Bake North East

BAKE NE

Cakes, Scones, Pies, Bread, Tea, Coffee

The North East Baking and Drink Magazine

Men Bake Too It’s not just women that spend hours in the kitchen, men everywhere are starting to crack eggs shells and cover themselves in flour.

Photo and Illustration Credits Thanks to the illustrators who responded to my request and let me use your illustrations: Amy Holliday Louise Morgan Most photographs have been taken especially for the issue, though some credit does go to Andrew Hayes-Watkins and Optomen Dreamstime: Ruthblack, Nool, Leungchopan, Anna Omelchenko, Alexej Mozalev, msphotographic Flickr Creative Commons: Michael Camilleri BBC

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Notes from the Editor My baking story isn’t particularly long and it’s definitely not successful. I’ve been making brownies from the same recipe since primary school and somehow I seem to have got worse at it. Though there were, a selected few in secondary school who said it was the best they have ever had. I think they were being nice.

Since University I have started being more adventurous in the kitchen, and not just in the food department. In my first year I mixed tea and coffee together and attempted to convince, not just my friends but everyone in my student halls, that it was the best drink ever, because it had the ‘benefits’ of coffee but tasted more like tea.

I called it Cofftea, a drink that never took off, even in my best efforts. I was just the ‘Cofftea guy’ for a year.

A year later, in one of my lectures we were told to start a blog.

‘Everyone was blogging these days’ we were told. I already had several blogs on writing and photography, so I set up a blog where I would eat and review caramel slices and it was my plan to try every caramel slice in the UK. I still intend to do that and the blog stands strong.

You can read about my blog on page 38-39.

Plus, I’ve started baking my own caramel slices, and I can tell you they are very difficult to perfect. I’m still not there yet. It’s the caramel I just can’t get right. It either ends up too gooey or too solid. Infact the last one I made I was afraid I was going to break my teeth, when biting in.

Since I failed so much at the caramel I took some time to make shortbread biscuits. Which are one of the simpliest, tastiest cakes you can make.

Only recently did I attempt to make my first ever full blown cake and even that didn’t go well, due to a lack of ingredients.

Bake North East is a magazine that celebrates baking and shows you where you can go for the perfect scone or cake and a cup of tea to go with. It’s all about the people and the places in the North East of England. Whether it’s a local place to get a brew or have a pie, or an online business that sends tasty goods to your doorstep.

Also featuring are books, blogs and UK companies based further a field, but that doesn’t mean you can’t check them out.

The book section has been designed to give you an all round image of the book, with reviews and photographs of the back and front cover as well as an inside page snippet.

The magazine will be produced every two months with fresh new content.

From everyone at the magazine, we hope you enjoy our first publication.

Daniel Magill

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BAKE NORTH EAST 26

Breakfast Local produce From eggs to butter, tea to coffee, find your local company in these short features.

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42

Lu

Locally Produced Recipe 15

Beanies Vanilla Coffee styled cake, made with local eggs and butter.

Trends 16 - 20

Greggs 34 - 37

Old, new and never changing trends with recipes to make your own, featuring the cake pop and the cupcake.

A history of Greggs fro ‘Greggs of Gosforth’ to them in the United Kin

Bread Machines 24 - 25

Caramel Slice

Help in choosing the best fresh bread maker.

Margaret Stewart A baker in Whitburn tells us about her job, life and the ease of baking at 6am.

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26

Blogging from the edi us where to go in the caramel slice.

Food Revolution

The second year of Ja Oliver’s annual event.

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38

48

56

Dinner

unch

Supper

Men - Cover Story 46 - 53

Interviews, recipes and opinions on the increase of male bakers in the UK.

om the very first o the ‘over 500 of ngdom’.

itor as he tells UK for the best

Day

amie .

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Si King Interview

Baking shows, family dinners and motorcycling.

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Recommended Recipe 66 - 69

48

Recipe featured in the Hairy Bikers Big Book Of Baking

Clandestine Cake Club 50 - 53

Blogs

The secret cake club that brings bakers together to socialise and eat cake.

Books

How to avoid a soggy bottom and other secrets to achieving a good bake.

Intriuging blogs to read when your procrastinating or just looking for inspiration.

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The FInal Feature 78 - 89 Stories from the editor

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Good Morning North East England Bake North East- 7

08 North 7 --Bake Consume theEast North East

Local Companies Consume the North East - 8

Harp and Lyre “Specially Selected Finest Quality Tippy Golden Leaf Tea� www.harpandlyre.co.uk

T

hough Harp and Lyre only have two particular types of tea for sale; Assam and Darjeeling, they have made sure they provide the finest quality of both those flavours.

Harp and Lyre are based in Gateshead, though they personally fly out to India to source their teas, aswell as working with master tea tasters and visiting tea estates.

Harp and Lyre feel that loose leaf tea drinking is on the decline in the UK and that they need to get more people drinking high quality tea. Not only are they providing tea for North East England, they are providing for the whole of Great Britain.

The family owned company has three generations of tea heritage, and so they hope they can bring back a sense of occasion into tea drinking, rather than settling down for the cheap ground up supermarket teas.

Harp and Lyre work with three master tea tasters who have up to 50 years of experience in tasting, planting, production and processing and so have excellent knowledge in providing the company with an exclusive blend of tea.

Providing loose and bagged tea, the local company present their tea in beautiful packaging with stylish artwork. The tea is packed in aluminium foil in order to retain maximum freshness and their bags are made of a material called soilon, incidentally they are 100% biodegradable.

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LOCAL COMPANIES

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Beanies The Flavour Co. “If It Doesn’t Say Beanies It’s Not The Best” www.beaniesflavourco.co.uk

B

eanies provides coffee with fantastic flavours.

Much like the interest for various flavoured teas (see Teapigs page 72), the company sells 36 different flavours of coffee.

There is Amaretto, Chocolate, Irish Cream, Hazelnut, Caramel, Vanilla, Carribean Rum, Chocolate Brandy and Christmas Pudding, among others.

They are available as instant and whole bean and decaf.

Based in Newton Aycliffe, the North East Company, uses the very best ingredients and an up to date flavouring system to deliver satisfying flavoured coffees.

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They also provide coffee with health benefits; French Vanilla and Pomegranate with Orange Blossom fragrance, are two of these.

Their products can be bought online or are available at various food outlets such as leisure venues, garden centres and some high street convenience stores. Also available outside the UK, their coffee can be found in numerous countries.

Editor’s note. I opened up my ordered packet of Beanies coffee and straight away the vanilla flavour exploded my senses. It was wonderful and made me very happy.

I tried the vanilla coffee first and it was good, not as strong as I expected, but very flavoursome. The Irish Cream makes for a great latte and the Amaretto flavour is rather exceptional.

LOCAL COMPANIES

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LOCAL COMPANIES

Geordie Bakers

“Geordie Bakers always rise to the occasion”

T

www.geordiebakers.co.uk

hey are a family company owned by Jan and Ian Thomson who took over the company in 1979 after Ian’s parents retired.

Their company is located in Kingston Park, Newcastle-upon-Tyne where they create great quality products through traditional processes and techniques.

The company supplies food to over 100 supermarkets and has their own catering service. They also provide cooking classes on the subject of Craft Bakery and Decoration.

There are 24 members of their team who each have level two Food Safety Training certificates and the managers are trained at level three. The staff choose skill over machinery and believe this is the best way to provide high quality products.

Broon Ale Bread, Sunflower and Lemon bread and Italian Stone cuts are the most popular and well known foods produced by the Geordie Bakers.

The Broon Ale bread is made from the popular bev-

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erage; Newcastle Brown Ale. Aside from providing food for supermarkets, they have also prepared the food used in the Catherine Cookson drama series. They have also featured on Ready Steady Cook with their Broon Ale bread.

Taken from their website: “We make fresh cream cakes and sandwiches on a daily basis. Although we have an extensive range of flavoured speciality breads, we only keep a small varied selection in the shop. Of course we always have our most famous speciality “Broon Ale Bread” in stock.

