A WILTSHIRE farm manager and a Dorset palliative care assistant are among the latest batch of hopefuls bidding to cook up success in the Great British Bake Off tent.

Mike Wilkins is among the baking dozen set to begin their Bake Off journey on our screens this evening (September 24) in the latest series on Channel 4 (8pm).

The 29-year-old is a graduate of the Royal Agricultural University (RAU), in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, and was recently shortlisted for the Young Farmer of the Year award in a national competition.

He is also an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community in farming and was a National Farmers Union (NFU) ambassador in 2022.

An RAU spokesperson said staff and students were rooting for the former students’ union chair.

“We were delighted to hear that Mike, a former RAU student and RAU Students’ Union chair, had been selected to appear on Bake Off,” they said.

“Sadly, we weren’t lucky enough to experience any of his baking while he was a student here but we are very proud of everything he has gone on to achieve since he graduated in 2015.

“All the staff and students at the RAU wish him lots of luck and we will all be cheering him on from our respective sofas!”

However, his farming will take a back seat to flour for the coming weeks as he pits his baking wits against the other contestants – and judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith.

Mike says his style is “homely and wholesome”, enjoying making “big, hearty bakes using high-quality local ingredients”.

“He especially loves using seasonal fruits and edible flowers from his garden and farm – and is even making his own wedding cake,” a show biography said.

The Wilkins family has run Nolands Farm, in Yatesbury, for four generations.

Palliative care assistant Nelly, from Dorset, is also lining up in the Great British Bake Off tent. Picture: Channel 4

Mike will be competing against fellow south west baker, Nelly, from Dorset.

A palliative care assistant, Nelly hails from Slovakia, where her father taught her to bake bread – but didn’t enjoy the sweeter things in life.

However, after attempting a neighbour’s gingerbread recipe, she extended her skills and now enjoys adding Slovakian flavours to her bakes, as well as spices representing her husband, Chand’s, Pakistani heritage.

Nelly also indulges her creative talents making jewellery, and is a big fan of true crime.

Series 15 of GBBO gets underway this evening on Channel 4