Of course, there’s no shortage of Mary Berry recipes out there, but this collection of 250 of them is a great place for novices to kick off their education in all things baking. Nadiya’s clear and straightforward instructions help you take on ambitious and experimental bakes with a dry brow and steady hand. Written by Claire Sandy, the novel is about a housewife that tries to improve her life by emulating everything that Mary Berry does when it comes to baking. Mary was one of three children born to Margaret and Alleyne, who worked as a surveyor as well as a planner.

But although there are a dizzying number of variables standing between you and that light-as-air Victoria sponge, Insta-worthy sourdough loaf or perfectly soft-in-the-middle cookies, the right recipe – and the right author – can lead you to sweet, sweet victory. The recipes in Sweet have all the character and colour that Ottolenghi is celebrated for in his savoury dishes. Meanwhile, Marie’s husband Robert has started to wonder whether he could benefit from baking as well. It dominated our Instagram feeds and kept us occupied (not to mention fed) throughout numerous lockdowns of varying severity. Mary Berry moved to France when she was just twenty-one years old to study at the famed culinary school Le Cordon Blue.She has been the food editor for Housewife and Ideal Home magazines and cooked commercially for many institutions. She wrote the Baking Bible to help everyday cooks learn the basics of what it takes to make a good cake, with a collection of classic bakes, as well as hot puddings and pies, soufflés and meringues, cheesecakes and biscuits to satisfy all your baking needs. From breakfast staples like sourdough crumpets to deli favourites such as sausage rolls (four types, no less) and high tea treats like walnut and vanilla eclairs, Aran coves a breadth of sweet and savoury recipes and includes sandwiches, jams and flavoured butters to put your bakes to work with. She studied at the Bath College of Domestic Science in the field of catering and institutional management. And here is a peek at seven more of our favourites from the book, which you'll be able to make when you get hold of your copy of Mary Berry's Baking Bible.

Recipe-wise, expect the old-school classics – we’re talking swiss roll, Vicky sponge, fruitcake and scones. In addition to being an author, Berry has become quite well known among the British audiences for her appearances on several television series.You’ll find no back-to-basics recipes here – even the Victoria sponge comes with a white-chocolate-based twist.

Robert observes that his boss really enjoys baked goods and actually takes the crumb of a cake just as seriously as he would the budget. No top 10 list of baking books is complete without the godmother of baking and her bona fide pearls of culinary wisdom. Wielding that bakeware staple – a standard-issue brownie tin – Edd Kimber makes a convincing argument for the fact that you don’t need cupboards brimming with equipment or an unattainably roomy kitchen to create some seriously delicious cakes, cookies, tarts and bars.Cakes, cookies, pastry and bread are covered here, with methods containing reassuring levels of detail, without being fussy or dense. The clear, comprehensive methods are designed to make each style of pastry accessible for any level of home cook, meaning you’ll be whipping up batches of suet pastry for a venison and bone marrow pie or classic layered puff pastry for the most impressive Wellington you’ve ever made, with new confidence.

Mary's no-nonsense, all-in-one Victoria Sponge recipe is a family classic that ensures a light, moist sponge everytime. She appeared on the television show from its start to 2016 along with Paul Hollywood, a fellow expert in baking. Her debut book is part science lesson (the fun kind, honest) and part home economics, making the process of getting to grips with baking sans gluten approachable to home cooks who don’t have a science degree in their back pockets.

Shut indoors with nothing better to do than stare at the overripe fruit browning in bowls in our kitchens, this crowd-pleasing loaf was the official sponsor of 2020.