Bonkers About Baking
The UK has gone baking mad. In the past 12 months the number of people obsessing over how to avoid a dreaded soggy bottom has rocketed. Baking is now a popular hobby amongst people of all ages. We have officially gone bonkers for baking!
With a plethora of new baking recipe books and constant new programmes being created about the best ways to bake, feeding people’s hunger for finding new recipes to try. Last week The Great British Bake Off reached viewers of 8.3 million (beating the England game by 3.8 million!) These numbers show just how many people are obsessing over the subject: baking more popular than football? Who’d have thought that would happen!
Everyone is donning their aprons and having a go, trying out recipes ranging from popular classics such as the Victoria sponge to new concepts like Cake Pops. However baking hasn’t always been as creative as it is now.
In the Neolithic era baking required a very different method to the electric hand whisk recipes we know and love - cakes were a concoction of crushed grains and pulses compacted together. Cooked on hot stones their version of cake is comparable to the oat cake, a very biscuity version of the spongy treat that we enjoy today.
Baked goods are now so easy to get hold of. We can just nip down to our local supermarket and are faced with a diverse range of treats. However, during the Roman period baked items were thought to be an indication of wealth: the more cake a household had, the wealthier they were (and probably larger). The Roman’s also offered their cakes to the Gods. Their version of cake ‘Libum’ was similar to cheesecake, baked on a pastry like base. It was so highly regarded that it was baked only as an offering.
Modern bakers are proving that baking has come a long way since crushed grains and hot stones, creating beautiful bakes in all different shapes and sizes. From indulgent multi-tiered occasion cakes to tiny treats, there are tonnes of new recipes being tried out in the UK.
If you fancy yourself as the next star baker we have everything you need in our bakeware section. Classic mixing bowls from Mason Cash, aluminium baking sheets, decorating accessories, pie dishes, and even a celebrity chef range of bakeware - there’s nothing stopping you getting your apron on and trying out the next baked trend!
If you like to know more about or Bakeware ranges or if you have any questions, please call us on 0845 600 1722 or email info@cooksmill.co.uk.