The great British baking show: Season 2

Get out your mixing bowls and dust off your oven mitts, the BAFTA Award--winning British cooking show that beat the finale of the World Cup in ratings and created a similar viewer frenzy when it began showing in America a few years ago is finally available on DVD. Each season of The Great British Baking Show features 12 home bakers whose skills are tested in a number of areas including cakes, breads, and desserts by the irresistibly impish "doyenne of UK baking" Mary Berry and celebrated (and celebrity) baker Paul Hollywood. The icing on this tempting bit of television cake is the engaging comic commentary provided by the show's affable hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc. Not since Julia Child warbled bon appetite on The French Chef has there been a cooking show with such winsome charm and bracing good cheer. Verdict While home bakers will pick up plenty of solid tips in the process of cheering on the contestants, even viewers who can't tell the difference between a crumpet and a cupcake will find themselves succumbing to the addictive delights of this sweet television treat.-John Charles, formerly with Scottsdale P.L., AZ © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Get out your mixing bowls and dust off your oven mitts, the BAFTA Award-winning British cooking show that beat the finale of the World Cup in ratings and created a similar viewer frenzy when it began showing in America a few years ago is finally available on DVD. Each season of The Great British Baking Show features 12 home bakers whose skills are tested in a number of areas including cakes, breads, and desserts by the irresistibly impish "doyenne of UK baking" Mary Berry and celebrated (and celebrity) baker Paul Hollywood. The icing on this tempting bit of television cake is the engaging comic commentary provided by the show's affable hosts Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc. Not since Julia Child warbled bon appetite on The French Chef has there been a cooking show with such winsome charm and bracing good cheer. VERDICT While home bakers will pick up plenty of solid tips in the process of cheering on the contestants, even viewers who can't tell the difference between a crumpet and a cupcake will find themselves succumbing to the addictive delights of this sweet television treat.—John Charles, formerly with Scottsdale P.L., AZ