SHARONLLOYD

I’M absolutely delighted that The Great British Bake Off has returned for another run on TV, especially as Covid restrictions saw the miserable possibility of this year’s series being cancelled. However, they’ve set up their own little bubble in a hotel so that us loyal viewers can have our annual fix of cakes, bread and pastries. It’s just the tonic we need in these particularly gloomy times.

I love watching the show but I’d be quite a rubbish contestant. I can turn out a decent loaf of bread but otherwise can only really manage Welsh cakes. I produce crispy fairy cakes, I don’t possess a tin to make a Victoria sponge, and every time I attempt pancakes they end up on the bird table, where even my feathered friends ignore them.

One lesson I have learnt, however, is to never watch this show on an empty stomach, as there’s nothing as disheartening as being teased by an array of mouthwatering cakes and biscuits when all you have to hand in the kitchen is a packet of bourbons and a solitary Cherry Bakewell. It doesn’t quite hit the mark somehow...

I thought that during the first lockdown, I’d jump on the baking bandwagon and have another go, just in case my skills would magically improve, but the flour I excitedly bought with good intentions as soon as it reappeared on the shelves remains unopened at the back of my cupboard all this time later.

I have a week off work soon, so I might just roll up my sleeves, don my apron and have another go, but I doubt you’ll see me in the Bake Off tent very soon. I’ll probably just keep on feeding the birds my disasters instead.