Great British Bake Off
the book that goes with the BBC2 series has been climbing the best-seller lists. Its bold claim is to ‘show you how to achieve baking perfection in the comfort of your kitchen’. Apparently, once you understand the baking basics, ‘the possibilities are endless’. With forewords by the estimable Mary Berry and the marvelously named Paul Hollywood, Linda Collister who wrote the recipes explains in easy to understand terms a huge range of recipes from a classic Victoria Sandwich to pork pies, with focaccia and brandy snaps in-between. Despite this, I found disappointingly few recipes that I really wanted to have a go at – perhaps florentines, almond tuiles and cup cakes just aren’t my thing. But the photos are gorgeous, the recipes easy to follow and Mary and Paul add their top tips to many of them. And I did like the look of the sticky marmalade cake – and loved the taste – it really is a cracker, moist and sweet with a sharp kick courtesy of the marmalade. Find the recipe here. And if you want to know how this book converted me to real bread-making click here.