The Great British Bake Off is back for another year this Wednesday on BBC One from 8pm. Twelve amateur bakers, including a pastor, a hairdresser, a nurse and an aerospace engineer are among those set to battle for the bake off crown.

British Baker will be bringing you an up-to-date blog every week with the latest news, and episode details for the new series.

Here’s a lowdown of all the contestants set to compete this year:

Candice Brown, secondary school PE teacher, 31: Candice Brown grew up in London in the pubs her parents ran. She now lives with her boyfriend and a pug in Bedfordshire. She was taught to bake by her grandmother and claims she usually bakes in her pyjamas.

Tom Gilliford, Royal Society of Arts, 26: Tom Gilliford grew up in Rochdale and moved to London after university. Having lost 30kg (4st 10lb), he still enjoys baking but believes in everything in moderation.

Jane Beedle, garden designer, 61: Currently living in Beckenham, South London, Jane Beedle is up at 5am most mornings to bake bread. She learnt the art of baking from her father and grandfather, who owned a bakery in Hastings, Sussex.

Selasi Gbormittah, client service associate in finance, 30: Selasi Gbormittah is originally from Ghana, but moved to the UK with his family 15 years ago and now lives with his girlfriend in London.

Val Stones, former primary school head teacher, 66: Originally from Yorkshire, Val Stones now lives with her husband in Yeovil, Somerset. She took over her family’s baking aged 15 and believes she can make the classics with her eyes closed.

Michael Georgiou, student at Durham University, 20: Michael Georgiou is the youngest contestant on the show. He is from London but is currently studying politics and economics in Durham. His kitchen creations are also influenced by his family’s Cypriot roots.

Benjamina Ebuehi, teaching assistant, 24: She started baking nine years ago at the age of 14. She recently graduated with a first in economics and now fits her baking around her job.

Lee Banfield, pastor, 67: Lee Banfield lives in Bolton and, at 67, is the oldest contestant. He began his career as a builder, but switched careers and has worked in pastoral ministries for the past 30 years.

Rav Bansal, student officer at City University, London, 28: Rav Bansal claims to be “adventurous and experimental” and likes to use unusual ingredients. He is especially inspired by Far Eastern cuisine and enjoys vegan baking.

Kate Barmby, a nurse on an acute respiratory ward, 37: Her passion for baking began as a child and she says she enjoys using the seasonal fruit she gathers with her children on her parents’ farm in Norfolk.

Andrew Smyth, aerospace engineer, 25: Andrew Smyth works as an aerospace engineer designing jet engines for Rolls-Royce. He lives with friends in Derby and, in his spare time, tries to apply his engineering mentality to push the boundaries of baking.

Louise Williams, hairdresser, 46: Louise really got into baking when making cakes for charity bake sales at work. She enjoys creating elaborate cake designs and experimenting with different flours and flavours in bread.