A WEST Yorkshire student is the youngest contestant in the upcoming series of The Great British Bake Off.

Rowan Claughton, from Leeds, is one of the 12 bakers in the Channel 4 show which returns next week.

On the programme, the 21-year-old is said to flaunt his youth and let “everyone know that I was only eight when the first episode of Bake Off aired”.

‘Go big, or go home’ is Rowan’s motto, and one that he has always applied to his bakes.

Ilkley Gazette: Rowan Claughton, from Leeds, is one of the 12 bakers in the Channel 4 show which returns next weekRowan Claughton, from Leeds, is one of the 12 bakers in the Channel 4 show which returns next week (Image: Channel 4)

His earliest baking memories are of scones, pork pies, shortbread and traditional jam tarts - which he claims as a Northern delicacy.

A student of English literature, when he’s not writing up a storm, Rowan is also a keen host, applying his creative eye to his cooking – he aims for clean lines and interesting decoration in his finished bakes.

He expresses his grand, opulent side in his bakes, wowing his uni friends with his creations.

Rowan made his own 21st birthday cake – a three-tier, 12-layer extravaganza.

Syabira Yusoff won the previous series of the show, which is hosted by Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond, in 2022.

The Great British Bake Off returns on Tuesday, September, 26 (8pm) on Channel 4.