HIT TV show The Great British Bake Off is so popular that just participating in it is like a win and one contestant who impressed on the most recent series was Priya O’Shea.
The Leicester-based mother of two and marketing consultant battled through a number of challenges to reach the sixth week of the show before being eliminated. The 34-year-old, who first experienced baking with an after-school club at primary school, has seen her profile sky-rocket since the show and is now looking forward to doing more in the baking space along with completing her first novel.
Eastern Eye caught up with Priya O’Shea to talk about her The Great British Bake Off journey, cooking tips and future plans.
What first connected you to baking?
I grew up in a family where we always shared food with friends, including packing our guests off with things or sending a plate round to the neighbours. And I loved that about baking. It’s so wonderful when someone brings a cake into work or you drop some freshly baked biscuits off to friends. It gives me a lot of pleasure, and I also love learning new skills. You can never be a master of all things baking, as there is always more to learn and I really enjoy that.
What drew you towards The Great British Bake Off show?
It’s a show I’ve watched for many years and loved. When my mother-in-law gifted me with a kitchenaid as a wedding present, I started baking a lot. I thought about applying for Bake Off in 2012, but decided against it. So it had been on my mind for years and something I always thought about. I finally applied for the show in 2018, but didn’t make it, but kept working on my baking with the goal of trying one more time. And to my delight, I made it.
What was the experience like?
It was a rollercoaster of highs, lows, triumphs and baking disasters. But it’s been such a privilege to be a part of, and I’ve made some incredible new friendships, which has by far been the best thing about it. It was stressful at times because you’re pushing yourself to do the best you can, but incredibly rewarding when a bake you’ve practised so many times is loved by the judges. It’s a really proud moment.
What was the most challenging aspect?
For even the most confident baker, some of the challenges test not just your baking skills, but also your ability to multitask, to be creative and manage multiple things under time pressure – while also talking to the camera, and wanting to run over to help your fellow baker when they’ve had an almighty disaster. There is a lot going on, which is of course a challenge but as soon as the challenge time is over, we were back outside throwing a lemon around like a ball or looking at ducklings and having a good laugh together in the most beautiful country setting.
Have your baking skills improved now?
My skills have improved massively. I had to bake so much during the practice, so things that I’d have found daunting in the past, I’d be doing several times a day until they were perfect. I wasn’t confident making mousses, bavarois, curds and jellies, but I’d do them in a flash now if I had to.
How competitive were you before going on the show and did that increase?
Bake Off is an unusual competition in that it doesn’t feel at all like a competition. We’re in a very unique experience together that we become such close friends in a very short amount of time. I’m quite competitive with myself in that I get really frustrated if something isn’t as good as I know I can make it. At home, if something isn’t perfect I’ve been known to make it again several times, until I’m completely satisfied.
What has the experience of being in the public and press eye been like?
It’s a strange thing when you see yourself trending on Twitter. Bake Off is such a hugely popular show so there is an incredible amount of social media commentary about it. People are incredibly supportive, and it’s wonderful to see those messages, or those from people saying they’ve been inspired by something you may have done or said – that really is special. I get stopped often by people who recognise me, and if I’m with another baker or two, we’re very quickly spotted. People are always so friendly and only have nice things to say.
What about any negativity?
We have all also had negative comments on social media, but I am pretty happy ignoring those. If they haven’t actually eaten my bakes, I can’t take their comments seriously.
What has been the most memorable moment from The Great British Bake Off journey?
There have been many such moments. The first time I met the other bakers when we arrived in London, it felt like things were finally starting. The first time we stepped into the tent was exciting.
What is the secret of great baking?
Well, it’s actually no secret at all, just practise. Things can always go wrong for the most experienced bakers. The most important thing is to understand why things went wrong, and you’ll only get that with practise.
Can you give us some cooking tips?
