Our Claire has been baking again…

With the return of The Great British Bake Off (my fave’s Freya) and WHISC holding their very own bake off for World Mental Health Day, I’ve been inspired to bake again.

I used to bake every week when I was a kid but, after the death of my husband, I lost my mojo. It seemed a waste of time and effort to bake just for myself. However, during lockdown, it became a way to connect with people: My neighbour was very impressed with my Victoria Sandwich and my friend loved my flapjack. Then, with me getting out and about again in the last few months, I stopped baking.

However, as I say, in the last week I’ve taken it up again and made soda bread and flapjack – neither of which are difficult. I’m not one for complicated recipes with lots of ingredients. For a start, I can’t afford them and neither have I the skill. I’m certainly not in the league of those who go on Bake Off! And I’d be completely lost on the Technical round as I can’t bake without a recipe to save my life!

I’ve also had my fair share of failures. Earlier in the year, I mistook tablespoons for teaspoons and ended up putting about four times more baking powder in some scones I was baking. I should probably have realised when they started expanding before I even put them in the oven that they weren’t right but I didn’t. So I had quite the surprise when I took them out of the oven. I thought I’d invented a cookie/scone hybrid until it came to eating them and they just crumbled in my hands. They were a total disaster!

Even though I’m not the world’s – or even Merseyside’s – greatest baker, I don’t see any reason why that should stop me. To make something that didn’t exist until I made it is incredibly satisfying. To be able to then share that with others enriches relationships and for them to enjoy it is incredibly rewarding. What more could I want than that?

So I hope you’ll be inspired to bake and have a go at WHISC’s bake off for World Mental Health Day. If you need a bit more incentive, not only will you help raise money for WHISC – enabling them to carry on their invaluable work – you will also be in with a chance of winning a WHISC massage therapy. You can bake anything you like and the women at WHISC will then vote for who is the best baker. For more information, please contact Kelly on 0151 7071826 or email kellyteeboon@whisc.org.uk. Good luck!