The Great British Baking Show has crowned more than a dozen winners over the years, and while the show’s only prize may technically be that famous cake stand (closely rivaled by a “nice flavors!” comment from co-host Prue Leith and a Paul Hollywood Handshake), many of the show’s contestants have turned their tent tenure into thriving baking careers. Among the alumni are everything from cookbook authors to multi-tasking scientists — and one successful pub owner. Read on to see what all the winners of The Great British Baking Show are cooking up now.

Everett Collection

Edd Kimber, Series 1

The first winner of The Great British Baking Show credits his time on the series as a stepping stone that helped him overcome his shyness and lead him on a varied career path. After his win, Edd did everything from booking TV gigs to working in restaurants, but it was being asked to write for a magazine that set him on his current course.

“I discovered a true love in writing — teaching people to bake through the written word,” Edd tells Tudum. Over the past 12 years, he’s written six cookbooks and continues to write for magazines. His cookbook One Tin Bakes sold more than 100,000 copies, and his follow-up Small Batch Bakes became a Sunday Times bestseller. In the new year, he’ll keep writing, as well as teaching in-person and remote baking classes to people all over the world. “Most of all, I’m thrilled that for another year, I get to share my love of baking, and encourage people to get in the kitchen and bake something delicious.”

Joanne Wheatley, Series 2

Series 2 winner Joanne wrote two cookbooks and started a home cooking school after her time on The Great British Baking Show, but she’s now enjoying retirement in Lisbon, Portugal, with her husband and French bulldogs Otis and Olive.

Joanne still shares recipes and life updates on her charmingly old-school blog, but she writes that Portuguese restaurant reviews may be more frequent these days, as “the oven I have here is unpredictable, to say the least.” Worry not — if anyone can master a finicky oven, it’s a Baking Show champ.

John Whaite, Series 3

John has had quite the career in the decade since winning Series 3. He’s written a slew of cookbooks and appeared on a variety of food-related television shows, most recently including Steph’s Packed Lunch on Channel Four. 

But John made headlines in 2021 for reasons unrelated to his baking expertise, as he became part of the first all-male partnership on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing. John and his dancing partner Johannes Radebe made it to the final in 2021 before missing out on the grand prize — but making up for it in progress towards inclusion and representation on the historic British dancing show. When it was announced that Strictly would include another male-identifying couple in the season following his, John posted an Instagram story in support of the new contestants, writing, “Queer inclusion isn’t a box-ticking exercise for one series, it’s a fundamental shift in the narrative for life.” 

Frances Quinn, Series 4

Before winning The Great British Baking Show, Frances studied textile design and worked with various design companies across the world. So it’s no wonder that her visually creative bakes won her the coveted cake stand, and catapulted her into a post–Baking Show career that revolves around her imaginative designs.

Frances regularly partners with brands and shares recipes and quirky bakes on her Instagram, all in the name of showing others how to turn the ideas in their head into edible, delicious reality. Her 2015 cookbook, Quinntessential Baking, does exactly that — Frances writes that her book “will show you how to take a basic flapjack recipe and create honeybee bites; transform shortbread into a giant jammy dodger and turn a brownie into an owl.” Trust the inventor of the famous Secret Squirrel Cake — she knows what she’s talking about.

Nancy Birtwhistle, Series 5

Everyone’s favorite grandmother had never entered a baking competition before winning Series 5 of The Great British Baking Show and according to Nancy, “It has changed my life forever.”

“My previous 30-year NHS career was replaced by baking demonstrations and radio and TV interviews,” says Nancy, who has written hundreds of recipes, many of which are available on her website. She’s also a Sunday Times UK Top 10 bestselling author, with a fourth book on the way in 2023, thanks to her series of “eco- and budget-friendly” books that advise readers on “tips, hacks and recipes” meant to save time, money and maybe even the planet.

Everett Collection

Nadiya Hussain, Series 6

Is it even possible to stay up to date with Nadiya? The fan-favorite winner of Series 6 has had the fastest-moving and most successful post–Baking Show career of any contestant to date. Nadiya catapulted to fame after charming viewers with her delicious bakes, her inspiring underdog story and her growing self-confidence.

Nadiya has thrived on British television, hosting shows like Nadiya Bakes, The Big Family Cooking Showdown and Nadiya’s American Adventure, among many others. She’s also written a staggering number of books, including cookbooks, children’s books and her memoir, Finding My Voice. “I am a firm believer that nothing is forever,” she writes on her website. “I want to believe I will do this forever. But for every day that I do it I will treat it like it’s my last, with gumption, with energy and with love.”

Candice Brown, Series 7

In addition to her overall win, Candice is perhaps best remembered for winning Star Baker in Biscuit Week with a gingerbread replica of a pub her parents owned in Bedfordshire during her childhood. Fans of the show were therefore delighted when, after winning Series 7, Candice went on to open a pub with her brother called the Green Man — just like their parents.

Candice has spent the rest of her time doing television appearances and writing cookbooks like her GBBS counterparts, but the pub is the standout of her post-show career. As she puts it on the pub’s website, “You might have seen my cooking on The Great British Bake Off, but the Green Man is your chance to taste it.”

Everett Collection

Sophie Faldo, Series 8

Just about everyone who steps into the GBBS tent is haunted by the piercing blue stare of Paul Hollywood, but Series 8 winner Sophie says that she struggled even more with navigating her post-win life “under the watchful and often judgmental eye of the world’s media.”

