I recommend this book to anyone who likes autobiography or memoirs, real life stories, triumph over adversity, community spirit and of course baking or consuming baked goods. After following the Orange Bakery on Instagram I was very excited about the book coming out and it does not disappoint. This book is written by Kitty and her father, Al - they tell the story together and they each have a distinct font. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. One part inspirational memoir, one part delicious and rustic recipes, combined to make a wholesome and inspirational cookbook that I’m proud to display on my shelves.

The first half of Birdsong recounts how The Orange Bakery came to be, including Kitty's mental health struggles that led to her being introduced to breadmaking. I am always interested in how people cope with a mental health issue especially when you are still in your teens and in full time education. I haven't read anything that has made me cry, laugh, yearn and feel so brimming with potential for a long, long time.After a few whirlwind months, she and her dad opened the Orange Bakery, where queues now regularly snake down the street. It follows what grew from baking a few loaves together to calm her mind to finding an incredible talent for bread making and opening a village bakery together within 2 years. It’s recipes are easy to follow and adapt to suit your own tastes - it is filled with bakes you want to make (and eat) and Kitty’s casual and chatty narration is the perfect accompaniment to the recipes. While I can't imagine what that time was like for Kitty or her parents, I still felt bad for the older siblings who just seemed like they were on their own.

I think it’s a testament to the recipe writing that the first one I chose to make was The Comfort Loaf – a white bread with marmite in.When I lost my dad, I baked an absurd amount of cakes and biscuits for the hospice staff; I bake (and eat) when I’m stressed, when I’m sat, when I’m bored, when I’m happy. I like the description of the characters in the local community and the support and kindness they provide as well as Kitty's gradual increase in confidence.

In 2018, Kitty was at school and Al worked at Oxford University, but when Kitty became so ill she couldn't leave the house, the two discovered baking and, in particular, sourdough. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. If you had told me at 14 when I couldn’t even get out of bed with depression and anxiety that three years later I would have written a book I would never have believed you.

and then you keep reading and you realise just how much stress the whole thing is, and how early you have to get up (unless you're the Margaret River bakers who sell their bread from 3pm onwards, LIFE GOALS) and.