Finding God on The Great British Bake Off

The Bible teaches that it’s possible to fulfill God in all kinds of unlikely places. Moses met God in a burning bush, Jacob met God in a desert while fleeing from his brother, and Jonah met God within the belly of an important fish, and now someone has met God on the Great British Bake Off.

This yr’s winner of the show, Jasmine Mitchell, 23, told Premier Christian News about how her faith had grown in consequence of the stresses of the competition.

Mitchell combined her appearance on the show with studying for a level in medicine. She said that she only applied to be on the show on a “whim” following her friend’s encouragement.

She said her “faith has turn out to be stronger and stronger over the past yr” as a consequence of her must depend on God to face the challenges of studying while also producing award-winning cakes. Mitchell, who has alopecia, won the show with a record-breaking 1.2 metre “Alopecia Awareness Cake” shaped like a braid of hair.

The show, she said, “really pushed me to depend on Jesus, on God, because there have been a number of situations where I just felt completely unequipped”.

“Walking to the tent from the green room, or waiting, I might just pray the Lord’s prayer rather a lot in my head. It didn’t take away the stress, but I felt like God was walking along beside me with it … I might look back at the tip of the week and just feel completely held by God.”

As well as praising God, Mitchell also gave due to her family and friends, particularly her mother, who she said had set an example in hospitality and inspired her to take up baking.

During her appearance on The Great British Bake Off, Mitchell would surreptitiously take trial runs of her creations to church.

Speaking of her experience of getting alopecia, Mitchell said that as a youngster she would wear wigs out of a desire to slot in, but had come to terms together with her condition within the last five years.

“Often, I might pray for my hair back, in a way of: ‘This is what I would like, that is what healing looks wish to me.’ Ironically, healing isn’t just what we ask for. God has healed me to make me more whole, and more me. I’m now beginning to enjoy being different and just going with that. It’s definitely a means of learning to see myself the way in which God sees me,” she said.