Monday 2 March 2015

Elegant Economy: baking




A new month, a new series... I'm looking forward to this very much. Having pondered long and hard I realised there would be a definite crossover with other series - both current and past - and that's just fine by me. There may be the odd foray into Precious Things territory, and there'll most definitely be Food Memories involved too. Hurrah for that I say. Just one little disclaimer before we begin. This series isn't me finger-wagging or saying what I think people should do. It's me saying what I do. I'd be very keen to hear how you do things - or your parents or grandparents, for that matter. Shared wisdom is truly valuable (and incredibly interesting).

So, without further ado: elegant economy and the world of baking.

I remember growing up in a house where there was a weekly 'baking day'. Often it would be when the oven was already switched on for something else. It was all about being resourceful, getting as much out of that few hours of heat consumption as you could. Cakes would be baked in battered old tins lined with saved bread wrappers. Cut to size, they were as good as 'proper' greaseproof paper. We'd have sponges sandwiched together with raspberry jam, iced and sprinkled with dessicated coconut. Little lemon curd tarts. 'Flatcake' - rich pastry dough and raisins baked into a round and eaten thickly buttered.


My mum brought us up alone. In the very early days she lived above a cake shop and paid the rent by working downstairs. She'd tell me how, whenever she met up with her friend in a cafe, she'd skip putting the sugar in her coffee and instead take a couple of sachets home for the jar.

These days I can imagine it's only the very old (or eccentric) who do things like that. Back then though, people were thrifty and careful. I remember as a child the strikes which resulted in the water being cut off; we'd have bowls and pans filled to the brim ready in advance and they'd cover the kitchen surfaces... 

Back to the present. I do have a tendency to use the oven sensibly. Might as well utilise both shelves if it's going on. And I'm careful with what I buy too. Once upon a time it was cheaper to cook, bake, sew and knit your own. Now, not so much. In our throwaway society we expect food to be ever cheaper, for our clothing to cost just a few pounds. And baking can be a costly business. Granted, nothing tastes as nice as home made. But once you've factored in the cost of heating the oven and buying all those ingredients, is it worth it?


For me, yes. There are some things I don't compromise on - vanilla extract (not essence), butter (not margarine), *free range eggs. But I've found that the Germanic supermarkets (Aldi and Lidl) do some good basics at reasonable prices. Let's face it, ground almonds are ground almonds. Ditto the flaked variety. And caster sugar.

*For me, this is non-negotiable. There's a shop nearby which sells local free-range eggs for £1.10 per half-dozen, and they're large and brown with the most wonderful orangey yolks.

So: it comes down to what's known as Shopping Around. And let's save Having The Time for another post...


Baking's also a good way of using things up. I do hate throwing food away; indeed, it very rarely happens here. I endeavour to get things eaten by their use-by date. Anything stale (or which Joe leaves) goes to the birds. Or is bagged up for the ducks.

I baked banana bread at the weekend. Toddlers are notoriously faddy, and what they love one day they refuse to eat the next. I'm not the biggest fan of bananas, particularly when they've reached that over-ripe stage. Once the skins go brown they're perfect for baking with (or blitzing into a smoothie). Same with old apples - they get cooked down and used in cakes too.

Much of what you have for baking lasts for ages anyway: nuts, dried fruit, spices and so on. I just make sure everything's kept in airtight containers. Nobody likes flour weevils.

In terms of economising - well, sometimes it's OK to push the boat out. I love to make a fancy birthday cake or a special something using indulgent ingredients. But most of the time it's pretty simple and often things taste all the better for it. Basic Madeira cake or shortbread, chicken pie or jam tarts are pretty hard to beat. And fad-proof too...

So, there you have it. I could go on ad infinitum but I won't. Better to perhaps revisit this particular subject than to write War and Peace all in one post. I would love to hear your memories or thoughts on baking and the role of elegant economy in your kitchens. Happy baking.

23 comments:

  1. I love to bake and try to do it often. It was not part of my childhood experience, though; my mother didn't enjoy it and always said she thought it was more expensive. I don't think that's true, but it was how she felt about it. My husband and I both like to bake; he's more into breads and I'm in sweets, but we cross over a lot too. He grinds whole-wheat flour himself to save money. I'm planning to bake cookies later today; I just took the butter out of the fridge to soften.

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  2. You're going to think we are terribly boring but elegant economy here mostly involves not baking ... if I did bake I'd have all the left over cake to contend with. We just aren't really cake or biscuit eaters and reserve those treats for high days and holidays, particularly as the only 'child' still in residence didn't like cake when he was diddy and still doesn't. I do agree about using the best quality ingredients when the cheaper substitutes aren't really substitutes at all though. And free range eggs, they're non-negotiable here too.

    Lovely idea for a post series :)

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  3. Firstly, I must say your images are amazing! Secondly I was raised by the best baker ever, but then most say that about their mum, except mine that is.....I'm a lousy baker! I'm fairly new to baking, being vegan....and only wanting to eat whole foods and no refined foods, this is proving a bit tricky! But I'm not one to give up easily, so I shall keep going and I'm sure a fair amount will end up in the bin! It is hard eating healthily on a budget, I don't care what the experts say...rubbish processed foods are dirt cheap. Whole foods, organic are expensive, but much better for our health. I will look forward to your new series :) xxx

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    1. Thanks! Have you tied Pinterest for vegan baking? I'm not vegan but there are a lot of recipes appear in my feed and they look really good... x

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  4. My mum and dad used to collect the unused sugar that came with their drinks when they were out. They ended up with a big jar full !

