Smiling, the 47-year-old TV judge says the festive period is his favourite time of the year and he loves nothing better than playing with a new gadget on Christmas Day.
“I love Christmas,” says Paul as he settles down for a chat with Closer. “I'm a big kid at heart. I love all the presents and toys. Adults want to play with things too. They like gadgets. They don’t change. I love spoiling family and friends.”
I'm a big kid at heart
But Paul, who split up from his wife, Alex, earlier this year, reveals he doesn’t actually cook on Christmas Day. “I do a lot of baking in the lead up to Christmas and then I'm a washer up!” he chuckles. “I'm there for hours washing up!
“I do have lots of traditions when it comes to Christmas. I do stockings and I also like to have custard with my Christmas pudding. I'm a custard man!”
Reflecting on many happy childhood memories at Christmas, he adds: “Christmas was always a good thing. My family are involved in the church. We always went to church on Christmas Day morning. We were allowed to take a toy with us. We would take a big toy at Christmas and it was the noisiest service in the whole year as everyone was at the back playing with them!”
So what is he planning to do this Christmas? “Enjoy it really,” replies Paul who is dad to 12-year-old Josh. “I'm going to slow down. It’s been so busy this year and I want to have a couple of weeks to relax and chill out.”
He admits both he and co-judge Mary Berry have been bowled over by the success of The Great British Bake Off this year and he says they are both excited about the show’s move to BBC1 for the next series. But he says he hopes people won’t feel scared to enter the competition.
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“The application forms are available until the middle of January and we really want people to do it,” he explains. “I don’t want to put people off. In the last series, they weren’t spectacular when they started. They went on a journey. You have to put trust in yourself. You have to get into the show and the journey. That is what is good about British Bake Off.
"But equally I don’t want people to sit there and think, ‘yeah, I can bake’. They need to ask their family and get some independent people to say they are good and to do it.”
As well as the new series of Bake Off next year, Paul is also going on tour around the UK to talk about his extraordinary rise to fame and to do some live baking on stage. “The whole idea is to get people to bake and enjoy baking,” explains Paul. “This is the one time of the year where baking comes into its own.
“People do not need to panic. If you start at the beginning of December and prepare, you can reheat stuff when you want to eat it. For example, a turkey pie using a hot water crust pastry is a great way of getting rid of all the leftovers and it’s something that everyone can do. I love this pie. People get scared but it is only flour, salt, water and lard. We want to get the kids involved too. Christmas is a family thing. Baking is for all the family.”
I love a turkey pie
As for whether he will be making any New Year resolutions, Paul insists definitely not. “I always break them within 24 hours!” he chuckles.
The Great British Bake Off Christmas Masterclass, Tuesday 17 December, 8pm, BBC Two - or catch up on BBC iPlayer. To apply for the next series of The Great British Bake Off go to www.thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk/applications