Junior Bake Off 2023: Meet the contestants!

Judge Liam Charles, presenter Harry hill and judge Ravneet Gill are back!

Good news cake lovers! Junior Bake Off is back!

The children's baking competition will kick off again on Monday 16 January at 5pm on Channel 4.

Presenter Harry Hill, and judges Liam Charles and Ravneet Gill will be joined in the tent by 16 of Britain's best junior bakers.

From biscuits to bread, the bakers will be challenged to show off their cooking skills and creativity each week.

But who is competing this year? Take a look below to figure out who you'll be cheering on, and let us know in the comments!

Meet the 2023 Junior Bake Off contestants

Meet the 2023 Junior Bake Off contestants!

HEAT ONE

ALFIE

Alfie is 9 years old and lives in East Sussex with his twin brother Charlie, their mum and dad, two dogs and two tortoises.

Alfie started baking with his mum when he was around three, and he now bakes by himself.

Some of his favourite things to bake are lemon drizzle cakes, blueberry scones and carrot cake.

Outside of baking Alfie likes maths, playing football, and practising magic tricks or mastering his back-spin in breakdancing.

ANNABEL A

Annabel is 11 years old and lives in Belfast with her mum, dad, younger sister and two bunnies, Bubbles and Binky.

She was inspired to bake by her granny and dad, and is obsessed with her numerous Mary Berry cookbooks and loves experimenting with flavours.

Annabel likes to make cakes with bright and colourful designs, and often spends time drawing her ideas before bringing them to life in the kitchen.

As well as that Annabel like gardening, gymnastics and speed-skating at her local ice-rink. She hopes one day to open her own café.

CHARLIE

Charlie is 9 years old and is Alfie's twin brother.

He is a keen gardener and likes to use the fruit and vegetables he has grown in his recipes.

Charlie and his brother Alfie have very different baking styles. Charlie describes himself as a 'stylish and cool baker who loves to experiment with spices' whereas Alfie is classic, precise, and sticks to a recipe.

He also enjoys track running, playing football and watching his favourite football team Arsenal.

Dolly

Dolly is 10 years old and lives with her mum, dad and two big brothers in Cheshire. She also has two chickens, Maggie and Betty and a Cockapoo dog called Rudy.

She first started baking with her mum and nanna when she was around three, and has been baking on her own since she was around six.

She loves reading cookbooks, baking for her classmates, and is also enjoys swimming, football and basketball.

Dolly hopes to one day to become a vet (even though she's not that fond of cats!) and would also like to take part in a sky-dive!

EZEKIEL

Zeke (as he likes to be called) is 12 years old and lives in Leeds with his mum and little sister.

He is neurodiverse - which is the name for people whose brains think a bit differently to other people. People who are neurodiverse can have conditions like Autism or ADHD.

Zeke learned to bake when he was little from his grandmother who, along with his grandfather he is still very close to.

Outside of baking, he likes ballet, tap or modern dancing, beatboxing, playing rugby, watching F1, gaming and coding.

He honed his cooking skills at school and during lockdown and describes his baking style as chaotic and unique, though finds the actual process of baking very peaceful.

Imogen

Imogen (or Immy as she likes to be called) is 9 years old and with her mum and big brother in Bath.

Immy taught herself how to bake and was inspired to bake by Jamie Oliver, who like her, is dyslexic.

She loves outdoorsy activities and can often be found surfing, bodyboarding or playing hockey. It is also her dream one day to represent Great Britain in skateboarding, like her idol Sky Brown.

Immy likes to listen to music whilst she bakes, and her specialty is coffee and walnut cake.

Oliver

Oliver is 11 years old and lives with his mum and dad and two younger siblings in Sheffield.

Oliver's Bibi (grandma) taught him about Indian flavours such as garam masala from a young age, and he loves mixing his Indian and English heritage in his baking.

Oliver's hobbies include playing the piano, street dance, musical theatre and playing in hockey.

He feels that his decorating skills are not the best, but it's something he is trying hard to improve on.

