The Great Laura Bake Off

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it before but I’m totally enthralled with this year’s Great British Bake Off and I’m totally split between loving Cathryn or James more! Can they both win please?

Baking is something I’ve loved doing since I was young and I used to make fairy cakes and apple pie with my paternal grandfather and scones and crumbles with my maternal grandmother. It used to be the highlight of my week, climbing up to stand on a chair, with my pinny on, ready to help! During my teenage years I never practised my baking skills so much but it is certainly a passion that has been reignited in the past few years. Recent family occasions have been a reason for me to break out the scales and get baking.

I have decided recently to set myself a challenge of baking at least one new recipe a month starting, this month, with Lorraine Pascale’s Let Them Eat Cake Cake. That I made for my OH’s mum’s birthday.

Mine didn’t look quite as neat and tidy as Lorraine’s but it was really tasty and went down well. Yay me! (I’ll blog the results later this week so you can see what you think.)

As much as I love baking though, I do like all the pretty things that come with it  (and I don’t just mean the cakes!) So when I got a Cath Kidston email newsletter the other day I started redecorating my kitchen and restocking my cupboards in my mind. The items I want the most are…

This measuring jug is so cute.  I love it! Plus, the measurements are on the inside so no more bending down and squinting to see how much I’ve poured in already. Yay.

If there is a prettier way to display my newly baked goods than this cake stand, I’ll be stoned. This three tier beauty has gorgeous little roses all over it. In fact I love the whole Provence Rose collection.

I don’t even know what I could use these for (except to maybe make the OH’s lasagne even better) but I need them in my cupboards. They are plain but I love the colours. I want them!!

I know this is a child’s apron but it’s so cool I’m tempted to buy two and sew them together to make it fit me. I love Cath Kidston’s Cowboy print, it’s so awesome and makes me want a little boy just to warrant filling my house with the stuff!

Christmas Day is officially only 12 weeks away now. That’s £1 a week for the cutest oven gloves I have ever laid my eyes upon. If I was doing Christmas dinner this year I could totally imagine myself relieving the oven of a huge, golden turkey using these. Sigh.

Are you a bit of a baker? Are there any recipes you think I should try? Where else can I find such pretty things to fill my kitchen?

Kisses