Cakes, cookies and cooking

Cooking has always been a part of my life; before me and my sister were born, mum was a chef, and she used her brilliant cooking skills when bringing us up. Whilst most of our friends were fussy and picky with their food, Alice and I would eat most things (within reason!) that were given to us. We had fun learning to cook and going out to eat from a young age and that has stayed with me over the years.

The clearest memory I have is of cooking for a “bake sale” with two of my best friends – Stevie and Cassie – when I was eight or nine. We made all sorts of things – biscuits, cupcakes, flapjacks… - and sold them at a stall in our school hall to raise money for the National Autistic Society.

I’m a firm believer that baking can, if not solve, then make most problems a bit more bearable; whether you’re raising money to help solve other people’s problems, baking as therapy for your own, or you’re giving someone something you’ve made to make them happy (it works. Cakes and biscuits make the best presents – cheap as well!).

 Baking cakes and cookies remains one of my favourite things to do. I’m not too bad in other areas of cooking… although there’s a lot of room to improve!