"Something luxurious" — The Great British Baking Show: Holidays judge Prue Leith on her expectations for choux bun fillings

The Great British Baking Show: Holidays returned with new episodes on December 10, 2024, continuing its tradition of festive challenges with a Christmas special and a New Year’s episode. The current season features four returning contestants: Jurgen and Maggie from season 12, Maxy from season 13, and Mark from season 11.

This week, hosts Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond brought their charm to the tent, while judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith evaluated the bakes. The New Year’s episode kicked off with the signature challenge, where contestants were tasked with creating 12 highly decorative festive religieuses.

The dessert required two filled choux buns stacked in the traditional "nun" format, decorated to reflect the New Year. Paul shared that he wanted to see strong flavors, vibrant colors, and a sense of the bakers’ personalities.

Meanwhile, Prue Leith said:

"The point of choux is the lightness and the air. They must get the mixture right. What I'm looking for in the fillings is something luxurious, satiny smooth, quite heavy on the cream."

Contestants were given two hours to complete their bakes. Each approached the challenge with unique ideas, from Jurgen’s Lucky Chimney Sweeps to Maxy’s Away in a Manger, Mark’s Boozy Relig-eusey, and Maggie’s New Year Day Party religieuse. Once the time was up, the judges began their evaluations in The Great British Baking Show: Holidays.

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Contestants' ideas for festive religieuse in The Great British Baking Show: Holidays

Jurgen’s Lucky Chimney Sweeps religieuse featured coffee and kirsch crème diplomat in the lower bun and tea and rum in the upper bun, topped with cinnamon chocolate ganache. Meanwhile, Maxy created a Manger religieuse, filling her choux buns with coffee crème légère and cinnamon caramel, along with white chocolate wings.

Mark opted for Boozy Relig-eusey, with orange cream pâtissière filling and a chocolate craquelin topping. Maggie created New Year's Day Party religieuse, filled with cranberry and port cream in one layer and chestnut and brandy cream in the other. She completed it with piped collars and sparkles.

The contestants worked focusing on the time factor, but challenges arose in the second episode of The Great British Baking Show: Holidays. Jurgen struggled with his choux buns not rising as he expected. Maggie focused on intricate decorations, while Maxy and Mark aimed to balance flavor and presentation.

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Judges’ feedback and results in the second episode of The Great British Baking Show: Holidays

The judges offered a range of feedback as they evaluated each bake in the festive signature challenge. Maggie’s New Year Day Party religieuse fell short, with Paul Hollywood calling them "terrible" and Prue Leith stating:

"If they’re not a tragedy, they’re certainly not a triumph."

The judges noted issues with both the presentation and the overall taste of her bake. Maxy’s Away in a Manger religieuse tasted better, earning praise for its flavor combinations. Prue highlighted the cinnamon elements, describing them as "nice and cinnamony," while Paul remarked that the components "worked well together."

Jurgen’s Lucky Chimney Sweeps religieuse received mixed reviews. The judges criticized the deflated appearance of his choux buns, with Paul describing them as "sad and deflated." However, the flavors stood out, and Paul complimented them as "beautiful and really alcoholic," a feature that aligned with the festive theme.

Mark’s Boozy Relig-eusey emerged as the strongest entry. Paul emphasized, "They’re all uniform, which is good," while Prue echoed positive feedback for the presentation and flavors. The feedback set a high bar for the remaining challenges in the episode.

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Watch the episodes of The Great British Baking Show: Holidays, which are currently streaming on Netflix.