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  5. I like the fact that your different posts overlap a little, it shows that these are the things that are important to you! Nothing wrong with that at all. I don't bake a lot as we don't eat enough baked things, but I love it when I do! I always remember baking being done to fill up the oven when there were other things in there - make good use of the heat! xx

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  6. I remember collecting sugar sachets. They came with beautiful pictures on and were collectables when I grew up. My mum was/is a lousy baker. The first ever Birthday cake she made for me when I turned 28. It was practically sand. I don't bake often but my husband is a great baker. He prefers simple recipes, just like you. We never compromise on eggs, always free range but I do buy my ground almonds in Aldi. I hate throwing out food, in fact it rarely happens here, we are good a using up leftovers but also good at judging how much we eat. A little leftover makes a good lunch the next day. I am looking forward to the next post in this series. xx

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  7. A lovely post Sarah. I like to bake, but I try not to use particularly expensive ingredients, and to make plenty of cheaper things like jam tarts, with homemade jam, rice pudding, bread pudding with leftover bread and crumbles made with homegrown fruit. As you say, free range eggs are non-negotiable. At the farm door round here they are between £1 and £1.50 usually. Aldi are cheaper, but I love the local eggs when I can get them. I do use lots of ground almonds in cakes, because I like to get a bit of extra protein into one of the children, who doesn't eat meat or much dairy. I shall look forward to following this series. CJ xx

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  8. I love baking too. I find it really therapeutic. The weighing, measuring and mixing calms me. I have lovely memories of baking from childhood. Both my mum and granny baked regularly. My mum still does. We grew up with the smell of fresh baked bread most days. Like when I was little, I tend to bake mostly breads, scones and simple cakes. With an odd special occasion cake on birthdays! My second boy has a nut allergy which means I like to bake and cook from scratch. It's easier to keep him safe that way.

    I really loved this post Sarah! It's got me thinking. Looking forward to the next one. Bee xx

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  9. 'Either old or eccentric’ - my husband is both - and still does it. Drives me nuts..........

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  10. Baking is something I love to do. I usually keep it simple too. I don't like recipes where you have to buy lots of unusual ingredients that you only need a tiny amount of. I use my own eggs so they're free range and very lovely. I also try to use as much as possible from the garden - fruit and vegetable and also herbs. So that saves a bit of money. I have to agree with you that it is probably more expensive now to make your own but it is much better. You know exactly what's in it.

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  11. I agree, happy eggs are the most important! your Mum sounded resourceful X

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  12. A lovely first post for this series. I try to bake regularly and always use free-range eggs too. I don't mind spending a bit extra as it means I know exactly what's in my baking, and it really does taste so much better. I'm trying to get back into the habit of baking on a weekly basis so that we always have something in and I'm not tempted by chocolate!

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  13. I love this post Sarah - it conjures up all kinds of memories for me and baking with my mother. It wasn't a passion for her when we were little as each meal was strictly managed on a weekly budget, but she did try the best she could. Fairy cakes were always a favourite and anything sweet we could forage would be turned into something with crumble...and if we couldn't find anything then it was just plain old crunchy crumble with Bird's custard. Xx

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    1. The crumble's the best bit, isn't it? And I do sometimes get a custard craving. Best not to fight it... x

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  14. I loved this post Sarah. It gave me great memories of baking with my Grandma. My Mum was never a cake/pudding or biscuit maker. Although she enjoys them ( too much? probably the reason why she didn't bake!) I really enjoy baking and probably don't do it often enough! xx

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  15. Lovely post and photographs, I bake and cook all the time and I grew up in a family of bakers and cooks. There is nothing better than producing home made food for the ones you love, and you know what went into it. We have our chickens so free range eggs, there is nothing better :)

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  16. I baked for my children until She got to about 10 and told me one day that it was her job now, and could I please go away.
    She even baked her own 13th birthday cake!
    The photographs are beautiful, lovely lighting.

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    1. Thank you! It's really difficult to get decent indoor photographs at the moment - the days may be getting longer but light levels are so low. Hurry up, spring!

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  17. It might be more expensive but cooking and baking from scratch is something I won't compromise on. Shop bought and ready made just doesn't compare.

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  18. I grew up in just the same sort of household: jam tarts, currant flat cake, scones and biscuits every week. I loved joining in and somehow I must have absorbed how to do it from my mother and grandmother so that as a mother myself I baked as part of everyday life, even when I worked full time and life was frantic. It was a calming, companionable thing to do with my children that grounded us all. Now I see them doing it with their own children and both my older grandsons are confident and happy bakers at nine and five. Is it expensive? It doesn't have to be but even when it is what you gain is far more than just something to eat. We should have a crusade!

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  19. home baking also means you can control what goes into the baking, no weird preservatives or colours thankyou, just simple delicious smells scenting the house and making a house into a home x

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  20. I'm already looking forward to your next post in this series! I just can't bear to throw any food in the bin, so often my baking or cooking is based around the contents of the fridge or fruit bowl. I grew up on a very middle class diet of brown everything and homemade everything, and always hated how I had the weirdest lunchbox contents (which is probably very fashionable today.) Now I'm a proper grown up and everything I take a perverse pleasure in buying synthetic cakes like fondant fancies and angel cake, and plastic white bread toasted with marmite, mmm... Sorry, not very elegant or economical. *hangs head in shame* xx

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