Welcome to Baker's Dozen

Earlier this year I started a small home based baking business called Lime Scales, after I made 36 cupcakes for my boyfriend’s birthday party that were a hit – and as a complete bonus, I loved making them. I had also become famous in our circle of friends for my chocolate chip cookies, so I thought, “what the heck, let’s go for it”. Not to mention, we’d recently also bought a new house, and I was finding my monthly bond commitments somewhat challenging, so the extra cash would be a bonus.

My boyfriend has been incredibly supportive, particularly of the odd up til midnight and following morning 5am starts, but recently he’s been moaning that all these beautiful things get made in our home, and there’s no such thing as a Baker’s Dozen – in other words, he never gets to taste anything.

And how right he is. And how unfair is that? Particularly because I too LOVE food. I’m one of those people (and most of my friends are too, which suits me just perfectly) who will be sitting at a lunch or dinner, discussing the next meal, or the last one and what made it amazing! And that’s how this Blog, Baker’s Dozen, has come into being.

Look, I’m certainly no expert in the kitchen – I’m no Martha Stewart or Delia Smith (those are the real connoisseurs), but I am a real woman, with a career and a life, just like most of you! Apart from five years of Home Economics at school, I’ve never had any formal chef’s training. But, I grew up in a house with a very sweet toothed father, who every time I presented a flopped three tiered Chocolate Orange Gateau, would say “as long as all the ingredients are in, it’ll taste just perfect”. How fabulous is that? So of course, I’d try again, knowing that stuffing up was not the end of the world.

What I have realised on this journey, is just how much I love baking, cooking and mucking about in my kitchen! I love the down time, on my own, with my thoughts, being creative. Now, I never thought I was a creative being, mainly because I can’t draw or paint or play an instrument. However, I guess the reality is that creating something, anything, is what makes you creative.

And so I think (like Nigella, and that’s why I love her so much) that with the right ingredients, a little time and some confidence, we can all create our own masterpieces. In my opinion, there’s nothing quite like the appreciation of my dinner guests when I serve up homemade Decadent Chocolate Brownies for dessert. I guess because it’s so easy to go out and buy Brownies nowadays, people are genuinely surprised when you spend the time to make your own. Really, most things are not brain surgery, this can be easy, fun and it’s so worth it.

Over time, buy way of photographic tutorials, I’ll share some of my old favourite no flop recipes with you. I’ll also experiment on some new recipes, look at gizmo’s and gadgets, share tips and troubleshooting, and at the end of the day, hopefully prove that as long as you’re having fun, it’s all good. Oh yes, and of course make sure to keep the legend of the Baker’s Dozen alive.

I hope you keep reading!

Nix