How to save a crust

I know that quite a few people went crazy during lockdown, either making banana bread or baking their own sourdough loaves.

To be honest, I did neither – but I enjoyed friends bringing over their creations for me to tuck into.

Now, with the rising cost of food, I am that person going around the shops and screaming: “How much?!”

So when my 11-year-old daughter Amara said she had to make a sourdough loaf for a school project, I saw it as the perfect chance to grow our own and save money.

Amara and I have so enjoyed growing the “mother” – which is what the fermented mixture of flour and water is called. We had to feed it, discard half and keep going for seven days until it was ready to cook with.

It’s been such an educational process – and the great thing is, you will always have a mother. As long as you feed it flour and water, you can bake a sourdough loaf every day for the price of half a bag of flour.

Go on, use your loaf… and do the same.