“In addition to our range of products, we are also able to respond to demand for special or specific products, and invite enquiries. We welcome the challenge to conduct research and development for new products, and always seek to work with new suppliers and producers to create something different and special.”

They also own the Thomson Cakery where they supply a selection of sponge or fruit celebrationcakes for birthdays, weddings and anniversaries.

The cakery are eagre for customers to bring in sketches of cakes that they would like making and they will replicate the cake as best they can.

Coffee Cake with Beanies French Vanilla Coffee Ingredients The recipe makes one 20cm/8in cake.

Preparation is 25 minutes + cooling.

Baking takes 30 minutes.

Oven: 160째C (fan assisted)/180C/Gas Mark 4.

Cake 250g/9oz butter, plus a little extra for greasing (we recommend Acorn Dairy butter - visit: www.acorndairy.co.uk), 250g/9oz caster sugar, 1tsp Beanies French Vanilla Instant Coffee dissolved in 2tbsp boiling water, 4 large eggs beaten (Acorn Dairy can also provide you with your eggs), 250g/9oz self raising flour.

Filling 200ml/7fl oz double cream, 2tbsp icing sugar, 1tsp Beanies French Vanilla Instant Coffee dissolved in 2tbsp boiling water A little icing sugar to dust

Equipment 2 x 20cm/8in round tins, Baking paper, Electric hand-held whisk, food mixer or a wooden spoon

1. Preheat oven to 160째C (fan)/180째C/Gas Mark 4 and grease tins.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar in a bowl, the mixture will go pale and smooth and the sugar should be unoticable when mixing.

3. Add the coffee mixture to the creamed butter and sugar and stir together 4. Next, mix in the beaten eggs a spalsh at a time, whilst also sifting and mixing in a bit of flour. Keep repeating this until all flour and eggs are in the mix.

5. Divide the mixture evenly between the two tins. Try to avoid pushing the mixture up against the sides as this can create a raised lip.

6. Bake in the oven for about 30 miuntes until golden brown and when lightly pressed the cake springs back up.

Leave it to cool in the tins for five minutes, then take them out and put on a wire rack to cool.

7. When the cakes have fully cooled make the filling by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and whisking until it forms soft peaks. Then drop onto the cake and layer out evenly. Lastly rest the top sponge onto the cream, then dust with icing sugar.

8. Enjoy

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TRENDS The New, The Old and The Never Changing The cupcake took the world by storm only a few years ago, when shops began to open selling nothing but the sponge cake, topped with so many different styles, it was almost tempting to buy the whole shop.

Today the cake still sits firmly in the public eye and sales are constant. With there being simply any possibile topping will this cake ever become old and thus let a new style become the next best cake.

We look at three possibilities, the cake

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pop, macaron and financier cakes.

Cupcakes dated back some three hundred years ago, the cake got its name from how people used to bake them; in cups, but also from the use of cups as a measuring tool when sorting out ingredient amounts. The cake nowadays sits in a cup shaped casing, which you peel away for access to the spongy sweet delight.

There have been simple cream toppings to transforming the whole top into an animal, a small garden, or so it looks like an

entirely different desert. There are remarkably good designs out there, made by people with a keen eye for detail.

They are a cake for birthdays, wedding receptions, small occasions, big occasions, or simply something to go with your packed lunch.

So clearly it seems like a challenge for another cake to beat that fierce competiton.

Check out a cupcake recipe on page 20.

(c) Ruthblack | Dreamstime.com

C ake Pop

C

ake pops are a fairly new interest that is effecting the UK. To put these simply, they are a cake on a stick.

Styled on the lollipop the cake is usually round and decorated in a stable icing.

They are a close challenge for the cupcake as they can be styled almost as crazily as the cupcake. See the photo above, where the cake pops have been Easter styled to resemble a rabbit, a chick and an egg. They can be very complex or stylishly simple, for kids and for adults.

Below is the recipe to one example of a cake pop.

Cake Ingredients 120g unsalted butter, softened 150g unrefined caster sugar 1tsp vanilla extract 2 free range eggs 180g self-raising flour 4tbsp milk, at room temperature Cream cheese frosting Ingredients 80g unsalted butter, softened 40g cream cheese, softened 200g icing sugar, sifted 1tsp vanilla extract

You will also need 400g of chocolate Lollipop sticks 1. Grease and flour a 25cm round or 20cm square cake tin and preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

2. Cream together the butter and sugar until it turns pale and fluffy. Then mix the vanilla extract in.

3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix half the flour and then half the milk until fully combined, then repeat with the remaining flour and milk. Pour the mixture into the tin then bake for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

4. To make the vanilla cream cheese frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese together. Then gradually add the sugar, and cream until light and fluffy. Then finally, mix in the vanilla. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before using.

6. In order to assemble the cake pops, crumble the cake thoroughly by hand into a large bowl.

7. Now take your frosting, a tablespoon at a time, and begin mixing it in with the crumbs. Keep mixing until you have a fudge-like texture.

8. To see if it’s ready, squeeze a little of the mixture in your hand and if it is, it shouldn’t crumble.

9. Wrap the mixture in cling film and chill for at least one hour. The mixture should be firm but not too hard when it’s ready to work with.

10. Break off a small piece of the mixture about the size of a golf ball and roll into a ball with your palms. Place each ball on a tray lined with baking paper, then refrigerate for 20 minutes, or until they are firm.

11. Next melt some chocolate in a small bowl above a pan of simmering water.

12. When fully melted take a lollipop stick and dip one end into the melted chocolate then insert it into the centre of a cake ball to about halfway through.

13. Place on a tray lined with baking paper to set. It should take between 1 and 2 minutes.

14. Now dip the cakes into the melted chocolate and cover the whole of the cake ball. You can then either decorate with sprinkles or sugar decorations, turn it into an animal or leave it as it is.

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(c) Leungchopan | Dreamstime.com

Macaron

M

acarons are a fairly new complicated cake that comes in various colours and flavours.

Taking on the style of a round custard cream made of sponge, the cakes are soft and stylistically different.

Macarons are great for making in batches, wrapping up and sending as a gift to a friend, and the recipe below will make 12 for your fancy or a friends.

Ingredients 125g icing sugar 125g ground almonds 40g egg whites 2tbsp water 110g caster sugar 50g egg whites Food colouring (optional) 150ml double or whipped cream, whipped 18 -Bake North East

1. Preheat the oven to 170째C/Gas Mark 5 and butter or line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Mix together the icing sugar, ground almonds and egg whites in a bowl.

3. Place the water and caster sugar in a small pan on a low heat in order to melt the sugar. Then turn up the heat and stir until the mixture thickens and becomes syrupy.

4. Whisk the egg whites in a bowl until stiff peaks form, then pour in the previous sugar mixture and whisk until it becomes stiff. At this point, if you like, add a few drops of your preferred food colouring. Then add this to almond paste and stir until stiff and shiny.

6. Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe 4cm flat circles onto the tray, 2cm apart. Leave them to stand for 30 minutes, then bake them for 15 minutes with the oven door slightly ajar until they become firm.

8. Remove them from the oven and place on a cooling rack. When cool, sandwich them together with the whipped cream.

(c) Nool | Dreamstime.com

Financiers

F

inanciers are simple little cake buns that are perfect for any time of the day.

They are a french cake popular amongst the financial district, a possible explanation for their name, or it could be because they are shaped like gold bars.

Otherwise known as little French buns these cakes are quick and easy to make and the recipe below contains hazelnuts, amaranth flour, vanilla bean, lemon and Asian pears.

Ingredients: 140g unsalted butter 100g natural cane sugar 1/2 tsp fine grated lemon zest 1 vanilla pod, split length-wise and seeds scraped 4 medium egg whites 60g ground hazelnuts 65g amaranth flour or plain flour if you prefer 1/2 tsp sea salt 1 small Asian pear, peeled, cored and diced 1tsp lemon juice

TRENDS

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease individual buns trays or line a standard muffin tray with cake wrappers.

2. In a small saucepan cook the butter on a medium to high heat, until the butter turns brown, this is usually after 5 minutes. Pour this into a bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes.

