Coronavirus has changed the everyday lives of most people and we're looking for new ways to entertain ourselves and keep ourselves busy. Baking is a great way to move away from watching the news and concentrate on something else. It is now considered an act of mindfulness and many have spoken out about its benefits. It is a fantastic way to relax and when you have baked there is always a delicious treat rewarding your efforts.
Britain Loves Baking, the direct to consumer baking box business launched during Covid to safeguard the jobs of the founders employees has launched its Mindfulness Box Initiative, a baking box that not only tastes good, but does good.
The boxes include: Focused Focaccia, Meditation Cupcakes and Raising Your Self Esteem Polenta & Sesame loaf. All ingredients are supplied ready measured out, with a step by step recipe card and full instructions and video tutorials on Facebook and You Tube.
Each recipe came with clear and easy to understand instructions. There was a lot of waiting around for the yeast to do it's stuff for the Focaccia and Polenta & Sesame loaf but that gave us time to make the cupcakes.
I am no expert at baking any type of bread. It's something I usually shy away from but making the Focaccia and Polenta & Sesame loaf was easy and the end results were fantastic. There was a lot of waiting around for the yeast to activate and the dough to prove but it was well worth the wait.
Focused Focaccia.
From the smell of a freshly-baked loaf filling your home to the first bite of a homemade hunk of bread to the scientific evidence that cooking and baking is beneficial for your mental health.
Raising your self esteem with the Tuscan Polenta Bread.
The positive effects of opening the oven and taking out a loaf you have laboured over cannot be overstated. The sensory impact of seeing the finished loaf for the first time, the whoosh of heat from the oven, the aromas of caramelised sugars, the sound of the crust singing and the taste of fresh bread is a collection of joys. It is a uniquely satisfying payoff, and pride in such an achievement can feed directly into boosting self esteem.
Mediation Berry Cupcakes.
So this is a trick for all you people who think you can’t meditate and would also like an excuse to eat some sweets with intentionality. I hereby give you official sanction, if that’s what you need: make yourself some cupcakes but here’s the catch: when you make it, you have to focus on it. That means you’ve got to keep your phone out of sight, turn off the TV or ignore it if you’re in a public space where one’s blaring, step away from your computer, and don’t even allow yourself a magazine or a cereal box to stare at.
Considering the kids don't like olives the Focaccia was gone by the end of the day and the Polenta & Sesame loaf didn't last much longer. Of course the cupcakes were eaten as soon as they were iced. lol
Didn't we do well?!
The Mindful Baking Box aims to support the nations mental wellbeing and Britain Loves Baking will produce the box at cost and sell it for £10 with the difference donated to the Mental Health Foundation, the UK’s leading charity for everyone’s mental health.
I think that is a fantastic price for this baking box considering what is included in it. Doing a bit for charity is a massive bonus too. I think one of these baking boxes would be fantastic for kids to do too, incorporating it into their home learning. There is the science aspect as well as teaching them how to bake.
Each week during lockdown Greg Wixted, the founder of Britain Loves Baking and his team will randomly gift up to 20 boxes and anyone can nominate someone or themselves via the contact section via the website.
I was sent the Mindful Baking Box free of charge in exchange for this blog post.
This all looks great - well done !
ReplyDeleteThese look great (although I've already told you I'm not a fan of Polenta.) I totally agree with mindfulness baking, in fact, last weekend my girl was feeling really depressed. I got her in the kitchen and we made bread, the kneading was so therapeutic she felt much better afterwards. And the loaf she made was delicious (And devoured by my lot in less than ten minutes!) I'll have a look at these boxes. xx
ReplyDeletewow this looks awesome X
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea for a subscription box. I think baking is very therapeutic and it makes the house smell lush. All of your goodies look amazing! xx
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