4) Caramel Week: Fudged-Up Caramel Shortbread

In the spirit of last week’s Bake Off caramel disasters, I somehow managed to screw up one of the simplest recipes. The humble caramel shortbread - something I can usually make into a sweet success - soon turned into a sticky and ‘rustic-looking’ mess. I’m not sure if it was because I could barely tear…

3) Bread Week: Traditional Teacakes

As soon as the dreaded words ‘bread week’ registered in my ears, I knew I was in for a challenge in the #BakeAlongWithGBBO. Like so many other people, bread-making seems to be a near-impossible battle for me. Whether it’s soggy dough, dense loaves or bread that refuses to rise, I just can’t catch a break…

2) Biscuit Week: Ginger & Lemon Cheesecake Sandwich Biscuits

The second week of The Great British Bake Off brought us biscuits aplenty and a barrel-full of snappy puns from Sandi and Noel. As the pair became more comfortable on screen, so did the viewing experience (although it seemed that much of their interactions were feeding one another!). I braced myself this week after Paul…

1) Cake Week: Home-Grown Courgette & Banana Cake

As I'm sure you're all well aware, last week saw the eagerly anticipated return of the Great British Bake Off to our tellies. I think it's fair to say we all breathed a sigh of relief when, despite losing our beloved Mary Berry and Mel & Sue, Channel 4 committed to keeping the Bake Off…

Ginspiration: Ways with Orange Blossom Water Part 2

Where do I be-gin? A fragrant twist on the classic G & T, this simple yet effective concoction left me gin-spired (sorry - I'm done with the dodgy gin puns now). Anyway, this bank holiday weekend called for something a little more inspiring than your bog standard g+t, so I whipped up some of these…

Ways With Orange Blossom Water – Part 1

Orange Blossom & Cardamom Polenta Cake... I'm a sucker for a beautiful piece of packaging and Arabica certainly has me hooked on their shelf-worthy herbs and ingredients. So naturally when I saw their orange blossom water at my local M&S, I couldn't resist popping it into my basket. Having never used it before I was excited to…

Pick of the Season: Rhubarb, Lemon & Ginger Cake

It's just the season for rhubarb and as the days get brighter (and in spite of British weather) my bakes are becoming more and more bountiful with fruity, vibrant flavours. I picked up my 'barb with no specific intention of what to bake, but it just so happened I'd treated myself to some gorgeous ginger curd from a nearby National Trust shop just…

On-The-Go Granola Bars

10:30am and the hunger pangs strike. By this time I've been awake for over 4 hours and I'm desperately trying to stop myself from demolishing my lunch before I'm even close to hitting the halfway point of the day. The alternative is usually a sad-looking piece of fruit that's been on the desk for a…

Pumpkin Spice Brownie Pops

Autumn is the season for all things nice, and for me it just isn't complete without pumpkin and spice! Warming and wonderfully comforting, pumpkin isn't just great for making hearty soups and carving up jack-o'-lanterns, it also makes a mean brownie mixture! Combine this with chocolate in a bite-sized cake pop and you have a…

A Moment with James Martin & Cherry Chocolate Brownies

Working for a large supermarket retailer certainly has its perks, and last week one of these said perks was meeting James Martin! 'Meeting' is a bit of a loose term and in fact, I had to queue for an hour to secure 1 of 100 free signed copies of More Home Comforts and a few seconds…