3. In a bowl rub together the sugar, lemon zest and vinalla seeds until you can smell the lemon release it’s oils. Stir in the butter, then add the egg whites and whisk until the mixture is light and frothy.

4. Now add the hazelnuts, flour and salt and whisk to combine them.

5. Pour the mixture evenly into the trays. Toss the pears with the lemon juice before pressing the pear pieces into the mixture.

6. Bake the cakes for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Allow for them to cool in the pan for 15 minutes then remove them and place on a cooling rack.

7. Enjoy.

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Chocolate Fudge Cupcake

(c) Ruthblack | Dreamstime.com

TRENDS

Cake Ingredients 200g golden caster sugar 130g dark chocolate 350ml milk 300g self-raising flour 130g softened butter 4tbsp chocolate chips 1 beaten egg 2tsp vanilla extract

2. Place one third of the sugar in a bowl with the chocolate broken up. Heat the milk in a pan and when it begins to simmer pour it over the sugar and chocoalte, then stir.

Icing Ingredients 250g dark chocolate 70g softened butter 2tbsp golden syrup

4. Now spoon the mixture into the paper cases and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Then remove and leave to cool in the trays.

Recipe makes 24 cakes 1. Prepare two mini cake tins with 24 paper cases or equivalent and preheat the oven to 180째C or gas mark 4.

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3. With the butter, remaining sugar and vanilla beat them together until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Then, beat in the egg, before adding the chocolate chips and flour.

5. For the icing, break the chocolate into a bowl and heat it over a pan of simmering water in order to melt it. Once melted stir in the butter and golden syrup.

6. Leave this to cool until it has just set and then ice the tops of the cakes with a piping bag.

Could a healthier mid-morning munch keep you going ‘til lunch?

Snacks like crisps or chocolate contain lots of calories. What’s more, the energy they give you doesn’t last long, so you soon feel sluggish (and peckish!) again.

But regular snacking on healthier options like fresh fruit, dried fruit and nuts, can help you keep going longer.

What snacks could you swap to feel better?

Swap it, don’t stop it:

Search Change4Life online to find other simple swaps.

© Crown copyright 2010. C4L138 Adults Employers toolkit: Poster 1 10k March 2010 (HOW). Produced by COI for the Department of Health.

This item is printed on 50% recycled paper

Allendale Bakery Cafe Speciality breads, biscuits and Cakes Elpha Green Cottage South, Sparly Lea 01434 685047 www.allendalebakery.com

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Andrew James Premium Bread Make

Morphy Richard 48326

With its numerous key features the Andrew James bread maker will not only enable you to make fresh bread, it also allows you to make tasty cakes, pizza doughs and even homemade jams.

The bread maker makes 700g or 900g loafs with the choice of a light, medium or dark crust. The 13 hour programmable delay timer and 60 minute keep warm function, allows you to arrive home to the smell of bread.

The bread maker also has 12 digital programs to choose from and an automatic fruit and nut dispensing function meaning you do not have to worry about timings as the ingredients are added at exactly the correct point.

The instruction manual includes recipes for the perfect loafs and the measuring spoon and cup allow to be precise when measuring your ingredients.

One review we read said: “I absoloutley love this bread maker. It makes great bread every time and the kids love it too.” Where as another said: “The machine dosen’t mix completely especially in the corners. I’ve had loaves turn out with great lumps of dry mix.”

With a fastbake time of 80minutes, this Morphy Richards breadmaker has 13 programs, a viewing window and can make more than just bread.

Quite a common selling point in bread machines these days is their ability to also make jam and cakes, which is great for people who don’t have the time to mix, knead and whisk ingredients together.

There is a five crust setting for three different sized loaves: 1lb, 1.5lb and 2lb. Also common with new bread machines is a delay setting, which is 12 hours on this bread machine, so you can set it in the evening, fall asleep and wake up to fresh smelling bread.

Included is a recipe book with over 40 recipes and instruction book for help using your appliance.

One reviewer said: “So far I have had perfect results. One improvement is the greater choice of crustiness settings.”

Where as another said: “On opening the lid to remove the freshly baked loaf, the right hand side hinge pin of the lid broke off, necessitating the return of the product for a refund. To be fair though, the loaf tasted delightful.”

£69.95 from Amazon.co.uk PRICE FUNCTIONS BREAD LOOKS DELAY AND FASTBAKE

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£89.99

***** *** *** **** ****

PRICE FUNCTIONS BREAD LOOKS DELAY AND FASTBAKE

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Choosing the best

PRODUCT

Russell Hobbs 17887 With a rounded style to this bread maker the Russell Hobbs machine produces three different loaf sizes; 2lb, 2.5lb and 3lb and has a 58 minute fast bake function which is a seriously speedy bake.

There are 11 program types and only a 13hr delay timer, though that isn’t really that short. Though it does have a keep warm setting of one hour. So you can have a lie in after those 13 hours, for one hour and still get up to fresh warm bread.

It’s also one of those bread makers that you can make jam and even popcorn in, turning it into a multifunction machine.

There is also and adjustable crust control for light, medium and dark loaves.

We read one review which said: “Its fantastic and it has never failed me.” Where as another said: “The recipes may be all wrong but to be honest it’s impossible to get a balance. The crusts are like concrete and despite trying different tips online all we are effectively doing is wasting good bread flour.” £99.99 from Amazon.co.uk PRICE FUNCTIONS BREAD LOOKS DELAY AND FASTBAKE

Kenwood BM450 This artisan bread maker provides perfect baking performance albeit a touch on the noisy side during the kneading process. A convection fan allows the machine to control the temperature easily and quickly. The rapid bake function allows bread to be prepared, baked and ready within under an hour.

Features: Includes a 125g automatic ingredient dispensing system, 15 standard baking functions, 15 hour delay timer; so bread can be ready for when you wake up in the morning, viewing window and internal light and an optional round bread making pan for round loaves and sweet breads.

The design is great and it works perfectly providing well risen tasty loaves.

One review we read said: “Don’t get fooled, this is the perfect bread maker.” Yet another said the machine stopped part way through the process and they had to get it fixed. £73.60 from Kitchen Arts with Free Delivery: www. kitchenarts.co.uk

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bread machine

PRICE FUNCTIONS BREAD LOOKS DELAY AND FASTBAKE

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OUR WINNER Bake North East- 25

7am S

Margaret Stewart

Scones

A

t 6am on a rather nippy Tuesday morning, I ventured through the dark winter streets to the only tea room with lights on at this early hour.

It’s always this early when Margaret Stewart is in the kitchen, as she starts to prepare the food for the day. I’m greeted by horses neighing in the fields along with the smell of manure, a true country smell and I’m not even that far from the city.

A wide awake woman meets me as I come through the main sitting area. She looks as though she’s been awake for hours, not a single sign of tiredness, but after all, she is up the same time every day, while the majority of the city will sleep for another 2 hours. By the time the city is alive she will have made 4 pies and around 50 scones.

Margaret, 65, born in South Shields, owns the Hill Head Farm Tea Room in Whitburn, with her husband William, Billy for short.

Margaret is a friendly woman, talkative and open and happy. She starts talking about food preparation before I’ve even got the recorder going.

“I get the vegetables done first thing whilst my husband is collecting the eggs.” Billy has been dealing with hens for 40 years. He

gathers their eggs from the back garden farm and delivers them to local people and businesses in the area.

“The pastry is prepared the night before, in this case Sunday.”

Margaret and Billy take Mondays off to give them a chance to relax and go to the bank or into the city. “When we first opened up, we were open 7 days a week, but it was too long, there was too much to do and we didn’t have enough time to do it, no time to go anywhere or go shopping. Simply I just had to have a day off.”

I meet Billy not long after arriving. He comes through the tea room whistling, the sign of a jolly man. Margaret tells me, “He runs off, you know, before I’ve even finished talking to him, typical man always running around, well it’s better than him lazing around, but he’s getting on, he should be slowing down not speeding up.”

