathe, and that "every second spent crying is a second less to show how good you are at baking" (collection four, episode one).

The next time you think all is lost, take a deep breath, wipe away the tears, and show the world what you're made of. Benjamina's cake ended up earning her praise from the judges for a smashing shine on the glaze, a beautiful genoise, and harmonizing textures and flavors.

6. It's What's On The Inside That Counts

And when your cake falls apart, your mousse runs through the sponge, or your cookie crumbles at the touch of the judges' hands--that still doesn't mean you've failed. No matter how much of a mess your bake is, if it tastes delightful, they may just keep you around for another week.

Baker Ruby did everything she could to save her two-layer cake during vegan week (collection six, episode seven), but that didn't prevent it from collapsing once she left her baking station. Upon presenting her two separate messes of a cake, judges Prue and Paul surprised her with praise: They liked both of the flavors and decided to give Ruby another chance to prove how good of a baker she is--which she did. She was one of the three finalists of collection six.

So perhaps her story leaves us with two lessons: Make the best out of your second chances and remember that what's on the inside is what truly counts.

7. Do Everything With Love

Whenever a baker gets eliminated from the show, they share their words of wisdom with the viewers. Some reflect on their failed bakes, while others look back on the good times with the other bakers in the tent. 

One of the most memorable speeches on the show were Val's last words before she had to leave the tent in episode five of collection four. The Cake Whisperer made sure to remind us that no matter what you do, do it with love: "When you bake, you always bake for a reason. And you're giving it to people, so you make it the best you can. And you make it with love. And whenever I make anything, I stir love into it, I knead love into it, so when I present it, it's special."

8. Trust In Yourself

When the bakers were challenged to create a 12-inch-tall, 3-D gingerbread story (collection four, episode two), Tom decided to tell the mighty terrifying tale of him and his best friend Pod getting lost on a mountain. When it came to assembling and decorating the gingerbread pieces with icing, Tom bravely declared: "Fear is the mind-killer. You just gotta go for it and trust."

His gingerbread story titled "Tom and Pod's Near Death Experience" earned him compliments from both Mary and Paul proving that leaving fear behind and trusting in yourself will pay off in the end.

9. Have Humor, Grace, And Humility

Life happens, things go wrong--it's not about leading a perfect life, it's all about how you handle the difficult times. You may not learn how to make the perfect pastry from watching the Great British Bake Off but it sure teaches us that with humor, grace, and a healthy dose of humility you can get very far in the competition.

With their countless puns, jokes, and innuendos, the hosts manage to put a smile on the baker's faces even during the most intense challenges. But the bakers also remind us that taking yourself too seriously is overrated. When Candice created her gingerbread story in collection four, episode two, she decided to build a replica of the pub her parents owned. The detailed masterpiece included a green jelly covered pool table and a sticky ginger cake carpet, just like the sticky carpet in the pub she grew up in.

The judges were floored by the sticky carpet and Candice certainly remained graceful while host Sue and judge Mary exchanged slightly inappropriate punny jokes about the sticky ginger cake carpet. Upon tasting her gingerbread story, Paul called it superb and Mary smashing -- Candice won star baker that week.

10. Don't Put Boundaries On Yourself

One of the most powerful moments on the Great British Bake Off was Nadiya's final speech after winning collection three. The full-time mom and amateur baker had finally overcome all of her doubts.

"I'm never going to put boundaries on myself ever again, I'm never going to say ‘I can't do it.' I'm never going to say ‘maybe.' I'm never going to say ‘I don't think I can.' I can and I will."

And she still lives by her words. Nadiya has moved on to become a well-known British TV chef, author, and television presenter. She has taught us that even if you're full of self-doubt, you can still become the best as long as you don't put boundaries on yourself and keep pushing for success.

11. Winning Isn't Everything

Although he won star baker three times in a row and was one of the finalists of collection 3, Ian didn't end up winning in the end. Instead of being a sore loser, he fully embraced the "winning isn't everything" mentality. On his Instagram account, he shared some hindsight on what his time on the show meant to him: "I'm often asked if I was disappointed not to have won and the answer is always a 100% NO! [...] We're always taught from an early age that it's not about the winning, but about the taking part and this was definitely a case of that--it always felt like the most amazing and unlikely adventure taking part."

Printable Baking Challenge

White surface with baking ingredients and recipe for an at-home Great British Bake Off challenge.

As a true fan of the Great British Bake Off, you may have tried a few of the recipes before (or at least wanted to). We created a printable challenge so you can host your own little bake off with friends or family. Get your loved ones together for an epic showdown and have dedicated judges determine who gets to be star baker (and who has to do the dishes) or invite your favorite amateur baker friends to join you for a virtual bake off. Keep in mind that the contestants on the show complete their three challenges over the course of two days.

Start by printing the sketchbook template and drawing your vision. How do you want to decorate your baked goods? What colors do you want to use? How do you want to present it to the judges? Think of all these questions when creating your masterpiece.

If you're going to be one of the judges, use our rating sheet to find the right words when deciding who will become star baker!

White surface with baking ingredients and recipe for an at-home Great British Bake Off challenge.
Bake off life lessons recipe sketch and rating sheet download button.

Precise baking requires precise measuring. That's why the ingredients in the official Great British Bake Off recipes that you can print out below are measured in grams and milliliters. If you don't have a kitchen scale at home to measure your ingredients, you can pick any three recipes that use U.S. measurements for your at-home bake off.

Great British Bake Off challenge recipe download button.

If your kids want to have a bake off, we also created a kid-friendly challenge with recipes from the Junior Bake Off. From apple and cinnamon buns to a vertical layer cake with strawberries, these challenges won't take your little ones too long and will appeal to their taste buds. For kids who are ten years old or younger, you may want to assist them while baking or do a team challenge where one adult pairs up with a child to compete against another team of bakers.

Junior bake off challenge recipe download button.

Whether you're watching the show to find inspiration for your own baking or simply enjoy judging alongside Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith (or Mary Berry if you haven't seen the first few seasons yet), remember that baking and cooking are good for your soul. No matter what happens in the world, your kitchen will always be a safe haven to create magic and share it with your loved ones.

As Seen On
  • Kitchen Cabinet Kings As Seen On Grey's Anatomy
  • Kitchen Cabinet Kings on HGTV
  • Kitchen Cabinet Kings on DIY Network
  • Kitchen Cabinet Kings As Seen On Property Brothers
  • Kitchen Cabinet Kings As Seen On Apartment Therapy
  • Kitchen Cabinet Kings As Seen On BuzzFeed
  • Kitchen Cabinet Kings As Seen On Entrepreneur
  • Kitchen Cabinet Kings As Seen On Forbes
  • Kitchen Cabinet Kings As Seen On Huffington Post
  • Kitchen Cabinet Kings As Seen On SFGate
  • Kitchen Cabinet Kings As Seen On The Spruce
  • Kitchen Cabinet Kings As Seen On Yahoo!

Enter your email address and get 10% off your order. Enjoy exclusive access to special offers and news.

Connect with us

Please wait...

{{var product.name}} has been added to your cart

View cart & checkout Continue shopping