The Great British Bake Off (TGBBO)—aka The Great British Baking Show in the US and Canada—features amateur bakers competing each week in a series of baking challenges, culminating in a single winner. The recipes include all manner of deliciously decadent concoctions, including the occasional Christmas dessert. But many of the show's Christmas recipes might not be as bad for your health as one might think, according to a new paper published in the annual Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal, traditionally devoted to more light-hearted scientific papers.
TGBBO made its broadcast debut in 2010 on the BBC, and its popularity grew quickly and spread across the Atlantic. The show was inspired by the traditional baking competitions at English village fetes (see any British cozy murder mystery for reference). Now entering its 15th season, the current judges are Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith, with Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond serving as hosts/presenters, providing (occasionally off-color) commentary. Each week features a theme and three challenges: a signature bake, a technical challenge, and a show-stopper bake.
The four co-authors of the new BMJ study—Joshua Wallach of Emory University and Yale University's Anant Gautam, Reshma Ramachandran, and Joseph Ross—are avid fans of TGBBO, which they declare to be "the greatest television baking competition of all time." They are also fans of desserts in general, noting that in medieval England, the Catholic Church once issued a decree requiring Christmas pudding four weeks before Christmas. Those puddings were more stew-like, containing things like prunes, raisins, carrots, nuts, spices, grains, eggs, beef, and mutton. Hence, those puddings were arguably more "healthy" than the modern take on desserts, which contain a lot more butter and sugar in particular.
The latest trend in auto shows around the world is to convince us that they aren't auto shows. The car show is out and the mobility show is in, and that means different things for different markets. The Frankfurt International Auto Show, for example, is now IAA Mobility; it has moved to Munich and features loads of bicycles. The Japan Motor Show is now the Japan Mobility Show, but instead of bicycles, it's packed with surreal and sci-fi-ready ways to get you around, some of which are available now.
Here's a look at the most interesting products from this year's show.
Honda has always been about more than cars, and that was on display at the Japan Mobility Show, starting with its eVTOL concept.
A booth full of concept cars is nothing new at an auto show. This year at the Japan Mobility Show, though, Toyota called its entire booth a concept. The concept was "Find Your Future," and it was meant to show how electric vehicles can be fun and flexible in ways that internal combustion vehicles can't.
Toyota also highlighted an internal combustion vehicle that offers even more flexibility than its concepts. One will go on sale in Asia in the next few months, while the others may never see pavement.
The FT-Se is very orange. (credit: Toyota )
The highlight was a sharp-looking electric sports car concept called the FT-Se. Toyota didn't provide many details, but it described what the concept means for future production Toyota EVs.
It has been a few years since Lexus pledged to go fully electric in the North American market by 2030, globally by 2035. That's an aggressive timeline for any manufacturer, particularly for one tied so closely with Toyota, a brand that has been slow on the battery-electric uptake.
Today, at the Japan Mobility Show in Tokyo, Lexus finally gave us a comprehensive look at our likely all-electric future. It debuted not one but two new electric vehicles, both based on the same next-generation platform and promising remarkable efficiency and some stellar aerodynamics.
The LF-ZC's interior. (credit: Tim Stevens)
The first car is the LF-ZC, a name that doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. It's an acronym, standing for Lexus Future Zero-emission Catalyst, but forget the awkward nomenclature, because the thing looks fantastic. Long and lean and angular, it has a distinctly Lexus feel despite its unique look.