Margaret is beginning to make her pies, whilst I sit out the way in the kitchen observing everything. “These are the pastry mixes, flour, milk and marg’ together. I do my pies first, then I do my scones.” Though, she used to do her pies last so they would be hot and fresh for when customers arrived. Unfortunately the health and safety officers said the heat from the pies attracted bacteria, so any pies had to be cold when displayed. Margaret didn’t like that fact, but there was simply nothing she could do about it. So now when her pies are done, they are left to cool under the breeze of an electric fan before being served.

“I get people coming in every day, one couple comes in every morning just for tea and toast.”

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7AM SCONES

“So what we do, is we do the vegetables first, cool them down, and as we need them, we’ll put them on plates. We do lunches as well, along with roast dinners, dumplings, pies and veg, toast and soup. We do everything really.”

“We make cheese and onion, cheese and tomato and sausage and tomato pies, among others. Along with quiche and anything really that I fancy doing.”

Before Margaret became a baker she worked as a sewing machinist for some time, then when she had children she worked at Asda. It wasn’t until she started working as a waitress in a cafe in South Shields where she started to develop a keen interest in baking. “I worked for the owner first and then he had to retire because of his health so I took over.” Margaret now owns her tea room in Whitburn. “I’m 65 and I keep thinking to myself, when am I going to retire?”

I ask her if she wants to retire, to which she replies “No, I don’t, I like what I do.

“I had a girl who was at college and she worked here for work

experience, she was absolutely brilliant, she’s now married with a baby, I was hoping one day, that she might take this over, because my family isn’t interested.”

Her employees are friends, though are treated like family. “I’ve got a son and a daughter, she’s married to a gamekeeper and is in the industry, in the farming side. And our son works abroad

“It’s important to k same place, because if weeken Top left: The important parts of the kitchen; the work surface and the huge silver oven.

Top right: Margaret preparing scones Opposite: The dining area, presented with paintings, cartoons and photographs, well lit with matching carpet, chairs and place settings.

in Africa, Asia and Russia, all over the world really, where he sells poultry equipment: chicken and animal feeds and things like that.

He’s 42 now.”

A large machine against the wall in the centre of the room churns into life with a roar of energy. This is the oven she uses, it’s her

keep things in the exact f it’s not I’m cursing the nd girls.”

The Hill Head Farm Tea Room owned by Margaret Stewart Tues - Sat: 9 - 4 Sun: 10 - 4 01915 292076 Lizard Lane, Whitburn, Tyne and Wear

pride and joy in the kitchen, the noise is caused by a rotating fan concealed within the belly of the beast. It cost a whopping £12,500. One of the best features for her is the self-clean setting it has, making it easier for her to wash up at the end of the day.

After a moment of silence as Margaret searches the kitchen for a tool she says: “It’s important to keep things in the exact same place, because if it isn’t, I’m cursing the weekend girls.”

Margaret and Billy’s Tea Room attracts a lot of business. “It’s the busiest time in the summer, you get people coming and if it’s a hot day they will go down to the sea front which is a 15 – 20 minute walk away. The tea room is popular as you go through the day. It’s a place where you bring your mother, though we get a mixture of ages really.”

After 10 strong years of business there is no need for advertising the farm. They receive a lot of media attention, which is expected when you have a member of parliament sitting at one of your tables.

“We have our local MP come in a lot. David Miliband is a good friend of ours, we met him when he first came to Whitburn at the age of 31 (now 47). We’ve had him, David Livingston and quite a few other politicians. As we know David, he brings people up here like Jo brand, just different people, like Tony Blair, I nearly forgot him,” she laughs. “I’m grateful that we have people like him coming as well as our regulars, I get people who come in every day, one couple comes in every morning just for tea and toast.”

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Eshott Hall Afternoon tea in Northunmberland Morpeth, Northumberland 01670 787454 www.eshotthall.co.uk

32 Norththe East 33-Bake - Consume North East

Lunch Time

Bake North East- 33

The Golden Ye of Greggs For 62 years the United Kingdom baking industry has been broadened by the presence of one bakery, created from ten years of delivering yeast and eggs to local families here in the North East of England.

1951

34 -Bake North East

John Gregg created his first small bakery in 1951 on Gosforth High Street.

It was called Greggs of Gosforth and created baked products produced with flour milled from specially selected wheat, in order to provide their own distinctive taste.

ears

1964 In 1964, with the passing of his father, Ian Gregg took over the business and began to develop a reputation for quality and value.

1970

6 years later, and a keen interest in promoting the ever popular bakery, Greggs shops opened in Scotland, Yorkshire and the North West.

Bake North East- 35

1984

In over 14 years more shops had sprouted across the UK, resulting in 260 bakeries spread across 4 major areas of the UK. This was then followed by the opening of shops in the Midlands, Wales and North London. Greggs was now also part of the stock exchange.

Competition began to grow as supermarkets began to open their own in store bakeries as they knew their customers would benefit more from a bakery they could visit during their weekly food shopping trips. But this competition didn’t stop further development of Greggs.

And in 2000’s the company bought a large technical trade centre, where they would focus on the production of new recipes and the development of old favourites.

Featured above is a Greggs cafe in Bury, Greater Manchester.

36 -Bake North East

2000

GREGGS

Here are some of the cakes currently available. Clockwise from top left: Strawberry Tart 75p, Bakewell Tart 65p, Toffee Crunch 85p and Momento Strawberry 70p.

Below is a classic Suasage Roll 70p.

Bake North East- 37

The Best Caramel Slice

A blog writer that searches the UK for the best caramel slice. He buys, he tastes, then he reviews in a witty unusual style of writing.

T

thebestcaramelslice.wordpress.com

his was one of those ‘I was looking for a different cafe, but then I stumbled upon this one’.

Kafen Cafe is one of at least five cafes on a street running along the east side of Sunderland City centre. The street also has a large amount of solicitor buildings surrounded by many letting agents.

I was actually heading to a coffee shop, which is in the basement of one of the houses, which is a lovely cafe that sells cupcakes and various other deserts and of course they sell tea and coffee.

Unfortunately I turned the opposite way on the middle junction and ended up walking away from the shop. I came upon Kafen Cafe, where I asked for a caramel slice, though I couldn’t see any on the counter. But the waitress disappeared into a cupboard and brought me one. I was disappointed a bit as the slice was wrapped up in corporate wrappings, so it was obviously a caramel slice that had been baked elsewhere and sent to the shop.

The slice is called a Millionaire Shortbread (the fancier term that I don’t use very often) and it is made by a company called Lichfields.

It’s a long slice measuring 11.2cm x 3.4cm x 1.5cm thick.

Which is a good handling shape and for what it lacks in width is made up in length.

It’s aesthetically pleasing, as it looks great. I wanted to taste every layer, every crumb and savour it all..

It tastes very good. It’s creamy and soft. Soft chocolate is good.

38 -Bake North East

First Bite: Flavoursome with a crunchy greasy base and smooth soft top.

The greasy/oily base is from the all butter shortbread, it’s not a pleasant thing, though it adds to the flavour of the shortbread. And it’s probably one of the best shortbreads I’ve tasted on a caramel slice.

The slice has a good layer of caramel between an even layer of chocolate and large shortbread, the perfect combination. The caramel has a sugary texture and lovely flavour that mixes with the chocolate very well.

The base, though warm, has a cool taste to it, which could be the butter.

Fourth Bite: The base flavour comes first followed by caramel and chocolate. Though the chocolate is struggling to define itself.

The plate is lined with very few crumbs. A large thumbs up there.

Shape is a large benefactor; it’s easy to hold and easy to bite.

Main disadvantages: Oily shortbread is a bit off-putting, I was constantly wiping my hands after every pick up. Another downside, though only a small one, is the price which is £1.20. But it is a good slice.

If you remember at the start I was supposed to go to a different coffee shop? In the end I did but they didn’t have any caramel slices. So thanks Kafen Cafe, your caramel slice made my day.

