The trials and joys of a home-baker

This week's highlights: home-grown Comice pears, utterly delicious; cake fail confessions!

It is (just about) autumn. Garden spiders are building their beautiful webs everywhere in the veg garden and wasps are getting slow and lazy, while the low autumn sun backlights the leaves of our new roses by the Bakery Cabin. Apple pies are back on the menu - no recipe needed, these are just known, taught to us all as children, made with Bramleys every autumn.

Our garden pears and apples are ripe early, still delicious but not so abundant after the drought this summer. We have found that fruit trees originating from France or further south (pears, figs) loved the heat, however our own local varieties of apples (Duke of Devonshire, Tiddicombe Seedling) really struggled. Climate change is a reality and some of our apple trees may not survive another drought next summer we fear despite our plans to improve the soil, add thick mulch, and invest in water butts galore. Another victim has been our plum, hardly any fruit, so no plum and cardamon cake this year.

People often see my bakes and exclaim that I must be this 'most talented' baker. Well, let me let you all into a not-so-secret secret. I am a learner baker. We all are. There is SO much to know about baking, that everyone is still learning, especially about bread. This week's prime example was a cake failure! I tried to create what should have been a delicious up-sided-own vegan ginger pear cake (our own Conference pears, everyone's favourite ginger cake on top) but failed to bake it for long enough, so the pears weren't soft and the sponge wasn't cooked through. Easily done with a fruit sponge as the fruit contains so much moisture it can be difficult to work out if it is done and cooking time must be increased substantially.

What I love is to share knowledge and swap ideas especially for local recipes and local ingredients. It would be great to all learn together, and to really enjoy the fruits of this beautiful place we call home, in our baking and sharing together. Please do share ideas, thoughts and recipes if you would like.

This week's highlight was a simple one. Unbaked and perfect. A ripe Comice pear from our own tree. Those of you with your own trees will know that to get a pear at the perfect stage of ripeness requires good judgement and considerable luck. The moment of perfection may occur and then pass within just a few hours. Sometimes at 3am...and no, I do not stay up watching the fruit bowl just in case. This particular one was still just firm, but also buttery, juicy and so fragrant.

Next Saturday we are having a week off the bakery as my parents are celebrating a (very impressive) wedding anniversary so I will be busy baking them a party. However we are back on the 10th October when I will try again with the pear upside-down cake, and the eclairs (by special request from two very special customers) will be chocolate coated.

Have a lovely week in the meantime and enjoy the fresh mornings and good fruit.

Judy Deegan