Baker 'loved every minute' of Bake Off return

Nicky Laceby (third from left) and all the contestants in the Hogmanay special are originally from Scotland

A Shropshire baker has said she "loved every minute" of being back in the Great British Bake Off tent, for a Hogmanay special.

Nicky Laceby from Albrighton, who originally took part in series 14 of the show, was invited back to take part in an all-Scottish show as she is originally from Dundee.

She said she thought the show's creators had reasoned: "We had so many Scottish bakers in the past, why not throw them all together?"

Since leaving the programme in 2023, Ms Laceby has appeared at a number of shows and charity events and said she continued to enjoy baking cakes and pastries.

She told BBC Radio Shropshire: "The heart and soul of a house, I think, is a kitchen."

She added: "If anyone comes round there is always something in the tins."

For the New Year's Eve special, due to be broadcast on Friday evening, she and her fellow contestants were challenged to make three Scottish classics.

Ms Laceby said there was also "a lot of tartan flying around" and that she had felt a little nervous about appearing alongside some of the other bakers, who were also returning from previous series.

Looking ahead to 2025, she said she had "a few things in the pipeline" and was hoping to meet up with some of her friends from the show.