Get an oven thermometer. All ovens are different and some are more accurate than others. An oven thermometer makes sure you know exactly what temperature you’re baking at. Be mindful of your butter temperature – if it says softened, use softened. It does make a difference to the bake and the mixture. Finally, it sounds simple, but weigh properly. You can wing it with some recipes for certain ingredients but with others, the extra gram here or there will make a difference. I’ve baked for years, so I’ve got lots of different tips for baking different things, and it’s hard to pick a few generic ones, but oven temperature is everything.
Are there any key tips for beginners?
Start with something simple and nail it. You’ll learn so much from trial and error, and it’ll help build your confidence for more elaborate bakes.
What delicacies do you enjoy baking and cooking the most?
Bread and pastry are things I really enjoy. I enjoy savoury bakes more than I do sweet ones. That said, I do make loaf cakes more than anything else as they are so quick and easy, and perfect with tea.
Who are your own cooking heroes?
I have so many. I love Ottolenghi for his flavourful dishes and Meera Sodha’s recipes are exactly like my mother’s, but they are better explained (mothers do not do measures!). Felicity Cloake has a brilliant approach to recipes and is often my go-to when I am trying something new. I have more than 50 cookbooks, so actually for me, this list could go on and on. I should also add that my mother and many of my aunts are actually quite phenomenal cooks, and I am quite in awe of them sometimes too.
What are your future plans?
I am halfway through writing my novel so finishing that is certainly a priority, and I look forward to sharing that when it’s finished. Beyond that, we shall wait and see. I love all things food and baking so I’d love to keep sharing my passion for that.
Eli Lilly had announced a steep price rise of up to 170% for Mounjaro.
A new discount deal with UK suppliers will limit the increase for patients.
Pharmacies will still apply a mark-up, but consumer costs are expected to rise less than initially feared.
NHS pricing remains unaffected due to separate arrangements.
Eli Lilly has agreed a discounted supply deal for its weight-loss drug Mounjaro, easing fears of a sharp rise in costs for UK patients. The new arrangement means that, from September, pharmacies and private services will face smaller wholesale increases than first expected, limiting the impact on consumers.
Why the price rise was announced
Earlier this month, Eli Lilly said it would raise Mounjaro’s list price by as much as 170%, which could have pushed the highest monthly dose from £122 to £330. The company argued that UK pricing needed to align more closely with higher costs in Europe and the United States.
Discount deal for UK suppliers
The revised agreement will see the top-dose price set at £247.50 for suppliers. While pharmacies and private providers will still add their own margins, the increase for patients is now likely to remain under 50% for higher doses, and even lower for smaller doses.
Eli Lilly confirmed:
“We are working with private providers on commercial arrangements to maintain affordability and expect these to be passed onto patients when the change is effective on 1 September.”
Impact on consumers
Around 1.5 million people in the UK are currently on weight-loss drugs, with more than half using Mounjaro. Most of these patients—around 90%—pay privately through online services or high street pharmacies.
Prices vary between providers, depending on the level of lifestyle and dietary support offered alongside the injections.
Olivier Picard of the National Pharmacy Association said:
“This rebate will mitigate some of the impact of the increase, but patients should still anticipate seeing a rise in prices from 1 September.”
NHS pricing unchanged
The deal does not affect the NHS, which has secured its own heavily-discounted price for patients prescribed the weekly injection.
Mounjaro works by helping patients feel fuller for longer, reducing food intake and supporting weight loss of up to 20% of body weight.
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The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. (Representational image: iStock)
CHILDREN in England will be offered a free chickenpox vaccine for the first time from January 2026, the government has announced.
GP practices will give eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) as part of the routine childhood vaccination schedule. Around half a million children each year are expected to be protected.
The Department of Health said the rollout would reduce missed days at nursery and school, cut time parents take off work, and save the NHS about £15 million a year. Research estimates chickenpox in childhood leads to £24 million in lost income and productivity annually.
