Baked with love

Three women on how their kitchen creations got them through tough times

When it comes to heartfelt gestures, sometimes the best way to show someone you care is by sharing something you’ve made. Here, we’ve teamed up with Dr. Oetker to hear from three women about how their love of baking brought them closer to others when they needed it most.

CROISSANTS IN THE COMMUNITY

‘I work as a food stylist, so when my work dried up during lockdown, I set up a small community bakery — Taymount Bakery, named after the block of flats I live in — to keep myself busy. Initially, I was just baking bread for neighbours and local NHS workers, but soon demand increased and I started hosting socially distanced bake sales every Saturday, selling croissants and Danish pastries. It became so popular, I relocated to a larger local kitchen, and I now run my bakery alongside my freelance styling work. I love that supporting my community through difficult times resulted in it supporting me, too.’ Holly Cochrane, London

FLAWLESS FLAPJACKS

‘The first lockdown was tough, so I started baking with my two-year-old son, Milo, as a way to spend quality time together. It turns out that asking a toddler to ice biscuits without licking the spoon is almost impossible, and our creations didn’t always turn out as planned; our muffins were bitter and our sourdough rolls were as flat as pancakes! Still, we persevered and, as I watched Milo become more capable in the kitchen, we finally honed our signature bake: flapjacks. It’s easy to miss the subtle changes in children as they grow up, but baking together is a great marker. Now, flapjacks are very much “our” thing.’ Claire Collis, Guildford

SWEET TREATS

‘In 2012, I went into premature labour with twin girls. Our first twin, Imogen, was sadly stillborn, and our second twin, Neve, had to be resuscitated. What followed was five months of gruelling hospital trips for Neve. I felt helpless watching the hospital staff work so tirelessly to care for her, so I started baking cookies for them to express my gratitude. And when Neve hit 100 days on the ward, I baked a big cake to celebrate. Now, Neve is at school and I run my own ‘cakery’ — Oh My Cakery — with my mum, where customers can order sweet treats for the people they love, just like the ones I first baked all those years ago.’ Kirsty Lund, Milton Keynes