Great British Bake Off Final 2015

You know that feeling when you finish a good book and then feel bereft because it's finished, and you really enjoyed it?

That's how I feel now about the Great British Bake Off.  This series was so good, I really didn't want it to end.

And yes, I cried at the final episode too - and I'm fairly sure I wasn't alone.

I was so pleased for Nadiya.  She really deserved to win, but Tamal and Ian were brill too, however just not quite good enough on the day. 

The curse of the non-setting crème pat finished Tamal's good run, and Ian forgot to put the sugar in his iced buns - quite a major omission, and not something from which you could easily recover.

(And was it just me, or did Tamal's showstopper remind you of Miss Havisham's wedding cake from Great Expectations?)

I started welling up when Nadiya created her fabulous wedding cake, which honoured her Bangladeshi heritage as well as being a Great British lemon drizzle cake.

It was clear that this meant so much to her, and it was so beautifully decorated with jewels from her own wedding that I got quite emotional.

And then she made her speech:

"I'm never going to put boundaries on myself ever again.  I'm never going to say I can't do it.  I'm never going to say maybe. I'm never going to say I don't think I can.  I can and I will."

I think this probably struck a chord with a lot of people who let the fear of failure put them off even trying to succeed.

All of which then set off Mary, Queen of Baking, shedding some tears too, so I felt in good company weeping at a cooking programme.

Just one question though - with all those people present at the final tea party, how did they manage to keep who had won a secret?  How did the children refrain from saying 'My Mum's won Bake Off'?  Well done Nadiya on so many levels!