Crumbs to Crunch

We are all familiar with the importance of eating well and exercising regularly to look after our physical health. Looking after our mental health is equally as important. Doing things you love is an excellent way to ensure that you feel as well as you can be. For some, that could be running, meditation or yoga but for me, baking brings so much joy. Baking gives me a sense of achievement . It is incredibly satisfying seeing the final product and knowing that I created something that tastes good. Baking requires precision such as measuring ingredients and using a range of techniques. Last week, I made my first pavlova that wasn’t burnt on the outside and raw in the middle! I felt almost euphoric that I had finally mastered the skill of making meringues and it tasted fabulous! Creativity you can eat! Having a creative outlet is hugely beneficial but that doesn’t mean you have to be artistic. Most of my cakes taste a lot better than they look! Some people do fabulous ...

While baking is fun, it can sometimes be an expensive hobby. This was particularly a problem when I was a student so I came up with some nifty ways of saving my pennies. Shop smart Supermarket own brands of ingredients are often so much cheaper than the branded versions. I always use value flour which is always under £1 for 1.5kg and works just as well. You can also grab some bargains in budget supermarkets such as Lidl who have expanded their baking range in recent years. I even found some usually expensive ingredients like ground almonds in the pound shop. It does pay to shop around! Find cheaper ingredients You can often find ingredients at a reduced price if you look outside of the baking aisle. For example, chocolate and cocoa powder is usually cheaper if you pick them up in the confectionary or hot drinks aisle. Instead of chocolate chips, I like to buy an inexpensive bar of chocolate and chop it into chunks. It tastes better and is a fra...

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of World Book Day today, I am going to share my trusty baking cookbooks. Linda Collister's Baking Bible This was my first ever baking book and it is the one I use the most often. It truly is my baking bible! This book is a great all-rounder as it has recipes for every type of bake - biscuits, cakes, pies, tarts, desserts, bread, the list goes on! With so many types of baking in one book, I have learnt so many different baking techniques and is a great go-to book if I am looking for inspiration. The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook by Tarek Malouf This book is based on the cakes from the Hummingbird bakeries in London so you can recreate them at home. Hummingbird specialises in great cupcake flavours that are so easy to make so I tend to use this book if I need to bake something en masse, such as for a cake sale. However, they don't just do cupcakes but also American-style pies, brownies and cookies. The carrot cake recipe is...