Welcome National Baking Week! 14th - 20th October 2019
There really does seem to be a national day or national week for most foods and diets nowadays. This a great way to support food producers, special diets and show compassion and interest towards various dietary choices and lifestyles, but there are some of course, that may be seem a little ridiculous: World Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day, Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day and World Drive-Thru Day, to name a few! However, finding some of your favourites to add to your own family calendar can create quite a lot fun at home.
A new kid on the National Week block, is National Baking Week and this is one that October should embrace. Running during the week 14-20th October, this is a great opportunity to put a little time into cooking something from scratch. Baking has become a national favourite over the past 10 years and it’s a pastime or hobby that just keeps getting stronger.
Baking is social. Firstly, the actual “making” brings a kitchen to life. The smells of various bakes wafting through the house is heart-warming, comforting and creates a heart in a home. Baking is something to be done together and talked over and it brings a “togetherness” to a family or friendship.
Baking of course brings bakes! And this is just as social as the making! Whether you are providing a cake for tea, bread for breakfast or a cookie for a treat, they all bring smiles and a sense of happiness. There is something to be said for knocking on a friend’s or neighbour’s door with a homemade cake, just because they had been having a tough time. This is an act that requires little effort but brings delight and pleasure to many of us.
Growing up with baking is also wonderfully useful and important for the future. Not only do you make memories with children, stirring and laughing over the mess being made, you are also providing the building blocks of cooking. When it so easy to take something from a packet or box, already made, we should all maybe make the effort to endorse the magic of creating something ourselves from raw ingredients. There is something quite fascinating of how measures of flour, sugar, butter and eggs can create something so amazingly tasty!
Ok, maybe you’re not one for cakes and biscuits, but baking doesn’t have to be about the sweet stuff. The raw ingredients that are available to us now can create other bakes. Savoury crackers and breads can be just as much fun and can provide functional food to add to homemade soup, stews and salads. Flapjacks, pie toppings and flat breads can all be savoury, using flavours and spices from different parts of the world and can be easily made.
However, as we all embrace National Baking Week and start buying large quantities of sugar and butter, it is important to add the words “all things in moderation”. Many of us have healthy eating and better food choices at the front of our minds, but baking doesn’t have to be bad for you. There are a wealth of alternative natural sweeteners, dried fruits, seeds, nuts, flours and fats to choose from and when using healthier recipes, you can actually produce bakes that don’t just taste good but are functional too. They can provide energy and essential nutrients to your diet, which can help build a healthier you.
So yes, enjoy National Baking Week! Treats can be enjoyed in moderation, but enjoy the time looking through healthier recipes and learn a little about cooking from scratch. There are so many ingredients available to try, so have a browse and most importantly, have fun, as making memories with loved ones is worth every effort.
Here are two recipes designed for little hands to make at home. They are low sugar and full of energy and can help towards reducing a sweet tooth in the future.