8.9 out of 10

The Best Caramel Slice Leaderboard 1. Morrisons 9.2 / 10 - Thorntons 9.2 / 10 3. Tesco Finest 9.1 / 10 4. Lidl/Northwood 9.0 / 10 - Cooplands 9.0 / 10 6. University of Sunderland 8.9 / 10 - Kafen Cafe - Lichfields 8.9 / 10 8. Louis Cafe 8.7 / 10 9. Aldi/Mrs McGregor 8.1 / 10 10. Marks and Spencer 7.8 / 10 11. M&S Dessert 7.7 / 10 - Lightbody Family Bakers (London 2012 Olympics) 7.7 / 10 13. The Pie Shop 7.6 / 10 - Twix 7.6 / 10 15. Havershams 7.5 / 10 16. Milligans 6.5 / 10 17. Costa Coffee 6.2 / 10 18. Eat and Drink Co. 6.0 / 10 - The Cornish Pasty Bakery 6.0 / 10 20. Boots 5.8 / 10 21. Iceland 5.1 / 10 22. Morrisons - The Cake Shop 5.0 / 10 23. Curtis of Lincoln 4.8 / 10 24. Cooplands of Lincoln 4.7 / 10 25. Greggs 4.6 / 10 26. Dennis Cafe 3.5 / 10 27. Real Tea And Coffee 3.4 / 10 28. Granny B’s Farmhouse Kitchen 2.5 / 10 29. Morrisons Vegetarian 1.5 / 10 Bake North East- 39

Bryan Carrahar’s Carrot Cake Recipe Recipe from Clandestine Cake Club member; Bryan Carrahar featured on page 53

Ingredients

Cake Mixture

Frosting

675g grated carrots 390g raisins 6 large eggs 390g caster sugar 350ml corn oil 2tsp vanilla extract Zest of 2 oranges 350g plain flour 2tsp bicarbonate of soda Pinch of salt 3tsp cinnamon 25ml dark rum Butter to grease tins

500g cream cheese 300g icing sugar Zest of 1 orange 1tsp cinnamon

1. Pre heat oven to 170°C, grease and line 3 x 20cm round cake tins.

8. Divide the mixture evenly between the three tins and place in the oven.

2. In a large bowl, combine carrots, raisins, and rum and set aside.

9. Bake for about 30 mins or until a knife can be inserted and comes out clean.

3. In your mixing bowl combine the eggs and sugar and beat until soft and fluffy, add the vanilla and orange zest.

10. Remove the cakes and let them stand in the tins for 5 minutes before carefully turning them out onto a cooling rack.

4. Then slowly pour in the oil while still mixing.

5. In another bowl sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon to remove any lumps.

6. Add the dry ingredients to the egg, sugar, and oil mixture and gently fold them together trying not to knock the air out.

7. Pour this mixture into the carrots, raisins and rum and gently fold until well incorporated.

40 -Bake North East

11. Place the cream cheese and icing sugar in a bowl and slowly mix with a spoon until the icing sugar has combined with the cheese.

12. Then add the zest and cinnamon, and whisk at slow speed at first then increase speed until they mix smooth.

13. Once the cakes are completely cooled place frosting between each layer, and then completely cover the outside of the cake.

Could hopping off early put a spring in your step?

BUS STOP

We all sometimes feel like we haven’t got the energy to exercise. But the thing is, the more energy you use, the more you’ll have. And it doesn’t have to be vigorous – getting off the bus a stop early or swapping a nearby parking space for one further away (or walking to work instead!) are great ways to start.

How could you swap your way to more energy?

Swap it, don’t stop it:

Search Change4Life online to find other simple swaps.

© Crown copyright 2010. C4L142 Adults Employers toolkit: Poster 5 10k March 2010 (HOW). Produced by COI for the Department of Health.

This item is printed on 50% recycled paper

Jamie Oliver’s

Food Revolution Day Cook lt, Share lt, Live lt

C

reated by Jamie Oliver in 2012 as a way to make people more aware of the problems caused by eating the wrong foods.

The day will pull people together for events that shares the making of quality meals out of proper food.

It is a day celebrate home-made cooking and to educate the world about healthier food.

Taken from their website: “Forty-two million children under five are already obese and we need to reverse this.

“Let’s make some noise, raise our voices together and have a lasting and positive impact on their lives and ours.

“Food Revolution Day is our opportunity to get the world to focus on food issues and rally our efforts to bring food education back into schools.”

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver believes big change can help when a lot of people are involved and so Food Revolution Day brings people together to share their healthy eating and exercising experiences to create a

42 -Bake North East

world filled with correct food education.

It’s not specifically designed to alert our governments of the facts, though if it did that would be hugely beneficial, but it is to start a grassroots movement.

Jamie wants it to become a “catalyst for all those wonderful campaigners, chefs, teachers, doctors, parents, bloggers, journalists and kids all over the world who want to eat better,” which he wrote in an article titled How To Create A Food Revolution on the website McKinsey on Society.

At the top of this article a very blunt sentence says: “If you’re reading this in the United States or the United Kingdom, then congratulations: you live in one of the unhealthiest nations in the world.” That’s a sentence that has to make you react some way.

It’s possible to throw a series of highly truthful negative facts at you in the hope that you realise there needs to be a change. But those facts shouldn’t be there, or at least they shouldn’t be negative.

Jamie wants food education to become available to every child in the world and his revolution day is one of the steps towards achieving this.

It’s not just about cooking, baking and baked foods, particularly cakes, are a large

culprit in the growth of obesity. Fortunately there are ways we can reduce the calories inside a cake, by using fat free products.

A recipe for a Victoria sponge cake on the website is called a Guilt Free Victoria Sponge, as it contains no butter and uses sugar free jam in its filling.

To create your own event as part of the revolution you should publicise it, whether it be private or public online at: www.foodrevolutionday.com this will allow more people to become aware of what you are doing and can either join in your event or start their own.

Social media sites provide a large outlet for people to share this important day. You can advertise your events through Twitter, Facebook, Google + and many other networking sites. It’s that simple. It’s then down to everyone else to find the motivation to join in.

So let’s revolutionise the future of food education on May 17 as an individual or as a group, whether it be a small gathering or one the whole world is invited to. Jamie needs your help, but more importantly the children of the earth need your help. www.foodrevolutionday.com

Consume the North East - 44

Dinner is Served 44 -Bake North East

Men bake too!!

It’s true!

Last years winner of the Great British Bake Off (GBBO) was a man; John Waite, and was also in the final with two other men. We have the Hairy Bikers; hairy, motorbike riding cooks; Si King and Dave Myers, GBBO host; Paul Hollywod, the Fabulous Baker Brothers; Tom and Henry Herbert, french celebrity chef; Eric Lanlard, aswell as the home cooks and bakers who pleasure their wives with a chocolate and strawberry gateau, plus there is a whole ensemble of online bloggers, who love nothing more than telling stories about their kitchen experiences.

Over the next few pages are some male bakers for you to experience their life and see and sample their favourite recipe. We have the wonderful Si King, from the Hairy Bikers, who tells us a bit about himself, his feelings and where you should go for some good bread. Featured a few pages along (page 70 - 73 to be precise) are two recipes from the boys’ Big Book Of Baking.

Also featured is the Clandestine Cake Club, founded by Lynn Hill this secret organisation has been bringing male and female bakers together for three years now.

There is also Paul Hollywood’s book to poke your nose into on page 64 - 65.

Welcome to the future of baking.

Bake North East- 47

Si King A very well Si King calls me, bang on the dot of 11am, like I was told he would. I’m greeted with friendliness and we quickly get down into the swing of things.

Si King is one half of the Hairy Bikers, he hails from Gateshead and talks with a thick Geordie accent, he is friendly and shares his opinions and views quite openly. I developed a great respect for the man and agreed eagerly with most of his points, I could see a likeness in him.

very important to us. Food was something to talk about. We would and still do, sit down at the table and talk about where the food has come from, places where we could go out to source the food, or places to eat out. So my parents influence was enormous. It was all about household culture. Nowadays though, other families don’t do this, and I feel they are missing out, though there is a pressure with time these days.

Who is the main or intended audience for your cooking show?

We have an eclectic audience, so there isn’t really a main one.

We’ve just done our stage tour which was 96 nights over six months. The demographic is enormous, from six year olds to 90 year olds. During the shows we get a couple of people up on the stage, we had a bin man and a barrister, an apache helicopter pilot and a truck driver.

