The Great British Bake Off is officially returning to our screens next week (Tuesday, to be precise), and fans of the show up and down the country couldn't be happier to sit down with a cuppa for the return of the series - especially now the contestants have been confirmed.
Despite the major overhaul of personnel after the series switched from the BBC to Channel 4, there haven't been any huge differences from last year's version of the show - we've still got Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding presenting the show, with wisdom from Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith as the judges.
HOWEVER. The Blue-Eyed One (AKA Paul Hollywood) has now confirmed that there'll be a brand new challenge on this year's show that we haven't seen before.
Speaking to the Daily Express, Paul confirmed that there would this year be a Vegan Week, which would see the bakers tackle a completely meat-free and dairy-free bake.
He explained, "We wanted something different to represent what’s happening in this country. Veganism is something that seems to be growing. We wanted to represent that on Bake Off this year and that’s why it’s in."
Meet this year's Great British Bake Off contestants...
RADIO Great British Bake Off 2018 line up slider with cover pic
1 of 13Meet this year's GBBO contestants...
2 of 13Antony, 30
Antony describes himself as a 'Bollywood baker', and grew up in India which is where he learned to bake with his father - his baking inspiration. He's unafraid to try out new things and bakes 'unconventionally'. Antony once tasted 50 choux buns on a trip to Paris!
3 of 13Briony, 33
Briony is a self-taught baker from Bristol who has been inspired by her Nan. She has used YouTube tutorials to learn specific techniques and has been seriously baking on 2013 - and describes herself as a 'whizz' with puff pastry.
4 of 13Dan, 36
Dan describes himself as a perfectionist, and considers the way a bake looks to be one of the most important elements of baking. He is a full-time father-of-two, which makes home-baking an intrinsic part of his life.
5 of 13Imelda, 33
Imelda is one of four from County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, learning to cook and bake from her mum. She spends a lot of her time baking soda breads and and biscuits for her father and son as well as cakes that she shares with her office.
6 of 13Jon, 47
Jon, from Wales, loves spending time with his wife and their four children, and bakes to relax after a day at work. He loves 'showy' bakes and researching for new ideas to achieve something unique.
7 of 13Karen, 60
Having lived in France for 15 years, Karen is a lover of baking and was inspired by the local patisserie - and is now a prolific maker of profiteroles, Religieuse buns, tartes au citron and even foot long eclairs.
8 of 13Kim-Joy, 27
As Kim-Joy's birthday is World Baking Day, she is convinced that it's a sign she was born to bake. She was born in Belgium to an English father and a Malaysian–Chinese mother, grew up in London and studied in Bristol and Leeds before settling there with her partner. Kim-Joy's mixed-heritage background is a great source of inspiration for her baking, and her passion is bread.
9 of 13Luke, 30
Luke has been baking since the tender age of 10, and is inspired by his travels through Europe and North America. His minimalistic and clutter-free attitude has a great bearing on his baking, and he prefers to create masterpieces that are clean and precise.
10 of 13Manon, 26
Frenchwoman Manon learned to bake with her mum and grandmother, who always made everything from scratch. Although she was brought up in a French household, Manon found her passion for baking whilst living in London, and takes baking inspiration from both places.
11 of 13Rahul, 30
Rahul grew up in Kolkata, moving to the UK at 23 for a university scholarship. As a research scientist, his instinct is to approach baking with a meticulous eye and is fascinated by the science of baking.
12 of 13Ruby, 29
Ruby says her love of baking came from being the 'mother' of the group once she went to university. She grew up in an Indian family with three siblings, and describes her baking style as 'relaxed and boozy'.
13 of 13Terry, 56
Terry used to work as a prosthetic technician, and owns a microbrewery and allotment. These all have a bearing on his baking, and his craftmanship is a testament to his background. His family taught him everything he knows about baking, with his dad teaching him to make bread and pastry from the age of just 10.
On a personal note, Paul added, "I think veganism is fascinating. You’ve got to judge on the same criteria as you would with a conventional bake. You can’t judge it and say, ‘It’s OK, for vegan’; it’s got to taste good, period and that’s how we judged it.
"If you’re a vegan or you’re thinking about it and worried about how it is going to change your life, watch it and see. It fascinated me and shocked me as well a few times."
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