Minister of State for Care, Stephen Kinnock, said: “We’re giving parents the power to protect their children from chickenpox and its serious complications, while keeping them in nursery or the classroom where they belong and preventing parents from scrambling for childcare or having to miss work. This vaccine puts children’s health first and gives working families the support they deserve. As part of our Plan for Change, we want to give every child the best possible start in life, and this rollout will help to do exactly that.”
Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam, Deputy Director of Immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “Most parents probably consider chickenpox to be a common and mild illness, but for some babies, young children and even adults, chickenpox can be very serious, leading to hospital admission and tragically, while rare, it can be fatal. It is excellent news that from next January we will be introducing a vaccine to protect against chickenpox into the NHS routine childhood vaccination programme – helping prevent what is for most a nasty illness and for those who develop severe symptoms, it could be a life saver.”
Amanda Doyle, National Director for Primary Care and Community Services at NHS England, said: “This is a hugely positive moment for families as the NHS gets ready to roll out a vaccine to protect children against chickenpox for the first time, adding to the arsenal of other routine jabs that safeguard against serious illness.”
The eligibility criteria will be set out in clinical guidance, and parents will be contacted by their GP surgery if their child is eligible.
WHEN broadcaster and journalist Naga Munchetty began speaking openly about her experiences with adenomyosis and debilitating menstrual pain, the response was overwhelming.
Emails and messages poured in from women who had endured years of dismissal, silence and shame when it came to their health. That outpouring became the driving force behind her new book, It’s Probably Nothing, which calls for women to be heard and to advocate for themselves in a medical system that has too often ignored them.
“For so long, so many women haven’t been listened to by the world of medicine,” Munchetty said. “I knew this from my own experience of not being given adequate pain relief, or waiting years for a diagnosis. My motivation was to help women and people who love women to advocate better for women’s health.”
The book blends Munchetty’s personal journey with the voices of other women who have faced similar struggles, alongside expert insights from medical professionals. Its purpose, she said, is clear: to empower people to fight for their health.
“We need to be unafraid of saying how we have been weakened by our symptoms,” the BBC presenter said.
“Too often, we try to keep afloat, keep our head above water, but we don’t want to seem weak. That needs to change.”
Munchetty’s candour is striking. She describes the shame of being told her excruciating periods were “just normal,” leaving her to feel weak and whiny for struggling.
“You might as well have told me people have heart attacks while I’m having a heart attack,” she said. “Debilitating pain is serious — it may not be lifelimiting, but it is life-impacting.”
Her determination to challenge that culture led to her giving evidence in parliament, contributing to what became a Women and Equalities Committee report, published in December 2024.
The report made headlines for its stark conclusion: medical misogyny exists.
For Munchetty, seeing that phrase in black and white was transformative. “It was almost self-affirming,” she said. “We now know it’s there, so we can challenge it. Women can say: I know my body, I know there’s not enough research, and I am entitled to push for answers.”
The parliamentary report went further than acknowledgement. It called for ring-fenced funding for women’s health hubs, better training for GPs, and greater investment in research into reproductive conditions like adenomyosis and endometriosis.
It highlighted how symptoms are routinely dismissed as “normal,” delaying diagnosis and disrupting women’s careers, education and daily lives. Munchetty wrote in her book — referencing the report — that medical misogyny is not about blaming individual doctors, but about challenging a system built on insufficient research into women’s bodies.
“It gives women the language and the confidence to not just be heard, but to insist on being taken seriously,” she wrote.
Her book also tackles the additional barriers faced by women from minority communities, who may be discouraged by stigma or embarrassment from speaking about menstruation or menopause. To them, Munchetty has a clear message: “You are so much more valuable than you realise. If you don’t prioritise your health, you are lessening your ability to hold up everyone around you.”
Those featured in the book are friends, colleagues, charities and everyday women who contributed their stories, many for the first time. “I was surprised at how many friends are in that book with such powerful experiences,” Munchetty said.
