With the Great British Bakeoff in full swing how about getting the kids in the kitchen and inspiring the next generation of bakers? Butterfly cakes for garden treats, bobbing boats to take to the beach. Making them with the children and grand-children – what better way to spend an afternoon as the holidays draw to a close or as younger brothers and sisters are left at home when the older ones go to school.
Summer Cupcakes
Mary Berry’s Orange Butterfly Cakes looks a little bit different. http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/orange_butterfly_cakes_82059
Or for a nautical theme try baking your favourite cupcakes in blue paper cases. Then slice off the top and trim to a triangular shape, ice each cake with vanilla butter-cream ‘waves’ and secure the sail with a toothpick mast. Or simply cut out coloured paper sails instead.
Benefits of baking
Going back to school at the beginning of a new year can be nerve-racking for children of all ages and also a worry for parents. Recent research has found that cooking or baking alleviates anxiety and stress and allows you to focus on something other than your current anxiety. And children just love pottering around in the kitchen.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jul/03/can-baking-improve-mental-health
Enjoy Time Together
As the summer holidays draw to a close it’s great to enjoy time together. Put off naming the new school uniform. Do it later with a nice glass of chilled Prosecco. These golden days of late summer don’t last forever.
