Northern Ireland

Andrew Smyth's punt at Bake-Off title takes him through to the next round

From left, Rav, Tom, Kate, Lee, Val, Candice, Benjamina, Michael, Selasi, Jane, Andrew & Louise will compete in this year's contest. Picture by Mark Bourdillon/BBC/PA Wire
From left, Rav, Tom, Kate, Lee, Val, Candice, Benjamina, Michael, Selasi, Jane, Andrew & Louise will compete in this year's contest. Picture by Mark Bourdillon/BBC/PA Wire From left, Rav, Tom, Kate, Lee, Val, Candice, Benjamina, Michael, Selasi, Jane, Andrew & Louise will compete in this year's contest. Picture by Mark Bourdillon/BBC/PA Wire

CO Down baker Andrew Smyth is through to the next round of the Great British Bake Off thanks to his stunning gingerbread house creation.

Instead of the traditional house style, the 25-year-old Holywood man themed his as a fond memory from his students days at Cambridge University when he and his friends used to go punting.

He was just pipped at the post for winning star baker of the week by Candice, after coming fourth in the technical challenge for baking 24 Viennese Whirls.

Judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry raved at his gingerbread house which had been painstakingly baked and constructed using 37 different pieces.

Mary described it as "enchanting" while Hollywood was impressed with the strength and neatness of the showstopper creation from the Rolls Royce engineer.

He had a bit of a setback earlier in the competition when his 24 Honey Beehive iced biscuits were deemed beautifully iced but too soft by both judges.

Louise William, the Great British Bake Off contestant to leave this week, said she was "disappointed I didn't get my chance to shine" as she crumbled under the pressure of biscuit week.

It was not a lovely day for a white wedding in the baking tent as her gingerbread church fell apart in the final seconds of the Showstopper challenge, leaving her presenting two heaps of sticky biscuit to judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood and securing her exit from the competition.

The bake - which she classed as an "A1 disaster" - has left a bitter taste in the Cardiff hairdresser's mouth as she approaches her own wedding to fiance Simon next year, with Louise vowing, "I won't be making a gingerbread cake."

The 46-year-old, who bakes for charity coffee mornings, said: "I was disappointed, because I didn't get my chance to shine.

"My real passion is bread, I bake it all the time, but my weakness as a baker is biscuits, so I am sorry that Paul didn't get to taste my speciality - focaccias.

"I would repeat it all in a heartbeat. How could you not enjoy the feeling of being in the tent?"

Week two in the tent began badly as Louise dropped on the floor the sheep-shaped Bara brith biscuits she had made for the iced biscuit Signature bake.

The salvaged results were deemed uneven and soft, before she came tenth in the Technical for her Viennese whirls.

Biscuits proved a trying task for this year's bakers, with keep-fit fan Val's Statue of Liberty Showstopper also collapsing at the last-minute, and student Michael's Lapland scene dubbed "Santa's workshop from Hell".

Candice was awarded Star Baker after wowing the judges with her family pub recreated in gingerbread and even syrupy ginger cake for the sticky carpet.

Host Sue Perkins was absent from filming in the tent due to a family bereavement, however she appeared in the episode examining the history of biscuit dunking.

The segment came swiftly after Hollywood caused controversy in the first episode for dipping a Jaffa Cake in his tea.

:: The Great British Bake Off returns on Wednesday at 8pm on BBC One. Louise will join Jo Brand on The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice this Friday at 9.30pm on BBC Two.