We never started out with a set target audience we did what we did, and hoped people would like it.

Baking was an inherent interest and a complete fascination. My ancestors were in agriculture, and so we have had an interest in where our food comes from, and have grown and reared food for our table.

This is a great interest and is always fascinating. When food is in its purest sense it transcends politics, race, religion, it is a truly wonderful thing.

Dave and I became the Hairy Bikers because we both shared an interest for fresh food, motorbiking and having a good laugh. I treat everyday as a blessing.

Do you think more people are getting into baking because of your show and others on the television?

I think more people are, yes. But it’s also rekindling an old interest. Yes, for sure, it’s not just about practical elements its about the depth of knowledge, where the food comes from etc. Our grandparents have an inherent knowledge of food and dealing with food during economic issues, like rationing and not taking food for granted.

They have a tendency then, to bake for themselves, they never bought cakes or biscuits. When I was growing up we always baked, to me that was the norm.

Your parents must have had a large influence on your baking then?

My mam is a great cook and food was 48 -Bake North East

What does a day in your shoes look like?

I get up at 6 o’clock and go for a wander until about 6:30 where I will shower and put a pot of coffee on. Though a lot of the time we are in hotel rooms. I very rarely go down for breakfast, so it’s breakfast in the room, which is usually a melon, yoghurt, coffee, or tea if I fancy it, beans on toast, one slice of toast and a poached egg, followed by another coffee, and by this time I am awake and able to communicate (he laughs).

I’ll go to work and through the day there will be more cups of coffee and tea. Lunch consists of, well, whatever is available usually fish with salad. I finish the day at 8 when we get back to the hotel, where I will have a couple of pints of beer or, a gin and tonic or really just some form of alcohol (we laugh).

I only ever drink fresh coffee, no instant.

Lets put aside food for a moment, why the motorcyle, why not a car?

I am a traveler, I like the road. For me, it’s not about getting from A - B it’s about the journey, and the motorbike is the best way for me. You either understand it or you don’t, and if you’re a motorcyclist you do. I prefer anything on two wheels, even a scooter. A motorbike has character and purpose, you are always thinking about the road conditions, the next corner etc. And for me it’s a great way to deal with stress. I have absolutely no passion for cars.

I’ve always wondered, what do you keep in your panniers?

Haha (he laughs) well let me think. My phone, wallet, spare pair of undies, waterproof bags/black bags, oversuits, spare pair of goggles, spare clothes often when touring, towel, spare pair of shades, though I don’t seem to need them much in the uk, haha, spare pair of gloves, visor demist and cleaner + cloth, and tools.

I’m keen to know what music bakers listen to, what gets you in the mood for baking?

What music I listen to depends entirely on what mood I am in, sometimes it could be Vivaldi, another day it could be Led Zeppelin. The video for children in need of us dancing and singing to Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell was a right laugh.

Could you recommend a bakery worth visiting?

I am from Kibblesworth, Gateshead. I buy bread on Pink Lane from Sugar Down bakery, I’d recommend going there. There is a good bakery in North Shields too, though I forget the name, you know, I have the memory of gnats arse!

Andrew Hayes-Watkins and Optomen from The Hairy Dieters

MEN

Bake North East- 49

Clandestine Cake Club

Bake, Eat and Talk About Cake 50 -Bake North East

CCC Clubs in the North East Alnwick Bedlington and Morpeth Durham Dales Gateshead Gosforth and Jesmond Heaton Newcastle upon Tyne Sunderland and South Shields Whitley Bay and Tynemouth

A secret society, a location left to the last minute and an inflatable plastic parrot was the start of the Clandestine Cake Club.

Originally a small gathering of bakers wanting to share recipes and have a natter about baking, has now grown throughout the UK and into the world.

Founder Lynn Hill started the first meeting in December 2010 where ten bakers and seven cakes were presented at a secret location in Leeds.

Word of mouth soon got more people interested and social media too came in

to play. And before Lynn knew, the whole of the UK wanted to take part.

Lynn encouraged people to set up their own in the place where they lived and gave the organisers simple rules to follow.

The CCC for short, provided an outlet for amateur or professional bakers to come together and socialise about the thing they had an interest in.

Although the club has had coverage in The Daily Mail and on The One Show, the club still sits in the dark in many parts of the UK.

The secrecy however is lost somewhat with the huge interest elsewhere, and now Lynn has prduced a cookbook of some of the best recipes featured at the meetings.

One of the main rules in the club is that they do not allow cupcakes, brownies, cookies, tarts or pies.

On the next couple of pages are bakers who attend meetings in the club. Since so many of those who go are women, I present to you some of the few men that attend meetings here in the North East.

Bake North East- 51

Alan Joyce

I

moved up from the south to Newton Aycliffe in 1986. I started working at my school back in 1998. To start with I was working as a classroom assistant, though after a few months I decided that I wanted to do more than be an assistant so with the head teachers blessing I did my degree part time at Teesside University, graduated in 2007 and have been teaching there ever since.

In my previous life I used to be a chef although I haven’t mentioned that to anyone at the Clandestine Cake Club yet.

I really enjoy having parties at home and cooking for loads of people.

Years ago I used to make wedding cakes for people but stopped when they were not prepared to pay for the time and it ended up costing me money. Now I just do some catering, weddings and parties as and when I want to.

Making cakes is something I have been wanting to do for quite a while. I am not really a cake lover myself, but I do enjoy seeing people eating my cakes. I feel totally relaxed when I am in the kitchen making them.

These days it is just my wife Carole and me at home. We have one daughter Cheryl, 26 and three sons; Wesley, 27, Bradley, 25 and Joseph 23, who all live away.

My wife will only eat chicken and fish so this kind of limits what we eat, however when it comes to deserts she’s up for anything that I make.

I personally don’t like chocolate, cream or strawberries so I generally steer clear of these ingredients when I bake, although I have been known to knock up the odd chocolate and strawberry gateau for a special occasion.

Cheryl has become quite an accomplished little home baker, she loves making cup cakes and carved cakes. Bradley is my only son that has taken to cooking, infact he made Baked Alaska when he was only five. He baked often with me as he grew up and continued when he set up home with his partner. He loves dabbling with food but stays mainly on the

Name: Alan Joyce Age: 54 Occupation: Teacher Hometown: Newton Aycliffe Hobbies: Motorcycling and DIY Favourite Recipe: Banana and walnut cake with lemon frosting savoury side.

I think that the baking shows on the televison have opened many peoples eyes to what actually is available out there.

For far too long people sat at home and ate the same things week in week out but I have seen a change more so in the past 10 years.

Many more things are readily available on the supermarket shelves for us to use, the world has got smaller in that we now have produce from around the world accessible 24/7.

As society is changing we see more men willing to have a go in the kitchen. I think its great that more and more men are doing this, as I have never understood why they didn’t before.

I enjoy baking in the evenings, where I put the iPhone into the base dock and select random, and away it goes. Then while I am cooking I can sing along. I have a huge and varied selection of music, I would say I listen to most things except house and rap.

My favourite cake is a banana and walnut cake with lemon

“I am not really a cake lover myself, but I do enjoy seeing people eating my cakes.”

52 -Bake North East

frosting; I know how lots of people look when I say lemon frosting on banana cake but it does work really well, and I have never had a complaint yet.

I found out about the Clandestine Cake Club while reading in our local weekly paper a couple of months ago. There was an article about a cake club meeting, which I did some research on and then joined.

I should have attended my first meeting last month however despite having made a most glorious red velvet cake with chocolate cream cheese frosting I awoke in the morning full of flu and couldn’t attend. Subsequently the cake was enjoyed by a host of my wife’s friends the following evening.

Bryan Carrahar

B

MEN

ryan, 49, born and bred in Washington, Sunderland is an engineer by profession but passes some of his technical skills into the kitchen where he bakes three or four times a week.

spent the day with John Whaite the winner.

When not baking Bryan enjoys photography, eating out and cycling.

I baked them something different every afternoon from breads, to cakes, to tarts and pizzas, and typical of older American ladies they were very critical.