“I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of getting through all the episodes, but the most challenging part was what came after,” Sophie tells Tudum. “It’s been a journey to find myself again since.” Sophie’s time on the show demonstrated her affinity for French baking, sugar art and celebration cakes, and she returned to that passion after winning the show. Since then, she has her own business making wedding cakes, and also loves to teach both online and in person. “I also have a ‘normal’ job now too,” says Sophie, who plans to focus on that part of her life in 2023, but prefers to keep it out of the public eye.

Dr. Rahul Mandal, Series 9

There may be few Great British Baking Show winners who are friendlier and more embedded in the lives of the GBBS family than Rahul  — quite the turn of fate for the famously shy, reserved baker. From busting a move with Peter Sawkins and Crystelle Pereira to baking a birthday cake for Noel Fielding’s daughter, Rahul has become the Mr. Congeniality of the GBBS world.

All that socializing hasn’t gotten in the way of his career, however — Rahul continues to work as a researcher at the University of Sheffield, and he just published his first cookbook, Showstopping Cakes. And most exciting of all: He just got married!

Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

David Atherton, Series 10

There’s no rest for a winner, if you ask David. “Being on GBBS gives you an advantage, as you’re a known personality and this opens some doors — however I’ve found that you really have to hustle and keep pushing,” he says. In the years following David’s win, he’s certainly kept busy. “The two things I’ve enjoyed the most are writing my kids cookbooks, and also starting a podcast,” David says. “Both of these have been dreams of mine, and to have them come true in such a positive way has been amazing.”

David is still very much involved in the GBBS world — his podcast, sticky bun boys, hosted with fellow Series 10 contestant Michael Chakraverty, delivered “insights, opinions and a light dusting of shade” with each new episode of Series 13. In 2023, David says he’s going to “keep hustling” and hopes to make it across the pond to promote his new kids’ cookbook in the United States.

Peter Sawkins, Series 11

The youngest-ever winner of The Great British Baking Show “still can’t quite believe it all happened.” Perhaps that’s because he’s still finishing up his degree in accounting and finance at the University of Edinburgh, which is exactly where he was before his time in the tent began. “I feel fortunate that, since the show, I’ve had sides to my life which have stayed very consistent,” Peter says. School has been his central focus in the two years after the show, which he says “has made all the experiences and opportunities from Bake Off feel like fun bonuses on top of my day-to-day life.”

That said, he’s definitely enjoying those bonuses. “I’ve had some really exciting opportunities, from working with brands to writing my two baking books, which were incredibly challenging, but also exceptionally rewarding,” he continues. After university, he’s going to try to turn his passion for baking into a full-time career. “I’m excited to see where I can take it, and what I can do without balancing my studies alongside.”

Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Giuseppe Dell’Anno, Series 12

The show’s first Italian winner admits that he “wildly underestimated” what the aftermath of GBBS would be like, and “deluded himself” that he would be able to return to his normal life once the series ended. Giuseppe put his engineering career on hold soon after his win to become a full-time baker, though he credits his engineering experience and precision for much of his baking success. “It’s no surprise that bakers with a technical and scientific background do well in the tent,” Giuseppe says. “After all, baking is just chemistry that you can eat!” 

Since Series 12, he says, “I have started to explore a world that was entirely alien to me, and I cannot deny that I am madly attracted to it.” He’s spent the last year doing TV appearances, interviews, events and more, but the highlight was the publication of his first cookbook, Giuseppe’s Italian Bakes, which includes his family’s most treasured recipes, most of which are straight from his father’s lifetime notes. ��For me, writing that book has involved much more than collecting recipes –– it’s been a personal journey through memories, places, moments and family traditions.” 

In the coming year, Giuseppe hopes to share his passion for food far and wide, whether through books, TV screens or social media. “I’m not sure whether I have a future as a baker,” he says, “but the love and positivity that I have been showered with by people around the world will certainly stay with me forever.” 

Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Syabira Yusoff, Series 13

Syabira Yusoff has been thriving in the post-GBBS world.

Syabira has been sharing baking tips and recipes on her Instagram account, as well as hanging with fellow Series 13 contestants like Janusz Domagala and past winners like Rahul. The cardiovascular research associate said that while she’s planning to continue her day job, she has big plans to make a cookbook and a YouTube channel in the future. Considering the paths of her successful multitasking and ambitious showstoppers in the tent, we can trust Syabira to do it all.

Mark Bourdillon/Love Productions

Matty Edgell, Series 14

Since filming ended, Matty says that life has changed quite considerably in some ways. For a while, he continued to work as a PE and science teacher so he still got his daily dose of normality (”nothing humbles you quite like secondary school children,” he tells Tudum). However, he also began working with brands and focusing on his passion of baking. “I spend most weekends in the kitchen creating content which has enabled me to get a pretty big following. This has now enabled me to leave teaching, although in a way it doesn’t feel real yet. Now I’m doing that full-time, so I'm looking forward to what may come next,” he says.

When he looks back on the competition, he is grateful for the experience in many ways — for one, helping shape him into a better baker (among his stand out memories is the “awful gray dog I made in Week 1” as well as the Paul Hollywood handshake he received later for his sausage rolls) but most importantly, for helping him show the world how important it is to enjoy the process of baking, over all, instead of constantly striving for a perfect result. “My whole ethos is around being confident enough to give things a go,” he says. “Inevitably, things won’t go right all of the time, irrespective of how good you are at baking. As your confidence grows, so does the challenge you take on! However, like in GBBS, I now try to focus on why it didn’t go right and how those areas can be rectified. Usually, it’s a relatively simple solution and a mistake you won’t make again! Also, mistake or not, most of the time you end up with something very tasty — that’s the joy of baking!”

And, of course, the friendships that blossomed in the tent are gifts that he continues to cherish to this day. “Everyone [from my season] came to my wedding except three, who had prior commitments!” he says.