Grow Your Own Cake - book review

First off, how could you not want to own a book called this; I mean, seriously, who doesn't dream of cake all day long. (If you don't, I worry about our friendship and suggest that you seek help - cake is everything!) Now take that fact and add in the allotment gardener and you get the perfect scenario. Growing the ingredients of the most delicious cakes and pies plus getting to bask in the glory of that fact that you, yes you make a cake of dreams. Your friends will be in awe, your enemies will be forever begging for forgiveness.

Basically this book, written by Holly Farrell, is one of tending to nature, creating beauty and stuffing your face with goodness :)

The feel of this book is beautiful; it's prose is friendly, the photos by Jason Ingram are inspiring and it is so well laid out.

****

* Gardening Basics - covers how to pick good plants, do your soil preparation, learn about compost, fertiliser, mulch and weeds. It goes over pruning, seed sowing, tree planting and maintenance. All in a concise, no nonsense, point by point way - making things really approachable.

* In the Kitchen - is a great chapter on all the basics written in a down-to-earth way and with personal preferences that are just so much more realistic than many chef written books. Holly talks about how to do all those little technical bits such as folding, kneading, crystallising flowers, piping and pastry making. She also explains oven temperatures and what sort of equipment you would need to bake things form this book.

* Recipes - Now it's recipe time and oh my! Cakes are spilt into seasons; spring & summer and autumn & winter, which makes so much sense when you are trying to grow the ingredients at the same time. Each main home grown ingredient is written about on the 'grow' page, talking about best varieties, planting, maintenance and harvest, then comes the recipe on the 'bake' page.

* Then there are chapters on Afternoon Tea ideas and Puddings rounded of with a chapter on Savoury bakes, cause sometimes we do need a little non-sweet food stuffs, I guess :)

Author - Holly Farrell (@Holly_E_Farrell )

Photographer - Jason Ingram (@jasonphotos)

*******

There are so many things I want to bake, though I may eat everything myself...it's a risk. I would like to see myself use this book and give a little added excitement to harvest time.

In summary I found this book really approachable, inspiring and full of nothing but useful information and recipes you will want to eat and now won't be too daunted to create. A triumph really and a push to get me back on the pots again this weekend and to start doing photography again :)

*******

This book is out today, 3rd March 2016!

Publisher - Frances Lincoln (@Frances_Lincoln)

Twitter hashtag   #GrowYourOwnCake

Love and hugs

Carrie