Diana

Diana is The Great British Bake Off’s oldest baker so far and is armed with a quick wit and sense of seeing the brighter side of life. The daughter of a dairy farmer, she grew up on a farm in Shropshire on the Welsh borders where she joined the Women's Institute at the age of just 13 and became a Women's Institute Judge at only 20 years old. Diana met her husband Malcolm at a Young Farmers' social event when she was just 16, and they have been together ever since. Tending to her garden is her main hobby.

Diana learnt to bake with her mother and grandmother from when she was just knee high. She is a traditional baker with a strong base of knowledge to call on, and is confident making pies, pastries and cakes, but feels that baking bread may be her weakest area. Diana can whip something together from the odds and ends she finds lying around in the pantry in order to feed any unexpected visitors. Making her daughter’s wedding cake was her proudest baking moment, but she describes her signature bakes as her chocolate cake, flaky pastry, Eccles cakes and vanilla slices.

When did you get into baking?

On my mother's knee; she was a superb baker as was my grandmother. I grew up on a dairy/mixed farm on the Welsh/Shropshire border. My younger brother and I had an idyllic childhood and food and baking were part of daily life, with the farm workforce to feed. I enjoyed village life, cricket teas, tennis teas, church fête cake stalls, Women's Institute (WI) and Young Farmers competitions and demonstrations.

Have you got any memories of baking as a child?

My earliest memories are of canning fruit and churning butter; the butter would go off in a week, with no fridges or freezers in those days. As a pudding, mum would bake what we called batter pudding, (clafoutis without the fruit). The batter would be poured onto very hot fat in a huge dripping pan and would rise like Yorkshire pudding. This would be spread with syrup and lemon juice and devoured with relish. I remember thinking that was magic. We kept pigs and would salt down ham, bacon and make our own sausages. I think the first thing I baked was a simple tray bake of currents and pastry layers.

Why did you apply to be on The Great British Bake Off?

I didn't, my nephews' wives badgered me into it. I should have known better!

Have you had any baking disasters?

Too many to mention, but here are a few: after taking a WI cake decorating course, 12 members wanted me to show them how to decorate their Christmas cakes. After the second week when they had all applied the royal icing layer, (no such thing as fondant then), and everyone had gone home, the extending table collapsed and all 12 cakes took a dive. It took me all week to completely re-ice them and no one noticed.

What’s your favourite thing to bake?

Mushroom vol-eau-vents in the 60s, mushroom bouches now.

Who is scarier, Mary or Paul?

Neither, they're both pussy cats.