Great British Bake Off hero Norman Calder has set his sights on inspiring a new generation of rising stars.
The retired Merchant Navy radio officer from Buckie won the hearts of millions of viewers with his unassuming manner and rustic cooking style.
And while he was reflecting on being out of the hit show yesterday, Moray’s newest celebrity was far from down as he urged others to follow in his footsteps.
He also revealed that he fluffed his lines when a limousine was sent to pick him up to collect him for filming the BBC show – and he managed to climb into the passenger seat beside the driver.
The 66-year-old, who has been dubbed “Stormin’ Norman”, also said he nearly backed out of the show after applying.
But his excited family left him with no choice but to go through with it.
Mr Calder said he hoped he had encouraged people to do two things – try a bit of baking themselves and bid for a place on the Bake Off show.
Back home in Moray yesterday he said: “Baking is just a bit of fun for me, but I hope that me being on the Bake Off might encourage somebody else from the area to apply next year.”
He added: “I was sort of three-quarters of the way through the application process, and I thought ‘this has gone far enough’.
“But, when my daughters in London found out that I’d applied, they were over the moon, so I did it as much for them as for myself.
“And my wife was behind me as well. She put up with all the mess in the kitchen with my experimenting with stuff.”
After 44 years of marriage, Mr Calder said his loaf was his wife Iris’s favourite, but it was his butter biscuits that earned him a Paul Hollywood handshake and a place in the Great British Book of Baking.
And he said: “Getting picked up in Mel and Sue’s limo was certainly better than taking public transport, but I think I ruined it a bit by sitting in the front seat.
“I was very lucky to last five weeks, and I’ve made 11 new friends, who I’ll definitely stay in touch with.”
He became the latest contestant to leave The Great British Bake Off – presented by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins – on Wednesday night.
He struggled with his presentation and served raw pastry for one of his dishes, prompting judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood to ask him to leave the baking tent.
During the tarts and pies-themed episode of the BBC1 series, he served up a tarte au citron which was let down by its presentation and a dish of pears in puff pastry, but the casing was uncooked in places.
His showstopper, Norman’s Pieffel Tower, had fruit weeping out, the lavender in his meringue was overpowering and the pastry was thought to be too crumbly.
Despite coming from a long line of bakers, Mr Calder joined the Merchant Navy when he was 19.