The Great British Bake Off becomes latest victim of ‘clean eating’ cult

In a world in which wholesome recipes by the likes of Nigella Lawson and Delia Smith are being spurned in favour of lean alternatives from green goddesses who advocate ‘clean eating’, Mr S would have hoped to be able to rely on the no-nonsense Mary Berry to talk some sense at this testing time.

Alas, it’s not to be. The BBC’s Great British Bake Off is the latest victim of the ‘clean eating’ trend. Tonight’s episode of the hit BBC2 show will see Berry and Paul Hollywood instruct the contestants to bake ‘without sugar, gluten or dairy’.

In case you — like Mr S — don’t know how to bake without these food groups, this evening’s tasks will include creating sugar-free cakes, gluten-free pittas and dairy-free ice cream.

While Steerpike can’t account for taste, the clean eating trend has recently received much negative press, so it’s somewhat surprising that the BBC has decided to air a whole episode dedicated to it. So much for the licence fee being put to good use.