Bexhill’s star baker on her Great British Bake Off experience

Linda Rayfield, 66, a retirement-living team leader, left the show on Tuesday night’s episode.

Despite winning the two technical challenges heading into this week’s episode, Linda struggled with the pastry theme and became the fifth person to leave this year’s show, which enters its sixth week with just seven remaining bakers.

Although disappointed to be out, Linda was proud of her efforts: “Looking back, I thought I would be going home the first week, for me I had stars in my eyes to be actually in the tent, every moment was a wow moment for me. I love baking and I love being in the kitchen, and it’s a creative place for me, so to actually be in the Bake Off tent was hard for me to believe, what a place to be.

“I love my baking but I didn’t think I was good enough, I thought the other bakers were better than me, so I was pleased to have survived to halfway through. It was a dream come true for me.

“The worst moment overall for me would have to be the technical challenges and the timings, I took too long sometimes. Pressure of the tent I guess? I was disappointed my timing sometimes got the better of me.”

Linda said she felt like a child walking into Santa’s grotto when she arrived at the famous tent on day one.

“I would often walk around looking at all the lovely items on set and thinking ‘I would love a kitchen like this’ and could picture myself sitting at the table sharing cake with my friends and neighbours over a cup of tea,” she added. “I had to pinch myself so many times.”

Linda’s exit came a week after she won her second consecutive technical challenge. In both the bread and chocolate weeks, she impressed the judges with her flavours and designs.

However, pastry week – where the contestants were tasked with making Cornish pasties, eclairs and a caged tart – proved to be her downfall.

She added: “It was strange because the day before my pasties in practice came out perfect and the pastry was so lovely . When I got into the tent I decided to make them differently and I don’t know why I changed the shape. All of a sudden I heard someone in the background saying that they had to be a certain size, and I knew I had gone wrong.

“I have made choux pastry before without even thinking about it, but this time my nerve went. The further you go in the competition the pressure becomes more intense. So I made them three times over and it still kept going wrong, it was really awful and I felt it was spiralling badly out of control. It was the first time in the tent that I started to doubt myself, ordinarily this is something I make quite easily.

“Caged tart – who would want to make a caged tart? I think on the day I had a bit of a panic, and I got my sizes messed up a bit. I used the wrong tin on the day and it was all last minute. I hadn’t covered the brief properly so my changes backfired on me.”

Linda said getting a positive comment from the judges felt ‘so good’, particularly when it came from Prue Leith, somebody Linda found to be ‘open and honest’.

Linda said she enjoyed the company of the show’s presenters Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas and also formed friendships with the other bakers.

“The relationships that developed between the bakers was very special to me,” she added. “I hope those friendships will continue and we stay in touch.

“GBBO has changed my life in many ways, and it has awakened my interest in the science of baking and the desire to understand and experiment more with flavours and techniques.

“I am not sure what is next for me in the baking world, but I feel like I am a simmering pot at the moment and excited that this could be the start of a new chapter in my life. I have such a passion for growing my own produce and having outside space to connect with nature. It’s where I really feel at peace and I’m as passionate about self help and the power of our own minds.

“I would love to get involved in a community allotment/farm project and I’m hoping my exposure in the tent will give me the opportunity to approach some local investors.

“Back at work I have the privilege of developing services for our retired customers and I’m looking forward to sharing my experience in the tent with them, for so many reasons. I know you slow down as you get older but that shouldn’t put you off from taking on new projects. You have to make good choices and take any opportunity - so step out of your comfort zone and go for it, you can only try your best. And that’s what I feel I did in Bake Off, without a doubt.

“I didn’t ever feel it was a competition it was more about taking part, meeting new people, facing new challenges and at my age feeling great that I could do it.

“I am quite a positive personality, even though we all sometimes have our low moments, but I am a half glass full person. I hope that bakers of a similar age to me will apply for the next series, and have the confidence to do it. I didn’t go in it for fame or to change my life, it was more about achievement and enjoyment for me, definitely yeah.”

Linda will be appearing on The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice tonight (Friday, October 23) alongside Jo Brand and Tom Allen on Channel 4 at 8pm.

She added: “I am really looking forward to going on an An Extra Slice, I can’t wait to see the montage at the end when they show your best bits. And I so love it that people are enjoying the series and it makes them laugh, we need that at the moment. To have been part of a unique series for GBBO has been one of the best experiences of my life.”