“It told me all the more that we’re not speaking about it, and that it is sadly so very common.”
At a launch event for the book, contributors, family and experts filled the room with what Munchetty describes as an “electric and inspiring atmosphere.”
She said, “It was full of joy, of women who felt safe to speak up and be heard. This is not a whiny book — it’s a positive book. People felt they were part of making things better, part of this women’s health revolution.”
For Munchetty, writing the book was exhausting, but transformative, she said.
“I never thought I’d be an author. I’m a journalist. But this is journalism — facilitating people’s stories to be told powerfully and truthfully. People trusted me, and I’m proud of that.”
And Munchetty’s aim is for the book to be a tool for change: arming women with the language, confidence and strategies to advocate for their health.
“It’s not easy to admit you need help, and it’s not instinctive for women to prioritise themselves,” she said. “But this book will help you do that. It’s the silent friend who has your back and gives you strength.”
It’s Probably Nothing - Critical Conversations on the Women’s Health Crisis is now available in all good bookshops
The Shree Kunj Bihari Vrindavan (UK) Temple has officially launched its project to establish a grand home for Shree Banke Bihari in London.
The inaugural event, held in Harrow from 4 pm, featured devotional chants, the Deep Pragtya ceremony, and a presentation outlining the temple’s vision. Speaking at the gathering, Shalini Bhargava described the planned temple as “a spiritual home promoting bhakti, unity and seva for generations to come.”
Several dignitaries were honoured at the ceremony, including Cllr Anjana Patel, Mayor of Harrow; Anuradha Pandey, Hindi and Cultural Attaché at the High Commission of India; Kamakshi Jani of the Royal Navy; Councillors Janet Mote, Nitin Parikh and Mina Parmar; Krishnaben Pujara, Chairperson of ALL UK; and Truptiben Patel, President of the Hindu Forum of Britain.
Organisers said the launch marks the beginning of a new spiritual and cultural hub for London’s Hindu community, offering a centre for devotion, learning and community service.
Martin Dickie has announced his departure from BrewDog and the alcohol industry.
He co-founded the Ellon-based brewer with James Watt in 2007.
Dickie cited family time and personal reasons for his exit.
His departure follows recent bar closures as part of a company restructuring.
BrewDog confirmed no further leadership changes will follow.
BrewDog co-founder Martin Dickie has announced he is leaving the Scottish brewer and the wider alcohol industry for “personal reasons.” Dickie, who founded the Ellon-based business with James Watt in 2007, said he wanted to spend more time with his family after more than two decades in brewing and distilling.
Early beginnings
Dickie and Watt launched BrewDog at the age of 24, starting from a garage in Fraserburgh and selling hand-filled bottles from a van at local markets. The company grew rapidly to become one of the UK’s best-known craft brewers.
Leadership changes
James Watt stepped down as chief executive last year after 17 years in the role, moving into a non-executive position as “captain and co-founder.” Dickie’s exit marks another major shift in the company’s founding leadership.
Dickie’s statement
“Leaving BrewDog isn’t easy, but I’m ready to spend less time travelling and spend some more time at home with my young family,” Dickie said. He added: “It has been an honour to have worked with incredible, like-minded colleagues who live in a world of flavour and experimentation. In James Taylor and Lauren Carrol, BrewDog is in very strong hands and I will always remain a massive fan.”
Company response
BrewDog chief executive James Taylor praised Dickie’s contribution, highlighting his focus on product quality, workplace safety, sustainable supplier relationships, and new product development. “Martin’s contributions to BrewDog have been immeasurable,” Taylor said. “His creativity, passion, and relentless drive have shaped our company over the years and inspired countless others in the industry.”
Recent challenges
The announcement comes a month after BrewDog closed ten of its bars, including its flagship Aberdeen Gallowgate site and a Dundee outlet, citing commercial unviability. The company stressed that Dickie’s departure will not result in further leadership changes.