One positive outcome of spending so much time at home is that I have been doing a lot of cooking – along with everyone else, by the sound of it! My social media feeds are full of beautiful pictures of homemade bread, cakes and other delights. It seems that everyone is turning to an easy, wholesome pastime to keep them occupied – even this beautiful letter by Italian author Francesca Milandri acknowledges that the making and eating of food has become one of our biggest pleasures.
I like to bake while listening to audiobooks, often with a cup of tea at hand – or perhaps something stronger if I’m having an evening cooking session. It reminds me of a wonderful book I read recently called A Half-Baked Idea, by Olivia Potts, a woman who quit her job as a barrister after her mother died, and used the money she inherited to enrol on a year-long course at world-famous cookery school Le Cordon Bleu.
It’s not something most people have the money or the inclination for, but I loved hearing about the fantastically difficult creations she was taught to produce, her eccentric tutors, and the jarring difference between her new life of tempering chocolate and whipping meringue, and her old one of rushing between courtrooms and whizzing through stacks of briefing papers.
It’s no surprise that she sought comfort in cookery after her loss. It is widely accepted that cooking relieves stress, as it focuses your attention, yet requires physical activity, giving your brain a break. Donna Pincus, associate professor of psychological and brain sciences at Boston University, explained some of the positive effects of baking to the Huffington Post in 2017.
“Baking actually requires a lot of full attention,” she said.
“You have to measure, focus physically on rolling out dough. If you’re focusing on smell and taste, on being present with what you’re creating, that act of mindfulness in that present moment can also have a result in stress reduction.”
Olivia Potts uses her book to reflect on the lessons baking has taught her. She writes: “I found that hard work (mostly) pays off. I found that there’s no substitute for practice. I found out that it’s not shameful to fail, if you’re willing to pick yourself back up and try again.
“I learned that it was ok to be sad when something went wrong, so long as you show up again the next day and try again. I learned that there would always be opportunities to redeem myself, and that I needed them. I found that patience really can be a virtue, much to my irritation.”
This week, inspired by Olivia Potts and my own need to create some peace and relaxation, I have made soup, scones, and fruitcake, using up all the odd bits of dried fruit I had in the pantry. I might try a fruit pie next!