The Calcutta Malt and Spirits Club gathered at Bern, Swissotel, on September 20, almost three years after the club was launched in the same room in 2012, for the third annual sit-down dinner. Titled Il Grand Finale, the dinner focused on the classic Scotch Glenlivet along with Jameson Irish Whisky and paired them impeccably with modern European food. Only t2 was there…
Tamal is one of the last four standing in Bake Off
And then, as in an Agatha Christie murder mystery, there were four.
It wasn’t easy in the quarter-finals of the Great British Bake Off but Tamal Kumar Ray has survived to enter the semi-finals which will be held on Wednesday.
Whatever happens next week, Tamal, a 29-year-old anaesthetist, whose parents come from Calcutta, has done well to have got so far.
Tamal, who describes himself as “fuzzy haired doctor and lover of cake”, has emerged as a sex symbol on the show.
He was crowned Star Baker last week for turning out a near perfect Victorian raised game pie. Tamal, who tweets as @DrRayBakes, then said: “I’ll be honest, I kind of thought it was never going to happen. Absolutely over the moon to finally get STAAAARRR BBAAAAKKKEEERRRR!!!”
Newspapers follow the BBC reality television show and report online live almost as though they are following a cricket match.
This was The Daily Telegraph which set the scene with: “It was quarter final time for the five remaining bakers who tackled cream horns, mokatines, and a religieuse a l’ancienne.”
These are complicated cake recipes piled high with cream and biscuits, and the taller they get, the wobblier they become.
Tamal put “Passionfruit & Mango and Pistachio & Raspberry” into his religieuse a l’ancienne (which is meant to resemble some sort of Mother Superior).
For the first cake, he used “Lime & Mascarpone and Malt Cream Horns”.
He has apparently been baking cake at work and tweeted a picture of himself with a stethoscope round his neck and a nurse by his side.
This was the Telegraph on Tamal: “We love Tamal but he does have a strange habit of putting his bakes on the floor. Maybe he’s running low on worktop space but it’s got to be a risky strategy. We’re less worried about hygiene than a cameraman, judge or presenter accidentally stepping on them. Squelch.”
As for the new favourite, “Ian (Cumming) long looked favourite to win the contest. Then Tamal Ray snuck up on the rails alongside him. Now Nadiya Hussain is making a late run towards the title. She dominated the first day and came out top in both rounds, including her second technical win. Although her showstopper was too potent for the judges’ palates, she still deserved to be crowned Star Baker. She’s widely loved for her wit, humility and expressive face but there’s getting to be a fiercely competitive glint in Nadiya’s eyes too.”
The Evening Standard looked forward to next week: “With only two weeks left to go, it’s now down to Nadiya, Flora, Tamal, and Ian to duke it out in the semi-final for a place in that all-important final. three.”
Amit Roy
