The winner of The Great British Bake Off 2025 has been crowned, with Paul Hollywood calling them the “best winner we’ve seen for a while”.
Medical student Jasmine Mitchell triumphed over fellow finalists Tom and Aaron in a dramatic conclusion that challenged contestants to create the largest cake in the show’s history.
After signature and technical challenges, the 23-year-old’s showstopper was a 1.2 metre long creation she described as a “summer celebration cake” which included three layers of sponge flavoured by cardamom and almond and raspberries along with lemon mascarpone cream. The impressive bake was finished with swiss meringue buttercream.
After being told she had won the Channel 4 series, Jasmine said: “Oh my goodness I am just so overjoyed! When I was in the middle of exams and trying to bake while I was trying to learn, it’s been so much. But I have done it and I am just so unbelievably happy to have done it with such an awesome group of people.”
Jasmine, from Edinburgh, secured star baker honours five times throughout the competition, with Paul Hollywood noting she never appeared in danger of elimination. He added: “She has done an incredible job all the way through the Bake Off this year. She is a worthy winner and she is the best one we have seen for quite a while actually,” reports the Mirror.
Winner Jasmine, who has alopecia, added: “‘I want to say to myself that when I don’t think I am going to be able to do something, when I don’t have faith in myself that I should just give it a try. And try and try again. And something great might happen, you never know!”
Jasmine learned the basics of bread and cakes through her Mum and aunties, and she has fond memories of batch baking for big family get togethers during holidays in the Scottish Highlands.
On her alopecia she said: “If I had told myself three years ago that I would be going about my life without wearing a wig, with no hair, I would have laughed and said, ‘don’t be ridiculous.’ I could never have imagined being on the Bake Off, let alone doing it with no hair. Life with alopecia has definitely been challenging at times.
“I am still very much in the process of learning to love it. But I am getting to the point where more days than not I am actually really enjoying looking a bit different. Having alopecia has (and is) changing my perception of what beauty is. Being authentically yourself, the way you were made to be, is so much more beautiful than trying to look like everyone else around you.”
The final was filmed months ago but the win and trophy had to stay a secret from friends and fellow students.
She said: “The trophy has been in the bottom of my pyjama drawer hidden at the back among the sports clothes. I will probably use it straight away and christen it by making a cake. It might not be as big as my final Showstopper!
“‘Keeping the secret from the other medical students was really difficult at the time of filming. No one could understand why I kept disappearing off. Since going back to training in hospitals it’s a relief that it’s all out in the open now. I was expecting to have to resit all of my exams, but somehow I miraculously passed all of them. One day, if I ever grow up, I would love to learn how to spin all of the plates, and keep doctoring and baking going alongside each other.’
Looking ahead to what is next, Jasmine said: “One thing I have learned about myself is that if I put my mind to something, I won’t give up until I have finished it. I am more competitive than I realised which pushes me to achieve things I never thought were possible. I am not sure what is next for me in the baking world, but one of my dreams is to write a recipe book. I can’t wait!”