It’s never too late to get the oven on
As this year’s pretty spectacular series of Channel 4’s Great British Bake Off 2021 comes to a close, it needn’t mean an end to your baking as well.
And if you’ve been watching the show while eating shop bought French Fancies and Battenberg, it’s not too late to give a bit of home baking a go yourself either. In fact, ’tis the season for the oven to be on anyway, so you might as well slide a tin of cake batter in alongside your next jacket potato.
That’s not the only reason to become reacquainted with your mixing bowl this winter…
It’s something to do when it’s so dark outside. Yep, those nights have fully drawn in, and if you’re not exclaiming at 4.30pm every evening, ‘Wow, it’s dark already,’ you’re an absolute anomaly. Those long dark hours need filling, and baking will happily fill the slot, and means there’ll be something delicious to eat when you sit back down in front of the telly.
You’re allowed to eat cake for breakfast in the run up to Christmas. Our approach to eating can become haphazard as December 25 approaches; mince pies at all hours of the day, chocolate Advent calendar treats before brushing your teeth, Stollen at every opportunity… scoffing your own baked goods for breakfast, be it a cinnamon laden carrot cake or a slice of pecan pie (from Thanksgiving, of course), is perfectly reasonable at this time of year.
Winter baking is an important seasonal activity. It’s a tradition really, whether you’re icing biscuits to hang from the tree or prepping a Christmas pudding. And if you’ve never engaged with the tradition before, start small – cheese straws have the snacky savouriness it’s hard not to crave when it’s chilly outdoors.
