Suzanne Harrington: Vegans and The Great British Bake Off

Some poor teenage baker has already had to delete her Facebook page because of two things: she is the Bake Off’s first vegan contestant, and she has a horse called Winnie.

I don’t know about you, but normally I avoid telly. Can’t bear it, with its stupid people and its stupid programmes, its mindless jibber-jabber and shouty ads. I only ever watch football – muting the half-time hot air - or the occasional documentary about weirdos.

There is however one glorious exception – The Great British Bake Off. For 10 weeks every autumn, our household pivots on protracted emoting over combinations of sugar, fat and flour in a tent. Tuesday evenings become temporarily sacred, as we perch on the sofa, tea and factory biscuits at the ready, and watch sponge rising, riveted. We root for and bond with the bakers, even the annoying ones, because we love them all. How could you not?