Shropshire's Bake Off contestant Diana Beard hails 2015 winner Nadiya

Mrs Beard, from Whitchurch, took part in last year's Great British Bake Off and said she was thrilled with this year's victor, stay-at-home mum Nadiya Jamir Hussain.

Mrs Beard said: "I think she was absolutely outstanding. She really did just come through on the night.

"I had mixed emotions watching it, as of course I know what goes on in there and you do tend to look at it through a different set of eyes.

"I didn't know going into it who would win for sure but I absolutely think she was the best on the night.

"She really held her nerve."

Mrs Hussain, a mother of three who lives in Leeds, said after being crowned the winner that she had become "a much stronger, confident person" after beating Ian Cumming and Tamal Ray in the final.

Her bakes on the night included iced buns – half of them cardamom and almond, and half nutmeg and sour cherry – and a batch of raspberry millefeuille which also earned her first place in the technical challenge.

In the showstopper challenge, she created a triple-tiered wedding cake which was described by Bake Off judge Mary Berry as "sheer perfection".

Mrs Hussain, who said she was inspired to take up baking whilst at secondary school, created the cake to make up for not having one at her marriage in Bangladesh.

Mary's fellow judge, Paul Hollywood, added: "Her ideas, flair, her emotions and her passion were all in her bakes, she just nailed the whole final. That was the best tasting final we have ever had."

Mrs Beard said it was an impressive final which seemed slightly more gentle than previous years.

She said: "Beforehand I thought Tamal Ray might win, but once you have had a couple that haven't gone so well it is hard to come back from that.

"The technical challenge is the hardest bit and when you have won that it puts you in a good standing.

"I think for me the outstanding bake this year was Paul's lion loaf. I think that was absolutely superb.

"It has been a very fast 12 months and it has gone ever so quickly. I wish them all luck for the next year."