With the new series of the Great British Bake Off now into its second week, Swindon’s cake-makers are enjoying it as much as ever – despite the change in the old recipe following the switch to Channel 4.

Approaching the competition with the expert eye that comes from being in the industry, local bakers are watching keenly to see what the next trend in cake tastes is going to be, and pick out their favourites to win.

Shelly Baker, of Mrs Baker’s Cake School in Covingham, said: “I have been watching it, it’s one of my guilty pleasures.

“It’s one of those things that, when you’re in the trade, you don’t avoid, because you can see what’s going to become popular.

“I’ve enjoyed it – I didn’t want to, without it having Mary, Mel and Sue – but I did.”

The first episode saw contestants create ‘illusion cakes’ – baked sponges designed to look like, among other things, a champagne bottle and bucket, a watermelon and a pile of pancakes.

Shelly said: “It’s nice to see them tackling new things as well. I loved seeing them do the illusion cakes, something I love doing myself personally.”

“I definitely think they are going to be the thing that starts booming.

“Previously, on other episodes, you’ve seen them do things that other cake shops pick up on, and customers start to ask for them because they become aware of them.”

Praising the effect of Bake Off on the reputation of the hobby, she said: “I’ve got more people from lots of different backgrounds [taking her baking classes].

“Before the show started, I mostly got people with some experience of baking; now we get normal mums who aren’t looking to do it as a business, but for their friends or family.

“They see that it is something that can be achieved – it’s not a taboo any more. I’ve even had teenagers here!”

Picking out Liam – and in particular his bakery disguised as pancakes – as her early favourite, Shelley also had praise for the new presentation team.

She said: “I like them actually. I wasn’t too sure it was going to work, but they seem to work well together, which is nice.”

In this, Shelley has common ground with Diane Fry, who runs Royal Wootton Bassett’s Super Cakes, who said of the new lineup: “It’s not the same, but when you’ve been used to something for so many years, it never is. But they seem to work well together.

Speaking about the start of the new season, Diane said: “It was quite good. It’s different obviously, because it’s different people. But the bakers clearly know what they are doing, which is the important thing. I certainly wouldn’t want to do it – wedding cakes are enough pressure for me!”