WINNER of the 2022 Great British Bake Off contest – Syabira Yusoff – will be trading flour for fire power in Dorset next month.

The star baker will be at the Tank Museum in Bovington to judge the venue’s 100th Birthday Baking Battle, on February 26.

And Syabira revealed the trip will not be her first time at the museum – as she is a tank fanatic and has visited her favourite vehicles in Bovington before.

The 32-year-old, a cardiovascular research associate at King’s College London, said she was delighted to have hugged her favourite tank – the Panther – on her last trip to Dorset.

Syabira won the 2022 series of Great British Bake Off

“My interest in tanks was inspired by an online WWII simulation game, which I play to relax and which has also taught me a lot about leadership,” she said.

“The game enables me to operate tanks so I just had to go and see them in real life at the Tank Museum and was amazed at how big they are.

“I even hugged my favourite, which is the Panther, but I didn’t get to see the famous Tiger 131, as it must have been in for repairs, but hopefully I’ll see it when I return on February 26.

“I didn’t expect the museum to be so vast and to have such a huge collection of armour.

“It really was a great day out and I can’t wait to go back again. I watched Tankfest on YouTube and am really looking forward to attending the live event in the summer.”

As well as getting the chance to meet Syabira, bakers in the competition can win prizes including a half-day cookery experience at the 5* Chewton Glen Hotel near New Milton in Hampshire.

Entrants get free entry to the museum, with other visitors also having the chance to meet the Bake Off winner, who wowed judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith with her skills during the series.

She was awarded ‘Star Baker’ three times and received a ‘Hollywood handshake’ during Halloween week.

Judge Paul Hollywood described her six-layered red velvet cake as ‘perfect, and better than my cake’, while Prue said ‘she just has the lot’.

Visitor experience general manager at the Tank Museum, Rosanna Dean, said: “We have lots of events lined up to celebrate our centenary and our baking fair and competition is the first.

“Syabira will judge a competition and we’re asking that entrants send in pictures of their cakes. There are two categories; tank cakes and a novelty category.

“We’re hoping those on the shortlist will re-bake their cakes to bring to the museum for Syabira to see in person.

“Learning that Syabira was a tank fan came as a surprise to us but we’re chuffed she’s agreed to return to help us celebrate our 100th birthday on February 26.”

To enter the competition and find out more about the 100th birthday Baking Battle, visit https://tankmuseum.org/events/100th-birthday-baking-battle.