Q: Tell me about your family, do they have any effect on what you bake? Are you married, have kids? Do they bake, do you bake with them?

A: My parents both baked, I am in a civil partnership, so I bake with friends kids a lot. My partner tends to make a lot of curries and the occasional pies (mince & onion, corned beef and potato) and so is not a member of Clandestine Cake Club.

Q: How long have you been interested in baking, is it something that has occurred recently, or is it an interest that your parents got you into at a young age?

A: I have baked ever since I was a kid, I was brought up with the Bero recipe book and still have one.

Q: What is your favourite recipe?

A: I love Carrot cake and it’s one I am usually asked by people to make to take to parties Q: Do you think baking shows on the television have got more men interested in baking, such as the Great British Bake Off, which featured three men in last year’s final? Do you find they have had any effect on your baking?

A: I think men who bake have usually always baked, though I’m not sure if the show has influenced other men to bake, I entered and got to the final 48 of last years Great British Bake Off and

The last time I was accepted for the preliminary round of great British bake off I was in Florida for three months. I baked every day while there and there were a group of older women that used to sit by the pool on an afternoon and play cards.

One of them (Betty) had her 90th birthday and she was virtually blind, so I made here a sponge cake and topped it off with lots of berries and filled it with cream and she loved it.

Last year we went back to the same place and she heard me talking to friends by the pool when we just arrived and she shouted over: “Hey is that cake boy back in Florida.” It made my day and I went into the apartment and made her some English scones with cream and jam, and the baking started all over again for the 2 weeks of our holiday.

Q: What time of the day do you prefer to bake at? and what music (if any) do you listen to whilst baking?

A: At weekends I get up at seven in the morning and bake then, during the week I bake after work usually around 6pm. I rarely listen to music when baking.

Q: How long have you been a member of the CCC and how many group meetings have you been to?

A: I only joined CCC last year and sadly only attended a few events in Newcastle but hope to attend more this year.

I enjoy my meetings with the CCC, though we never really share recipes or talk about cakes, it is more of a social event for me, but I have met some nice people.

Bake North East- 53

How to Avoid a Soggy Bottom by Gerard Baker

The Clandestine Cake Club Cookbook by Lynn Hill

Brilliant Baking Books Available now: 54 -Bake North East

Paul Hollywood’s Bread by Paul Hollywood

Stacie Bakes by Stacie Stewart (above) and Cake Making by Ruth Clemens(below)

Bake North East- 55

How To Avoid A Soggy Bottom This book is almost a baking miscellany. It provides you with the knowledge to solve baking mishaps and problems you will encounter in the kitchen.

It can be an amateur bakers best friend or a pro’s flick through book when in need of a reminder.

One of the key processes that I have struggled to get my head around, is how using a different tool, or a different technique can totally change the result, when you mix your ingredients together. Soggy Bottom tells you the differences between whisking, mixing, rubbing, beating and kneading.

Set into five chapters the book covers; cakes and biscuits, bread, pastry, desserts and flavours and fillings.

Aside from answering many questions, it provides a small selection of relevant recipes to help you on your way.

There are no pictures only simple clip-art style drawings. But the book is colourful with pretty chapter breaks like this one here on the right.

RRP ÂŁ12.99

56 -Bake North East

Bake North East- 57

The Clandestine Cake Club

This superb 256 page book presents cakes baked by members of the Clandestine Cake CLub. Arranged by club founder Lynn Hill, the cookbook promises only cakes, no tarts, brownies or cupcakes.

The cakes have been beautiful photo5 -Bake North East

graphed and presented in this hardback edition, with easy to follow instructions and a perfect design that keeps a consistent place from page to page.

On opening you may feel a great surge throughout you as you feel inclined to

make every cake you set eyes upon. I would personally recommend the Ginger Syrup and the Japanese Green Tea Cake.

RRP ÂŁ20

Cookbook by Lynn Hill

Bake North East- 59

Paul Hollywood’s Bread

Presented with vivid, highly detailed photographs, Paul Hollywood brings us 224 pages of bread making. Occasionally with step by step imagery, though often with finished final loaves, the book is wonderful

to flick through and a real help to anybody wanting to make bread.

Bread is written by Paul Hollywood; celebrity chef and judge on BBC2’s The Great British Bake Off.

Each recipe starts with a little introduction, whether that be how Paul came to make the bread, or a short paragraph on the bread itself.

RRP £20

MEN

Bake North East- 61

Stacie Bakes Stacie Bakes is filled with imagery of Stacies own makes as well as photographs of herself in her home town, North East’s own Sunderland.

The cookbook holds recipes aswell as the occasional biographically paragraph or two, with some information on how stacie came about a recipe, or just general short stories about her parents for example.

The book is colourful with descriptive instructions. A key part worth checking out are the first few pages that contain baking tips and a kitchen kit, so you can begin to understand what you need to begin your baking adventure with Stacie.

Stacie Stewart is a self-taught cook from Sunderland who currently owns the Beehive Bakery where she bakes wedding cakes, amongst other cakes.

More recently she co-hosted Simon Cowells ITV show Food, Glorious Food.

RRP ÂŁ18.99

62 -Bake North East

Bake North East- 63

The Pink Whisk Guide

Cookbooks are great when they come with step-by-step photo and text instructions. It helps you see if you’re doing it right and how it should look, something I find to be a great help.

Almost every recipe in this 128 page book

is written out in the step-by-step format and the pictures are big enough for you to make clear sense of the recipe.

A different take on a baking equipment list shows a photograph of labelled equipment, this certainly helps you work out

what a Bundt tin is. A breakdown of different ingredients is provided; showing one flour from the next and gives you info and tips on different types, including flour, sugar, egss, butter and chocolate.

RRP ÂŁ12.99

To Cake Making

Bake North East- 65

Baking with the Bikers: Two recipes from The Hairy Bikers Big B

Monica’s Breakfast Bread “We visited a monastery where Monica, the cook, showed us how to make these crescent-shaped brioche-style breakfast breads – a sort of ancestor of the croissant. She bakes them on Sundays as a special treat for the monks and this is her recipe.” - The Hairy Bikers

Makes 6 1kg strong white plain flour, plus extra for dusting 1tsp salt 2 x 7g sachets of fast-action dried yeast 500ml milk (lukewarm) 15g caster sugar, plus extra for dredging 125ml vegetable oil 2 large eggs 1 egg yolk, beaten 1. Tip the flour into a mixing bowl with the salt and yeast. Pour the lukewarm milk into a separate bowl and mix with the sugar and oil, then beat in the 2 large eggs.

2. Pour the milk mixture over the flour mix to form a soft dough with your hands. Turn the dough out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until smooth.

Return the dough to the bowl, cover with a clean

66 -Bake North East

(Godkipferl)

tea towel and leave to stand for 15 minutes. Dust 2 non-stick baking sheets with flour.

3. Knock back the dough and divide it into 6 pieces.

Take a piece of dough and cut it into 3. Roll or stretch each of the 3 pieces into sausage shapes about 20– 25cm long. Pinch the 3 together at one end, then plait the strands and pinch together at the other end. Repeat with the remaining 5 pieces of dough.

4. Shape each plait into a crescent shape, place them on the floured baking sheets and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/ Gas 4.

5. Brush the crescents with the beaten egg yolk and dredge them with caster sugar, then bake for 25 minutes until they are well risen and golden. Take them out of the oven and check that the crescents are cooked by tapping the base; it should sound hollow.

Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Book of Baking

Bake North East- 67

HAIRY BIKERS RECIPE

Provencal Bread

(Pain de Provence)

“This is a wonderfully fragrant bread, guaranteed to bring the sunshine of Provence to the greyest winter day. It’s made with a starter dough, which gets the bread going and helps make it light and airy, but you’ll need to start preparations the day before baking.” - The Hairy Bikers

Makes 1 large loaf Starter dough 5g fresh yeast or 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast plus 1tsp caster sugar 100g strong white flour 100g rye flour, plus extra for dusting 200ml warm water Bread 10g fresh yeast or 2 tsp fast-action dried yeast 1tbsp fine sea salt 500g strong white flour, plus extra for dusting 325ml lukewarm water sunflower oil, for greasing 3tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves 1tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves 1tbsp fennel seeds, lightly toasted 1. To make the starter dough with fresh yeast, rub the yeast into the flours in a mixing bowl, then add the water and mix with a wooden spoon to form a thick paste. Cover with clingfilm and put the bowl in the fridge for 24 hours. If using dried yeast, sprinkle over the water and stir in the sugar. Leave in a warm place for 10 minutes or until a light foam forms on the surface. Add to the flours and mix to form a stiff paste. Chill in the fridge for 24 hours.

