Blokes get baking

I had a chat with Steve Joll from The Breeze radio station recently about his book Baking for Blokes.

His book has been out for a while but I wanted to find out what the inspiration for it was, and I was quite surprised at his answer.

Steve said he was approached by the publishing company and asked if he would like to produce a book. Of course, he said yes. Steve contributes to a website called blokeswhobake.co.nz and the publishing company saw it and thought it might be a great idea. So did Steve.

The dilemma was what to put in it.

Steve has used some recipes he obtained from blokes who have contributed to the website and some are recipes he has tried and tweaked and retried, until he reaches a recipe he can call his own. He has made each and every recipe many times to ensure they are of the highest standards and really easy to make.

Baking for Blokes was designed to encourage men to bake with recipes that are idiot proof, which I applaud. They are rated 1 to 5 with 5 being the most difficult but even the hardest recipes are still at the easy end of the scale, says Steve.

Don’t be scared boys; let your inner baker shine through.

Steve has also contributed to another cook book just out called Welcome Home. It has been published as a fundraising venture for the Neonatal Trust. The trust does a wonderful job helping the families of those who have premature babies in the unit.

The cook book is a labour of love from a group of volunteers, in partnership with some great chefs and other supporters. Welcome Home was inspired by the generosity that so many parents have experienced in the first days of welcoming a baby into the world, arriving home to find baskets of food left on the doorstep by friends and family.

There are new recipes from some of New Zealand’s top chefs, including Al Brown, Martin Bosley and Simon Gault. All proceeds go to the trust.

You can only purchase the book from Mojo cafes or online (neonataltrust.org.nz) for $39.99. It’s a fantastic recipe book and a wonderful charity.

For more of In Your Kitchen, visit kapimananews.co.nz