Bake Off is back! We might be sad to say goodbye to the summer we never had, but the darker nights and colder mornings can only mean one thing: The Great British Bake Off is returning to our screens — very soon.

Kicking off on 21 Sept., Season 12 welcomes 12 amateur bakers into the tent to show off their skills in technical bakes and showstoppers competing to earn the coveted title of Star Baker. Expect a talented bunch, too, because judge Paul Hollywood revealed, "it's certainly the highest I've ever encountered". As with previous years, Hollywood is joined by fellow judge Prue Leith and returning copresenters Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas. The Great British Bake Off season 12 adopted the same format as last season in following strict COVID-19 protocols and keeping all of the contestants in a bubble together whilst filming.

Among the bakers is a Met Police detective, software developer, midwife, and sales manager — let's meet the people battling it out to be crowned Britain's best amateur baker of 2021.

The Great British Bake Off returns to our screens on 21 Sept. on Channel 4 and will air at 8 p.m. each week

Chigs

Chigs is a 40-year-old Sales Manager from Leicestershire. Although he has a lifelong love of food, he only began baking at the start of lockdown in 2020.

Amanda

Amanda is 56 and works as a Met Police detective who describes her baking style as "generous and creative with Greek and Middle Eastern influences."

Rochica

Rochica is 27 and living in Birmingham, working as a junior HR business partner. Originally a dancer, Rochica began baking after an injury left her unable to continue her passion. "With a big Jamaican family on both sides, Rochica bakes in a way that reflects her Caribbean heritage: with flavour, passion and love."

Giuseppe

Forty-five-year-old Giuseppe is a chief engineer, originally from Italy and now living in Bristol. "His love for baking comes from his father, a professional chef, who did all the cooking at home as Giuseppe was growing up, including making a cake every Sunday."

Maggie

Seventy-year-old Maggie from Dorset is a retired nurse and midwife who finds baking comes naturally to her. "She has an impressive collection of classic recipe books and loves recreating traditional bakes while at the same time experimenting with exciting flavours. Her favourite thing to bake is bread."

George

George is 34 and grew up in a Greek-Cypriot family who now works as a Shared Lives co-ordinator. His mum taught him how to bake, and it's a passion he's passing on to his own kids — he particularly loves all of the Greek classics.

Crystelle

Crystelle is a 26-year-old client relationship manager from London who "brings her wonderfully diverse heritage — born in northwest London to Kenyan born, Portuguese-Goan parents — to the flavours in her baking."

Freya

Freya is 19 and is a student living in North Yorkshire. "A year ago, Freya began making plant-based versions of classic bakes for her dad — now it's her goal to bake so that no one can tell the results are vegan."

Jairzeno

Jairzeno is 51 and works as a head of finance, but has a huge passion for baking. For him, "baking is like breathing".

Lizzie

Lizzie is a 28-year-old car production operative from Liverpool. "A baker who prefers simple presentation and believes in flavour and quantity over precision, Lizzie may look like she's frantic and messy on the outside, but she is usually calm and collected within."

Jürgen

Jürgen is 56-year-old IT professional and moved to the UK from Germany in 2003. His love of baking comes after he was unable to find traditional German bread, so he decided to make his own, and he's called it a hobby ever since.

Tom

Tom is a 28-year-old software developer living in Kent. "Although he proudly remembers his place as the only boy in his primary school baking club, Tom discovered his true passion for baking a mere four years ago, when he made his dad a sticky toffee pudding cake."