Paul Hollywood hugs Saku on the Great British Bake Off

Saku Chandrasekara, an intelligence analyst at Herefordshire Council, told the judge that she was nervous as she started her journey in the new series of the hit Channel 4 programme.

Paul asked her to 'come here' and embraced her. 

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Mrs Chandrasekara told him that she felt much better before thanking him.

As the camera panned to her, the 50-year-old said: "Can you believe it? That's made my day."

Paul Hollywood gives Saku Chandrasekara a hug on the Great British Bake Off (Image: Paul Rogers/Hereford Times)

The baker, who viewers learned plays cricket for a local team set up by her daughter, impressed Paul with her signature vertical layer cake which consisted of lemon cheese icing and blueberry buttercream.

He said he liked the colours and the flavours, while fellow judge Prue Leith said 'the real achievement was to get a real flavour out of blueberries which is not the easiest fruit to taste great.'

Saku Chandrasekara with Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith and new Great British Bake Off host Alison Hammond (Image: Paul Rogers/Hereford Times)

Mrs Chandrasekara also performed well in the technical challenge, finishing fifth out of 12th. The bakers were required to make a 'Great British Bake Off chocolate cake' which has a missing raspberry.

Prue said it was 'a beautiful cake', although Paul did joke that she took the wrong raspberry out.

For the final 'showstopper' round, the contestants had to 'create an incredible cake shaped and decorated in the form of an animal of your choosing'.

Mrs Chandrasekara chose a turtle cake named 'Tikiri', which she explained means little in Sri Lankan and is also her husband and son's middle name.

Saku Chandrasekara's turtle 'showstopper' called Tikiri (Image: Paul Rogers/Hereford Times)

Prue said it was 'astonishing to look' it, with Paul adding 'it was beautiful'.

However, the judges were less impressed when they had a slice to eat.

Prue said it was quite stodgy, while Paul said it had been overbaked quite dramatically.

"A classic case of style over substance," he said.

Nevertheless, it was still enough for Mrs Chandrasekara to survive the first week. Amos was the first baker to leave the tent, with Dan crowned the star baker.