Meet Bake Off Terry’s Shropshire connection

But Stephanie Morrison said she is still mystified over the identity of Terry, the man she has helped.

Millions watched the opening of the Channel Four show last night, in which contestants are set challenges by experts Prue Leith and Paul Hollywood.

One of the new contestants, Terry, who come from Dudley, is armed with an array of equipment borrowed from Stephanie’s Kitchen Tea Room in Cleobury Mortimer.

Stephanie loans out specialist baking trays and icing bags as part of her business.

She said that Terry was a little secretive when she asked him why he was borrowing the equipment – and then the penny dropped when she saw his face on previews to the show.

Channel Four has been fiercely protective over the details of the contestants and Terry has not given his surname – and only admits to being from the West Midlands.

The 56-year-old retired air steward is now a technician who makes prosthetic limbs, as well as a keen artist.

After a shaky start making making regional biscuits in the opening challenge and wobbly waggon wheels in the technical challenge, Terry redeemed himself with his self portrait showstopper, and saw contestant Imedla eliminated instead.

Imelda made an impression with her cherry and white chocolate oatmeal biscuits in the first round, but she struggled in the technical challenge, coming in 11th place.

Her final bake, for which she constructed her own face in biscuit against a seaside backdrop, was critiqued as “quite simple” and “a little bland, and dry” by Leith.

Hollywood said he could not detect her flavours of lemon and ginger, and compared the overall bake to a “stale shortbread”.

'A fantastic story'

Stephanie has been running her tea room for five months.

She said: “He heard I hire tins and things out and he came in to hire some equipment in May.

"He was very cagey about it. He would not tell me what he was doing and he never asked me for any advice.

“I took a deposit from him but I didn’t take his details – and he hasn’t brought the tins back yet.”

Stephanie said Terry was "one to watch".

“It’s not my place to tell it but he has a fantastic story," she said.

“He’s a really interesting man, and his story is going to melt hearts. He’s definitely one to watch.”

She says she won’t reveal the type of equipment Terry borrowed from her in case it spoils the show.

But she does have a special request for him when he returns.

Stephanie added: “The tea room has only been open five months and we’ve not had an official opening so it would be really nice to invite him to do the honours.”

Surreal

Terry is one of 12 contestants who have headed to The Great British Bake Off tent for 2018.

Speaking about his experience of first walking into the tent, he said: “The whole experience of that first walk in was it for me.

“It was a totally surreal and enjoyable experience.

“That first memory will stick with me the most.”

He says his signature bake is a double chocolate and cherry gateaux with amaretti and his favourite bake to make is a rich game pie made from pheasant, duck or venison.

Comedian Noel Fielding and broadcaster Sandi Toksvig have returned to the show’s famous big tent to resume presenting duties.

Back to adjudicate the competition this year are restaurateur and cookery writer Prue Leith and chef Paul Hollywood. Leith replaced Mary Berry on the judging panel.

The new series started with a fun skit poking fun at Leith’s blunder from last year, where she accidentally revealed the winner hours before the final aired.

Fielding and Toksvig took part in a sketch referencing the 1980s Back To The Future films, which saw them having to go back in time in order to stop Leith from posting her tweet.

This is the second series of Bake Off to air on Channel 4 after it moved from BBC One.

The Great British Bake Off continues on Tuesday at 8pm on Channel 4.