The Great British Bake Off spoilers to follow.
The Great British Bake Off has crowned the winner of its 2023 New Year's special, as several contestants returned from previous seasons to compete for the title.
2021 finalist Chigs Parmar took part alongside 2020 star Lottie Bedlow and a duo of bakers from the 2018 series, Antony Amourdoux and Manon Lagrève.
In the opening round of the special, the four contestants made a wellington. This proved tricky for Lottie, whose salmon wellington collapsed in the oven. They then had to make a vegan baked Alaska for the technical challenge — and luckily, they all fared well.
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Antony finished fourth while Lottie placed third, with Chigs in a close second. Manon was named the winner of the technical challenge, which preceded the showstopper round.
For the showstopper, the contestants had to make a yule log, also known as bûche de Noël.
Lottie's boozy yule log, made with her homemade winter fruit "moonshine," went down well with judges, and Chigs and Antony also received positive comments. But judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith gave particularly high praise to Manon's mousse mould.
In the end, Paul and Prue crowned Manon the winner of the 2023 New Year's Special.
"All her bakes were lovely, and she has that sort of French elegance. Just perfect," Prue said.
After her win, Manon said: "I'm very happy to go home, celebrate with my husband and daughter. Very merry and happy."
The Great British Bake Off airs on Channel 4 in the UK. In the US, it's known as The Great British Baking Show, and streams on Netflix.
