The joy and tradition of home baking has long been associated with Great Britain. From the early Victorian period, images and references to afternoon tea with sandwiches and cakes has been a highlight of culture and social settings for British people. 

Centuries on, many of us have learned our baking skills from older generations and have passed down treasured family recipes.

There’s something about focusing on a recipe and creating something that can be very relaxing. There’s an element of mindfulness to the reading of instructions, weighing ingredients and sifting flour into a bowl. There’s also the joy of learning something new, of creating something to present to your loved ones in that giving the gift of something made with love.

With many of us having more time than ever on our hands, it seems the joy and benefits of home baking are being recognised on a whole new level. The Grocer noted in their annual report (July 2020) that home baking sales had soared. Sales of flour, sugar and yeast were at their highest levels in a long time.  The first UK National lockdown led 51% of British people to get creative in their kitchens – 86%  making cakes and 56% making biscuits.

Our love of baking as a nation, only grew with the launch of the Great British Bake Off on BBC One in August 2010. The British public immediately took the new show to their hearts, and Bake Off became an institution for millions of British people. For 6 weeks in the summer, viewers enjoyed watching a group of amateur bakers complete a series of challenges in the infamous bake-off marquee. This included a basic recipe challenge with a personal twist, a blind technical and the ultimate showstopper under a different theme each week. Viewers also became involved themselves, making delicious treats in their own homes and shared their triumphs and disasters on social media as well as the British Bake Off’s spin off show; Bake Off Another Slice.

The success of the show led to spin of shows: Celebrity Great British Bake Off for Sport Relief and the Junior Bake Off,. These are encouraging the next generation of bakers to hone their skills in front of the cameras, as well as infamous judges.

In 2015, the largest TV audience of the year of 14.5m people, tuned in to watch Nadiya Hussain win the final of The Great British Bake Off. Nadiya has become a popular figure on the baking scene and has spoken out about how baking has helped her look after her own mental health, and how it eased her ‘overactive mind.’

The monumental success of the Bafta award winning show originally took the judges by surprise, although in an interview with Radio Times in 2014, Mary Berry noted that the reason for its success was its accessibility.

“The people in it could be your sister, your son, your next-door neighbour. The public identifies with the contestants and like to watch their journey through the show.”

Mary also noted the importance of recognising people’s attempts at creating something special, whatever their skill level.

“People send me pictures of their versions of cakes from Bake Off – the icing may be a bit wobbly but it doesn’t matter. It’s wonderful that people are inspired.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the rise of home baking saw people from all walks of life creating their own bakes, with social media flooded with images of homemade bread and cakes. With supplies becoming limited, the nation seemed to take this love of home baking to another level, finding joy in creating something for their household to enjoy.

September also meant a return to the Great British Bake off in a new socially distanced format. Contributors were living in a bubble together during the filming of the show. It seemed that to forgo this British Institution would be unthinkable, and even more damaging to the public’s mental health. The 11th series saw a rise in viewers with over 10 million people watching, despite the good weather and the lifting of restrictions across many areas. 

The benefits on mental health of home baking are numerous, as noted by Goodnet.org, who also state that 1 in 4 will suffer from a mental health issue during their lifetime.

– Cooking is meditative – It’s an activity that takes all of our time and focus, therefore taking our thoughts away from any worries or stresses. The process of weighing out ingredients creates space in the mind and discourages negative thinking patterns.

– Baking stimulates the senses – The feel of the ingredients in your hands, the noise of the blender whirring, the mixer working, and of course the lovely smell of your creation cooking.

– Nourishing activities feel good – The process of creating something nourishing and home made, with love for ourselves and others, makes us feel positive and happy. You can really internalise this feeling by focusing on using healthy recipes and ingredients.

– Baking is creative – Psychologists have found a strong connection between creative expression and overall wellbeing – so experiment with that recipe if you dare, and make that frosting the prettiest it can be.

– It makes people happy – One of the best things about baking is that you can give your bakes away and make other people happy. For there is no greater joy than seeing others enjoy your gift.

Vitality magazine also noted in an online article (2016), the importance of baking for building confidence,

“The British Journal of Occupational Therapy found that baking boosted confidence and provided a sense of achievement. Taking pleasure and pride in something you’ve created can significantly boost your self-esteem and sense of self-worth.”

Vitality also state that according to research by the San Francisco State University, baking can also boost your performance at work,

“This is because expressing yourself through baking can help your problem solving, patience and ability to learn new skills.”

Anna Williams owns Anna’s Cupcake Boutique, a business which she started in 2018. Situated in Pembroke’s main street, she began by selling home made cupcakes in a variety of flavours such as vanilla, mint chocolate and salted caramel. She developed the business into a café, offering tea and coffee with cakes, as well as offering gift items for sale. She also bakes to order for parties, events and personal orders.

Anna says that for her, there is no better joy than of baking for her customers. As for many people, her interest in home baking came from her family,

‘My love of baking comes from spending many hours baking with my nan and trying out new recipes. She is a great sponge maker and I think I have inherited her baking genes!  It’s something I always did as a hobby and made special-occasion cupcakes for family and friends. They always questioned why I didn’t do this as a business as they always told me how good my bakes were. One day, I just decided to follow my dreams, bite the bullet and go for it, and so here I am!”

Unfortunately, during the pandemic, Anna had to close her doors and since September 2020 she has been working and baking from home. This new way of working allowed her to offer a new service to her customers, in terms of home delivery,

“This has proved very popular and it has put a smile on a lot of people’s faces receiving a homemade treat in these difficult times.”

When asked about the benefits of home baking, she says,

“I think home baking benefits people’s mental health as it gives them something to focus on and be creative with, especially times like this when social interaction is very minimal. I feel things like baking can have a positive impact on your mental health. It can be a very calming activity and a good stress reliever especially kneading dough!”

Anna says the increase in home baking during the pandemic is more than down to people having more time on their hands too,

“I know a lot of banana bread has been made during the lockdowns, so I think rather than people throwing food away, they are finding new ways to use it. I also think it is a good boredom buster, especially for people not able to go out and exercise. It certainly takes up a couple of hours out of what could be a long day for some people”

In the future, she would like to expand her business, potentially opening another establishment, as well as to share her skills with others,

“I may potentially start doing some baking and decorating classes for children in the future. It’s something I have been thinking about and may put the feelers out to see how many people are interested in this and may look at doing once this pandemic is over.”

While many of us were trialling our baking skills during the pandemic and putting them to the test at home, others were using their skills to help others.

Kate Iceton of Love Nutritious Food transformed her usual business of running cookery workshops. Instead, she decided to cook homemade meals for delivery around the Solva area. Kate is a qualified Nutritionist and used to work for Hwyal Dda UHB.

The Ark Health food shop of Haverfordwest also hosts a Healthy Soul Mates Recipe Facebook Group to encourage people to share their recipes and home bakes. The featured image is a gluten free banana and cinnamon cake from the Healthy Soul mates recipes, baked by our very own Sally Boyton. 

So, while we have some free time to fill, minds to keep active and worries to keep at bay, now might be a good time to pick up that recipe book, or connect with the local community, and get creative. Not just for our own benefit, but for the benefit of others around us too.

Check out some popular recipes and tips with Hummingbird Bakery and Janes Patisserie.