Sofia

Sofia is 10 and lives with her her little sisters, mum, dad and pet rabbit in Lancashire.

She was taught to bake four years ago by her mum and grandma who often make things for events for friends and family.

Sofia loves dancing, playing hockey and writing her own poems, songs and fantasy stories. When she is older, she hopes one day to be an actress in Eastenders.

She loves decorating and always tries to create something imaginative, bright and colourful.

HEAT TWO

Amelia

Amelia is 12 years old and lives with her parents, older brother and little sister in Staffordshire. She also has a pet guinea pig called Cranberry.

Amelia started baking around four years ago, and bread is her favourite thing to make.

She trains around 20 hours a week doing gymnastics for the National Development Squad.

However she has no plans to go professional, and instead would like to become a midwife or open her own patisserie one day!

Annabel B

Annabel is 9 years old and lives with her mum, dad, brother and mischievous dog Jasper in Essex.

Annabel has had an interest in baking from the age of two, learning skills from both her mum and nanny as she's grown up.

She now bakes at least two-three times a week and wants to take more flavour inspiration from her grandparents' Nigerian heritage.

Annabel loves gymnastics, and as volunteers at her local equestrian (horse riding) school, where she grooms and rides the horses there. She loves all animals and would one day like to be a vet.

Harrison

Harrison is 10 and lives with his parents, older sister and their two dogs, Charlie and Jet in Yorkshire.

He was taught how to bake in the last few years by his dad, and now loves looking through recipe books for inspiration.

Harrison loves ballet, musical theatre and dreams of one day heading into space as an astronaut!

He says he follows recipes up to a point, then he puts his own creative twists on them.

Jamie

Jamie is 10 and lives with his mum, sister and little brother in Warwickshire. His Dad lives nearby and the pair go fishing together regularly!

He has been baking most of his life and says it is like a work out for your body and mind - with whisking, kneading and working out ingredients!

Jamie is also a Cub scout and his hero is David Attenborough. He also has a large collection of jazzy hats!

He loves to experiment with new and unusual flavours in his bakes.

Mya

Mya is 10 and lives with her mum and their two goldfish, Mili and Coby in London.

Growing up, Mya was inspired to bake by her dad who ran a successful Ghanaian bakery - which is still based in London. During lockdown she spent even more time practising and honing her skills playing with Asian and Caribbean flavours.

Mya is super passionate about art, and she loves to draw characters in a Kawaii style, (Kawaii is Japanese for 'cute'), she also likes gymnastics, reading and taking care of her many houseplants.

Mya is thinks her creativity is her strong point, and loves baking with her Mum.

Poppy

Poppy is 11 and lives with her mum, dad, younger brother and their six pets (two cats, two hamsters and two fish) in Sunderland.

She was inspired to bake by her mum and grandma at around four and now likes to bake for them.

Poppy is an keen reader and writer and would one day like to own her own bookshop, or be a vet for exotic animals like penguins or giraffes!

Choux pastry is her favourite thing to make, as she loves the process of watching it transform.

Thomas

Thomas is 12 and lives with his mum, dad and younger sister in London.

He learned to bake at a young age and was taught by his parents.

Thomas enjoys fencing, playing tennis, running and playing the clarinet, as well as board games and solving escape rooms.

He would one day like to be a scientist or an engineer, and enjoys designing unusual structures and squeezing as many elements as possible into his creations.

His favourite thing to make is bread and his cinnamon swirls are his signature bake - which are a big hit with his mum!

Tristan

Tristan is 10 and lives in Essex with his mum and Nana, whose family came from Jamaica in the 1950s.

He has baked from a young age and comes from a family of bakers. His mum and Nana taught him everything he knows.

Tristan loves singing, dancing and acting and has played the piano since the age of three and is currently working towards his Grade 3 exams. He also loves to paint, draw and build complicated structures from Lego.

Decoration is very important to him, and he loves to play with Caribbean and Jamaican flavours.