When I first found out I was going to be placed on furlough, I didn’t know how much I would crave normality, or at least the new normality we’ve found ourselves in during the coronavirus pandemic. I missed the routine of sliding out of bed to make a cup of tea, pulling on comfortable leggings and oversized knits, commuting to the spare room to open my laptop and begin the day. With the weeks stretched out ahead of me without words to write or social media posts to create, I needed something to keep me occupied. So I turned to baking. I had lofty ideas of sourdough starters and perfecting thi ..read more

As someone who bakes for a (partial) living, it may surprise you that over the past few months, I’ve been baking less and less for fun. A couple of years ago I would often have a weekend baking project or two on the go, but with a busy work schedule, nights out and impromptu after work drinks in the pub, it’s a hobby that has simply fallen by the wayside. That is until coronavirus happened. I won’t dwell on it too much here, since it is everywhere, but with a cancelled holiday and nowhere else to go for entertainment, I turned to my kitchen to keep myself occupied. I pulled out recipe books I ..read more

This is the year that I turn 30. As the countdown to the New Year and new decade began in the pub Chris and I packed ourselves into at 11.30pm on December 31, I didn’t feel sad or upset at the number. I felt excited, like this coming year will begin a new chapter in my life. My twenties have been a rollercoaster, like everyone else’s I guess, but right now it doesn’t feel like I’m in mourning, more like a fond farewell. I’m going to be thirty, flirty and thriving (well done if you get that reference).  So for the last year of my twenties, as is tradition on this blog, I decided to look back a ..read more

Before we had even stepped off the plane at JFK last year, I knew exactly where I wanted to have my first ice cream in New York. Weeks before, Netflix released the Christina Tosi episode of Chef’s Table, documenting her compost cookie making, crack pie baking rise to fame and in the process, becoming one of the most popular bakers in the city. Her cereal milk ice cream, descended from a cornflake panna cotta, sounded so delicious I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. On our first day we wandered the streets near Central Park searching for a Milk Bar and that delicious soft serve. Packed with ..read more

Wandering around the supermarkets in Florida was like entering into a completely different world. There aren’t just a few different types of water or a couple of varieties of bread or even a handful of kombucha flavours. There is every type of every thing you could ever think of lining those walls. My uncle warned me, as we walked into Publix to pick up some salad and wine, that we would end up lost for days in the aisles, overcome with choice. As soon as the sliding doors opened up to a huge Valentines display of sweeties, I lost my mind. Mug cakes in every flavour lined the walls. Carrot ca ..read more

By now, most people will have either given up on those hastily-made resolutions or doubled down on gymming, dieting and giving alcohol the boot after an indulgent festive period. I am neither – I’ve only written down two goals for the coming year which are hardly breakable at this point but I’ve yet to pull on my running shoes. I’m trying to be better to myself this month, mostly because of the sheer volume of white wine consumed over Christmas, so daily yoga practice, a mostly vegetarian diet and a break from the Pinot Grigio have been my healthiest habits of 2019 so far. Those resolutions ..read more

The day after Halloween, I went for a wander into town armed with vouchers and without any thought of the next impending holiday. But as I searched the stores, with most clothes suddenly transformed into swathes of sequins and glitter, I could hear a familiar hum on the speakers. Interspersed with the usual songs were Christmas hits. I thought of the newly carved pumpkin on our balcony, of the other one we didn’t get around to doing as we watched scary movies the previous night and the millions of spiced candles still dotted around the flat. No, I wasn’t quite ready for Christmas just yet. M ..read more

It’s 1.37am and with a flick of my wrist, the last tiny face has been iced onto an array of gingerbread pumpkins. I sigh happily, inviting Chris over to look at my handiwork. I begin to wish I had red food colouring powder to give these creatures rosy cheeks or perhaps to add a golden sheen to the pumpkin skin, but Chris just takes a hold of both arms and orders me to go to bed. The curse of the work bake sale has struck again. I’m mildly happy I didn’t break my record of 3.30am. Thank god I didn’t attempt to make a cake. I don’t know what it is about work bake sales, but they seem to bring ou ..read more

It’s been 18 months since my last sip of coffee and almost exactly one year to the day since my last post about my new caffeine-free life. It’s been a big adjustment – when you stop and think about it, most social occasions that take place in the daytime revolve around a cup of tea or coffee. Suddenly I had my own separate coffee capsules and my own coffee tin at work, and yes often have Kenco’s finest in my suitcase when I travel. But going from a eight cup a day habit to two or three decaf coffees a day has not only made my doctor happier, but I feel a lot better in myself as well. I must ..read more

Last week I experienced the perfect autumn morning on my way to work. The sky was a streak of bright blue without a cloud in sight, the trees near the office yellowing and orange leaves littering the cobble stones. I could see my breath in the cool, crisp air and I had a scarf tightly wrapped around me. It’s a bit of a cliche, but it made me so wildly happy that I don’t care if it’s basic to love this time of year. I wanted to write myself a little bucket list to inspire me to do more with the weeks that lie ahead before the Christmas tree comes out of storage and the shops become manic. As ..read more