Judges praise Stotfold grandmother's 'fantastic' showstopper in Channel 4's opening episode of The Great British Bake Off

Dawn, 60, made her debut on Tuesday’s opening episode of the series (September 13) and impressed judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, with her showstopper described as "fantastic".

After making it through week one (cake week), viewers can watch Dawn next Tuesday (September 20) as she takes on biscuit week.

When asked whether she ever believed she would make it into the Bake Off tent, Dawn said: "I dreamt about it but did I really? No, not in a million years!

"I just remember saying 'Oh My Word!' Or possibly something less polite! I had goosebumps and was shaking like a leaf!"

For the first challenge, Dawn made 'Lime, Coconut and Tamarind Spring Cakes', which she describes as having an "earthy, fruity flavour".

The bakes were a hit with the judges, with Paul stating: "Overall, it's a really nice cake".

The Stotfold grandmother then came third place in the technical challenge, which required contestants to make a delicious red velvet cake.

When describing how her baking skills have improved over the years, Dawn explained: "Practise, experimentation, loads of failures and successes."

But Dawn's success didn't end there!

For the final challenge - the showstopper - the bakers were asked to create a cake which represented somewhere they'd lived which had a special meaning.

Dawn presented her 'Nan's House' - a vanilla genoise sponge with a praline 'pebble dash' effect - a bake which Paul described as "fantastic".

When recalling her favourite memories from week one, Dawn said: "The absolute joy that emanates from every single person involved in the show is delightful.

"It was lovely getting to know my fellow bakers, everyone was so unique. Our shared passion for baking was terrific and we just laughed constantly."

The IT manager, whose surname hasn’t been released by Bake Off producers, lives with her partner, Trevor (the self-styled person who tidies up the kitchen after her!) and is mother to three, step-mother to two, and gran/step-gran to four.

She enjoys creating hand modelled sugar figurines to the delight of her family, and her favourite cake is a "really good" lemon drizzle cake.

"And by really good, I mean it has to be very ‘drizzly’!" she laughed.

> Do you know Dawn? What did you think of her on the show? Email [email protected]