By Henrietta Knight

Rolling pins at the ready for season seven of the Great British Bake Off as 12 new amateurs aim to impress judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.

The new series begins on BBC One on August 24 following the show’s success as the most watched British programme of 2015. More than 15 million viewers tuned in to see Nadiya Hussain win the final last year.

A pastor, a hairdresser, a nurse and an aerospace engineer are among those who will be seen competing for this year's GBBO crown.

A teacher, a student and a garden designer are also among the hopefuls. Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins will return to host the show.

• Secondary school PE teacher Candice, 31, grew up in London in the pubs her parents ran. She now lives with boyfriend and pug in Bedfordshire. She was taught to bake by her grandmother and claims she usually bakes in her pyjamas.

• Tom, 26, grew up in Rochdale and moved to London after university. He now works for The Royal Society of Arts. Having lost 30kg (4st 10lb), he still enjoys baking but believes in everything in moderation.

•Garden designer Jane, 61, from Beckenham, south London, says she is up at 5am most mornings to bake bread. She learnt the art of baking from her father and grandfather, who owned a bakery in Hastings, Sussex.

•Originally from Ghana, 30-year-old Selasi moved to the UK with his family 15 years ago. He now lives with his girlfriend in London, where he works as a client service associate in the finance sector.

•Val, 66, is a former primary school head teacher from Yorkshire who now lives with husband near Yeovil, Somerset. She took over her family's baking aged 15 and says she can make the classics with her eyes closed.

•At 20, Michael is the youngest of this year's contenders. He is from London but is currently studying politics and economics in Durham. His kitchen creations are also influenced by his family's Cypriot roots.

•Benjamina started baking nine years ago at the age of 14. She recently graduated with a first in economics and now fits her baking around a job as a teaching assistant in south London.

•Lee, who lives in Bolton, is the oldest contestant at 67. He began his career as a builder but switched careers and has worked in pastoral ministries for the past 30 years, most recently as pastor in a church in the Greater Manchester town.

•Rav, 28, claims to be "adventurous and experimental" and likes to use unusual ingredients. He is especially inspired by far eastern cuisine and enjoys vegan baking. The 28-year-old works supporting students at City University in London.

•Kate, 37, is a nurse on an acute respiratory ward. Her passion for baking began as a child and she says she enjoys using the seasonal fruit she gathers with her children on her parents' farm in Norfolk.

•By day, Andrew, 25, works as an aerospace engineer designing jet engines for Rolls-Royce. He lives with friends in Derby and, in his spare time, tries to apply his engineering mentality to push the boundaries of baking.

•Cardiff hairdresser Louise, 46, really got into baking when making cakes for charity bake sales at work. She enjoys creating elaborate cake designs and experimenting with different flours and flavours in bread.

Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood have given some hints about what the new contestants should avoid, with Berry, 81, pronouncing that “the macaron has had its day” and Hollywood warning against over-icing. “Anything that has more buttercream than it does cake is going to be a no-no for me. I’d ram it into someone’s face, honestly I would.”