FINAL twist

BENOIT BLIN on the surprise he's whisked up for the patisserie teams - and creating a dessert fit for a King and a French President...

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BAKE OFF: THE PROFESSIONALS LAST ONE TUESDAY, 8PM, C4 COOKERY

After nine weeks of glossy glazes, spun sugar and tricky tiers, things are set to reach boiling point in the Bake Off: The Professionals kitchen this week as the Series 10 finale gets under way on C4.

'TV Times - you wait! It's brilliant and so close,' promises illustrious French pastry chef Benoit Blin, who, alongside Cherish Finden, has judged the annual search for Britain's best patisserie team since the culinary contest began in 2016.

'By the quarterfinal, you can usually see who will win, but this year has been more of a level playing field. The final could have gone in any direction. But I can't give away more than that. Don't ask - I won't tell!'

Fair enough, Benoit! Instead, here, in our exclusive chat, we ask the 57-year-old star, who is chef pâtissier at Raymond Blanc's two-Michelin-starred Oxfordshire restaurant Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, to spill the baking beans on the show's recipe for success and his recent brush with royalty...

How has this year's competition been for you?

Glorious! We've celebrated 10 series and almost 100 episodes, which is amazing, non? Every year, we have to select duos from around 70 teams and that tells us that pastry skills in Britain are growing. Our show has contributed to that, which is a proud moment.

The show launched as Bake Off: Crème de la Crème in 2016 on BBC2 before moving to C4 in 2018. Did you think it would still be going strong today?