Prue Leith Stunned American GBBO Fans By Calling Fruit And Peanut Butter Combo Quite Strange
After a tough Pastry Week on this season of "The Great British Bake Off," where both judges and hosts were unimpressed with the bakes, during Patisserie Week things seemed to go a little better for the bakers. The elaborate Patisserie week challenges included tricky, vertical tarts, towering Swedish Krokan desserts, and for the Signature Bake round, six delicate, mini charlottes.
Syabira Yusoff's mini charlottes had exteriors ringed with lady finger sponges and topped with edible flowers. Inside she layered three flavors of cheesecake filling: peanut butter, blackberry, and strawberry. For every American "GBBO" viewer who's ever enjoyed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (which is probably all of them,) that flavor combination was at once familiar and appealing. Sweetened fruit and creamy peanut butter form a pairing that's comforting, tasty, and very nostalgic.
Understandably, viewers in the U.S. were shocked when Syabira's flavor choices were met with skepticism from the judges. Paul Hollywood said it wasn't normal to pair peanut with fruit. Prue Leith called the combination "quite strange" and made a face (GBBO, Season C10 E9, 3:52). After the episode aired, fans on Twitter were swift in their defense of peanut butter with fruit, and asked the question on everyone's mind: Does PB&J not exist in the U.K.?
Americans and Brits don't see eye-to-eye on some foods
After seeing the judges' bewilderment at the idea of eating peanut butter with fruit, user @StillNotSam was flat-out exasperated: "I just ... WHAT IS A PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY SANDWICH THEN???" And Twitter user @DocWithBowTie wrote, "[Looks at my entire childhood] I take it they don't do peanut butter & jelly in the [U.K.]?" The PB&J is so ubiquitous and taken for granted in the U.S., it's hard to comprehend that the rest of the world might not share Americans' taste for the sandwich – but it might well be true. In response to this tweet, @nchamberlain writes, "I'm British so I can say that nope, we don't really do PB&Js."
This snack incomprehension actually travels in both directions across the pond. In 2020, The Daily Mail wrote about an epic Twitter battle that began with Americans disparaging British favorites like French fries on bread (chip buttys) and the fish head-adorned stargazy pie. Enraged Brits shot back, targeting American foods like spray cheese, Hershey's chocolate, donuts as burger buns, and yes: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Both countries may love the "GBBO" but are still far apart on snacks.
Ultimately, Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith enjoyed Syabira's combination of peanut butter, strawberry, and blackberry, conceding that the flavors work together. This was great news for Syabira and the judges too – lest they further stir up the wrath of their PB&J-loving viewers.