Crumbs to Crunch

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...

Our new series "My favourite things" is all about our love of everything to do with afternoon tea. We thought the most obvious place to start is with a guide of our favourite teas. Read this if you're bored of Earl Grey and are looking for something new. You could even buy one of these teas for Mothers' Day. Happy tea drinking! 1. Warming Camomile and Spiced Apple This is the tea equivalent of comfort food. It tastes a lot like apple crumble. Need I say more? Time to drink this tea if... you're cooped up at home on a rainy day. 2. Cape Malay Chai Organic Spiced Rooibos My two favourite teas are Rooibos and Chai so this is a match made in heaven. The Chai spices add an amazing kick whereas the Rooibos is soothing.  Rooibos is caffeine free and is full of antioxidants so you can feel healthier while drinking this tea! Time to drink this tea if... you're looking for a fun organic tea. 3. Lapsang Suchong This is the Marmite of tea world. The tea...