HIT TV show The Great British Bake Off has come under fire after the show’s first vegan contestant had to use animal products in a cake-making challenge.

Freya Cox, from Scarborough, used her Instagram page to apologise to fans and explained that ‘for obvious reasons’ she couldn’t change the technical challenge recipe to a vegan one because ‘it would mean the whole show was unfair’.

Read more: Great British Bake Off vegan baker targeted online by social media trolls

She added: “Sorry if this is disappointing to hear but once the show has finished, I have plans to veganise the recipes for you all so I hope that makes up for that.”

Freya used a non-vegan buttercream in her cake.

Animal rights group PETA said that the show’s producers were ‘taking the cake’ by not allowing Freya to use fully vegan ingredients.

PETA’s director, Elisa Allen, explained that vegan alternatives could easily substitute animal-derived products in cake baking, saying: “Eggs used as a binding ingredient in baking can easily be replaced by a powdered egg replacer, and eggs added for moisture can be replaced by tofu, apple sauce, pumpkin, or mashed bananas.

“Giving vegan bakers the chance to showcase their creations would only enhance and enliven the competition, and it would go a long way towards inspiring viewers to try replacing eggs, milk, gelatine, and other animal “products” with plant-based alternatives for themselves.

“Animal-derived ingredients contribute to many of the nation’s health problems and cause environmental destruction and unspeakable animal suffering.”

Freya, a 19-year-old psychology student from Scarborough is the youngest contestant on this year's Great British Bake Off and is a keen horse rider.

Earlier this month she was toargeted online by social media trolls who abused her for riding horses, saying this was incompatible with her vegan ethos.

Channel 4 has been contacted for comment.

 

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