PEAK demand

TOM ALLEN on meringue mishaps, fruit fights and why he relishes working with Jo Brand

- CAREN CLARK, REBECCA FLETCHER

Tom Allen can barely contain his eggs-citement as TV Times catches up with him for an exclusive chat about all things meringue, the theme of this week's serving of C4's ever-popular The Great British Bake Off.

Just don't ask about his own attempts to whip up the sweet confection, though, because they're no 'yoke'...

'Hmm, I did try to make them once as a child, but I wasn't very good at separating the eggs,' sighs the comedian, 42, who is currently stirring up laughs alongside presenter Jo Brand on irreverent companion show An Extra Slice. 'I got a bit of yoke in the whites, and the electric whisk made it become more and more of an omelette!'

Oh dear. Here, Tom, who is always a joy to interview, tells us more...

This is the first-ever Meringue Week in 16 series of Bake Off. Are you a fan of this dessert?

Well, controversially, I'm quite specific about my meringues. I don't quite trust the hard ones. You know the sort – the fancy ones made of air that you put a fork in and they explode across the table, knocking someone out! They take the shine off the end of a meal. I like soft meringues – lemon meringue pie is my favourite.

Judges Paul Hollywood and Dame Prue Leith will challenge the remaining hopefuls with mini-meringue tarts for the Signature, soufflés for the Technical and a meringue ice-cream cake Showstopper. They all sound tricky!

Oh, the bakers are being put through their paces. For the soufflé Technical Challenge, with the time pressure on, that's when mistakes are made and you forget to put the sugar in and end up making soup or whatever. It's very stressful. And ice-cream cake? I'm not familiar with that. Is it a cake or ice cream? I should probably get with the times!