I’ve just returned indoors after a stint spent cleaning the last of this year’s windfall walnuts. October marks the peak of the harvest but a few stragglers hold on into November. Each year the harvest is a race against not just time but also the squirrels. There’s a balance to be made between waiting for… Continue reading Walnut and caramel tart recipe…
A few months ago I met a wonderful woman who, in an instant, I felt I’d known a lifetime. There were many memorable things about her but most notably it was the fact that she was carrying her sourdough starter with her in her handbag (…it’s a long story). She immediately inspired me to start… Continue reading My adventures into the world of sourdough…
The day I thought would never arrive was here – it was the grand finale of The Great British Bake Off. For the past ten weeks I have baked (and occasionally cooked) my way through nine technical challenges – I’ll not lie it has felt like a lifetime. At times it has been emotional, at… Continue reading Would my souffles rise to the occasion…
It was the semi final – things were getting serious. Surely this week’s technical challenge would be a stinker. And, true to form, Prue threw in a smoking grenade – a gâteau Saint Honoré. Her words of wisdom? “This is very difficult to make look good, good luck.” WHAT?! Naturally, Saint Honoré is the French… Continue reading It took five hours to make and five minutes to demolish, but was it worth it?
Sometimes the stars are set to do anything but align. And so it was as I attempted to make this week’s Great British Bake Off technical challenge. As week eight of the competition rolled into town we were down to five contestants. It was pastry week, the doyenne of the show. Paul Hollywood set the… Continue reading This was more cooking than baking…
When the dough of a bake has Marsala wine in it you know you’re onto a winner. And so it was with this week’s Great British Bake Off technical challenge. It was festival week. As predicted last week, Paul Hollywood revealed the challenge – Cassatelles – delicate little cornish-pasty-esque pastries, traditional to Sicily, filled with… Continue reading Chocolate and cheese – together? In pastry?
It was announced as one of the most difficult technical challenges ever set on The Great British Bake Off. Prue gave us her words of wisdom: “This is all about the detail and precise measurements.” Noel said what we were all thinking: “…so helpful.” It was dessert week and the challenge was set – six… Continue reading The key to success? Chill…
…Paul would have walked out (no joke). Prue would have reassuringly picked out any positives (there weren’t any). Noel would have been aghast. Sandi would have displaced the tension by saying something witty. It’s fair to say the 1920s week wasn’t my week. What went wrong? Well, what went well – that’s the real question… Continue reading This was my week to go home…
This week I studiously sat down at 8pm to watch The Great British Bake Off – in the spirit of a keen student I sat there, notepad and pen in hand. Having decided to bake along with the show this year, I felt that taking notes was a surefire way to success. My previous three… Continue reading These little beauties were an honour to make…
Having decided to enthusiastically bake along with this year’s technical challenges on the Great British Bake Off, I psyched myself up ahead of bread week. Now, I like to bake but bread never features very highly on my agenda – partly because I try not to eat too much bread (it goes straight to my… Continue reading Will my floury baps rise to the challenge…
