Great British Bake Off 2021: Meet Birmingham contestant Rochica

The 27 year-old is sure to impress the GBBO judges with her speciality Jamaican flavours
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She’s the 27 year-old from a big Jamaican family on both sides - so it’s no wonder that Rochica’s speciality is island flavours.

Her Caribbean heritage has inspired her to cook with flavour, passion and love. And she is never prouder than when her nan and aunties praise her for baking treats that remind them of their childhood.

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The Junior HR business partner has won fans at home with her afternoon teas that she made during lockdown which are sure to stand her in good stead as a contestant on Channel 4’s Great British Bake Off.

She made tasty Jamaican fried dumplings with Scotch bonnet fried chicken and honey mustard sauce to celebrate Mother’s Day which she delivered in a box as part of a special afternoon tea for her nan, auntie and sister.

But baking sweet delicacies is a particular favourite past time of hers, and the savoury dishes were accompanied by Victoria sponge mini loaves filled with jam and a tasty raspberry tart with ginger sweet pastry.

Rochica developed a talent for dancing from just two-years-old, but an injury meant she had to stop for a while.

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Although she has started dancing again she still finds plenty of time and reasons to bake.

She doesn’t like to disappoint her nephew who looks forward to her biscuits when she collects him from nursery.

And she especially relishes the challenge of baking a birthday cake to live up to her niece’s vivid imagination.

Announcing her appearance on the 12th series of the Great British Bake Off on Channel 4, Rochica said: “SO late to the party (as usual) BUT I am EXTREMELY EXCITED to officially announce that I am going on The Great British Bake Off!!

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“This doesn’t seem real! I feel blessed to share this journey with myu incredible new friends!”

BirminghamWorld wishes Rochica all the best. We’ll be keeping you updated on how she performs throughout the show.

When is The Great British Bake Off back on TV?

GBBO 2021 started on Tuesday, 21 September and is running for 10 weeks, culminating in a showstopping final where the top three contestants bake an array of delicious cakes, bakes and pastries.

Ordinarily, GBBO begins at the end of August but it was delayed due to the pandemic this year.

Paul, Noel, Prue and Matt. Picture: Mark Bourdillon/Love ProductionsPaul, Noel, Prue and Matt. Picture: Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions
Paul, Noel, Prue and Matt. Picture: Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Who are the judges on GBBO 2021?

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Sharing the news on the show’s official Instagram page, show bosses shared an image of Paul Hollywood, Noel Fielding, Prue Leith, and Matt Lucas smiling with their cuppas, simply captioning: ‘Bake a date in your diaries - we’re back! #GBBO’.

Hollywood, the only original GBBO member to still be with the show, confirmed that filming had begun by July.

On July 11, he posted a photo on his Instagram of the show’s iconic tent, captioned: "After all the disappointment, I need the tent to cheer me up, hello old friend #comingverysoon x."

As filming usually lasts about six weeks, the winner will have been crowned on 16 August.

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