Great British Bake Off's Ruby Tandoh lands book deal

Great British Bake Off finalist Ruby Tandoh has landed her first book deal, after nine publishers competed to sign her up.

Crumb, published by Random House imprint Chatto & Windus, is due out in September this year.

Tandoh took to Twitter to announce the news, saying “It’s really happening: my book Crumb to be released in Sept! & not a Charlotte Royale or lump of fondant in sight.”

The 21-year-old said that she was “overjoyed” to be working on her first book, adding: “Although I’ve only been baking in earnest for a couple of years now, this book will be the product of a lifetime of poring through weekend recipe supplements, scrawling notes in cookbooks, sketching cakes in homework margins and stopping at the window of every bakery I’ve ever passed.”

Publisher Chatto & Windus said: “Unfussy yet delectable, this is an irresistible baking book for novices and seasoned bakers alike, written with true passion and flair.”

Tandoh, who was studying for a degree in philosophy and art history at University College London while on the show, was a popular contender for the Bake Off crown but lost out to Frances Quinn in the final last October.

She became a talking point while on the show after chef Raymond Blanc criticised her “female tears” and suggested that she was too thin to be a real foodie.

Since finishing the Bake Off, Tandoh now writes a weekly food column in the Guardian and for Elle UK.

She joins several previous finalists, including 2010’s winner Edd Kimber, 2011’s Jo Wheatley and 2012’s John Whaite, who have released cookery books after appearing on the show.

Tandoh is believed to be the first contestant from the 2013 show to sign a book deal, but Quinn has spoken about her own plans to release a cookery book.