2. To make the bread, rub the fresh or dried yeast and salt into the flour and set aside. In a large mixing

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bowl, gently mix half of the prepared starter dough and the 325ml of warm water until sloppy. You can freeze the remaining starter dough for up to 1 month and thaw it overnight in the fridge before using.

3. Add the just mixed flour, salt and yeast to the large mixing bowl. Using a wooden spoon at first and then your hands, bring both mixtures together to form a ball. Knead on a floured surface for about 10 minutes, then put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

4. Carefully ease the dough out of the bowl, put it on a floured surface and gently knock it back with your knuckles. Knead the herbs and fennel seeds into the dough for a few minutes until evenly dispersed, then form into a ball. Place this on a surface lightly dusted with rye flour, flatten it into a large round, then bring in the sides to meet in the middle and pinch hard. Turn the dough over to make a perfect round loaf shape and flatten slightly. Place the loaf on a baking sheet, cover loosely with oiled clingfilm and leave to rise for a further hour. Score the surface lightly with a knife – creating a pattern like the spokes of a wheel 5. Preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7.

Bake the loaf for 25–30 minutes until well risen and golden brown. The loaf should sound hollow when the base is tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

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Time for Supper

Teapigs

T

eapigs was created in 2006, with the aim of providing tea of the finest quality and of much variety.

They acheive this promise by selling tea of whole leaf; herbs and flowers.

Presented in a sleek and stylish bag, which they call a tea ‘temple,’ which is convenient, clean and simple to use.

Tea temples are not made of paper like normal bags, but of a meshy, biodegradeable material, that provides better infusion and less chance of splitting.

From their website: “It’s all about the flavour.

The tea in regular tea bags has been squashed, chopped and manhandled so, by the time it reaches your cup, almost all the flavour is lost.

“We don’t think that’s very nice. The whole leaves, herbs and flowers in our tea temples have been handled gently and with love, to maintain every drop of that precious flavour.”

Not only are their temples made from biodegradable corn starch, edorsed by the Japanese Bioplastics Association, but they’re cardboard packaging is Forestry Stewardship Council certified as recyclable and the ink used on the box is vegetable based.

The team behind Teapigs also reuses their card-

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board packing cases to post out thier online orders, recycle all their milk cartons, soup tins, jars at their local recycling centre, and despite all the tea drinking that goes on in their office, they are always careful not to overfill the kettle, though their mission to find the perfect eco kettle is ongoing.

In the Teapigs collection are 23 individual teas, ranging from well known names, such as Darjeeling, Chai, Peppermint and Chamomile, to extravegant teas, that have to be worth trying such as, Yerba Mate (pronounced yerba mah-tey), Liquorice and Mint, Chocolate Flake, Popcorn and Rooibos.

Creme Caramel.

“the whole leaves, herbs and flowers in our tea temples have been handled gently and with love, to maintain every drop of that precious flavour.”

Pop Corn Tea Description: “Not one we’ve made up, we promise! Back in the day, green tea was rather expensive and too pricey for your average Japanese peasant, so to make it go further they’d mix it with grains of toasted rice.

From such humble beginnings has grown a tea that, in today’s Japan, is celebrated in its own right as Genmaicha tea – or, to its friends, Popcorn tea.” www.teapigs.co.uk

Blogs

Here are a selection of blogs worth checking out. Though they aren’t all North East England related, they can still provide great insight into cake ideas, recipes and stories about bakers.

Savory Simple - www.savorysimple.net A wordpress blog recently turned to a full website, Savory Simple writes from across the pond in America.

Her blog began as a way for her to document her time in culinary school, but soon developed into a home for her recipe creations and food photography.

Jen, the writer behind Savory Simple, has an “insatiable passion for food. That consumes her life in many ways: cooking, learning, trying new cuisines, reading books and traveling the world in search of new culinary experiences.”

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Baked. Cupcakery - www.bakedcupcakery.c o.uk They are a small bakery based in Sunderland, run by cake enthusiast Helena. They specialise in all things cake and cupcake, from giant cupcakes to mini cupcakes and everything in between.

The Cake Hunter - www.t hecakehunter.c o.uk Written by 26 year old Sophie from Stoke-onTrent. She has been a passionate baker for five years.

On her blog she posts recipes mixed with relaxed informal stories about herself, her day and the weather.

Her photographs are wonderful and the topics are greatly interesting.

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Blogs The Male Baker themalebaker.wordpress.c om Dave, the male baker, has been baking for over ten years and on his blog he brings you his tips and recipes that he says will change your baking experience.

From his about page: “Most people cannot believe that I, a hockey loving, soccer playing, male university graduate in business, would ever find enjoyment while conjuring up the best baking recipes! But I say to them, ”I have to satisfy my insanely large sweet tooth somehow!””

Catch Kitey - www.catchkitey.t umblr.c om/

Clandestine Cake Club baker Andrew Kite, host this blog; Catch Kitey.

In the CCC cook book, Andrew tells us how to make a Curious Victoria Sponge, curious because of it’s alcohol filled fruit filling.

On his blog, Andrew gives us photogrpahs of the latest bakes he has been making alongside pictures of things that he has encountered in his life.

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Joy the Baker

Family taught Los Angeles baker Joy, presents a blog filled with exciting innovative recipes, none of your simple usual bakes and makes.

Joy also creates a podcast and has a book out at the moment along with two in the making.

Her favourite thing to bake is Apple Pie.

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Dabbling in hot drinks with the editor

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ea is one of the drinks I swallow down daily, and with great satisfaction of course, much like the rest of the nation.

I do often drink ground-up-supermarket-sold tea wrapped in paper bags, that don’t split often, but have been known to do so in the past.

But I also drink loose leaf tea, it’s only ever black tea; assam, ceylon, english breakfast, among others. I’ve had white and green, but they’ve always been in bags.

Though what seems to be popular now is a kind of mesh tea temple, much like Teapigs and Harp Lyre have (featured in the depths of this magazine). These provide great flavour, a small chance of ripping and they look rather nice. I remember recently, the expression of a friend of mine, seeing the mesh bag for the first time, he was rather taken back by the wonder of them.

Drinking black tea for two days, for me, is a struggle. One weekend when I had run out of milk, I decided to see if I could manage withouit the dairy product. I could, but it was difficult. Milk really does give a tea a certain flavour.

During first year of university, I was living in halls, myself and my now current flatmate were downstairs

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when a fellow student came in. He was Chinese and he presented us with some tea from his country.

It came in a nice silver tin with some cardboard wrapped around the lid, which simply said Refined Chinese Tea in English, the rest, I assume was in Chinese.

I do believe the tea was called Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong (in English translates as: Authentic Mountain Small Leaf), which was the only chinese that wasn’t written in symbols on the actual packet. Anyway our flatmate (his name slips my mind) sat down with us and showed us how to brew it. And it was very nice.

I still have the tea, I guess I’m saving it for something, maybe just as a way to remember parts of my university life.

I soon dabbled in various other flavours of tea and more recently in coffee too. University has been the main cause. I dipped into making my own cocktail at one point, but that’s a story for another day. And because at university you rely on yourself most of the time when it comes to cooking, I started baking often too, which is, honestly, hard to do in student halls, with every Tom, Dick and Harry wanting access to the kitchen at the same time as you do.

I am all for trying to get people to drink real leaf tea, but I do love PG Tips (plus their TV adverts, with Johnny Vegas, are just hilarious - a great selling point).

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BAKE NE Issue 1 May 2013 £4