Ever since I was a little girl, I have enjoyed baking. Many of my early memories of baking involve melted chocolate and breakfast cereal. Although, I’m not sure if you can really consider that baking. Regardless, the point I’m trying to make is that I have been expressing my creativity through food for about twenty years at this stage.
In my free time, I bake. That means, almost every weekend, I bake. It could be a cake, a tart, cupcakes or a crumble. The variety of items I’ve baked can be explored on my blog.
During COVID-19, unsurprisingly I have been baking. I have nowhere to go and nobody to see, why shouldn’t I use my free time to make tasty sweet treats? I’m back home with my family which is great because it means I’m not the only person who is going to eat the goodies. I want to still fit into my jeans when this is all over.
However, the expectations from friends, family and work colleagues has sometimes been that I am to bake all day, every day. I still have a job (thankfully) and I am working from home, Monday to Friday, nine to five. A person may enjoy baking but a pandemic doesn’t mean that they should sacrifice all other activities in order to meet the expectations of their family and friends.
Did you know that COVID-19 has meant that bakers need to ration their supplies? Flour and yeast are commodities in the supermarkets these days and we need to be sensible with how we use what we have. Thinking back to our grandparents’ days. They made staple items like bread, loaf cakes and fruit cakes. These items lasted a long time, both in terms of how many they could feed and in terms of how long they would stay fresh.
My go-to recipes during the COVID-19 crisis are scones, lemon drizzle cake and, if I’m treating the family, chocolate brownies. Aside from the later, these recipes are efficient use of supplies and are loved by many. This new way of baking, whereby I consciously consider the supplies at hand and when I’ll next be able to restock my supplies, has given me insight into how home makers managed their kitchens before supermarkets were flush with supplies 24/7.
The next time you wonder why a friend, a parent or a sibling isn’t baking , remember that they have a life outside of keeping your sweet tooth satisfied. Maybe you could try baking yourself for a change?
Amy graduated from University College Dublin in 2016 with a Bachelor of Honours degree in Human Nutrition. From there, she moved into the space of healthcare marketing and has worked with Danone since completing her degree. Baking, blogging and food photography are passions of The Baking Nutritionist and you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Amy is the founder of The Baking Nutritionist website which welcomes thousands of keen bakers each month.