Great British Baking Show Bakers - The Great British Baking Show: A Bake for All Seasons

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In many ways, the last year, as weve come in and out of lockdowns, has given us a slower pace of life. For those of us who were asked to work from home, or were furloughed, there was more time to bake and to cook in general. This meant more time to think about what were eating, how far our produce has travelled to reach us, and whether or not were eating it at the right time of year. Talking to friends and family, Ive noticed a frequently repeated theme of how the last year has taught us to appreciate more of what we have available immediately around us and how to use fresh, local ingredients to show off their best. All that makes a Great British Bake Offhomage to seasonal baking a timely addition to the world of cook books.

My favourite time of year will always be Christmas. The months of November to January are a time when, if Im baking, I love to bake sponge puddings with custard and of course mince pies, using traditional ingredients that are evocative of the cosiness of the season. That said, summer runs a close second a time when its a joy to be able to sit outside on a warm, sunny morning to indulge in a freshly made strawberry Danish.

This year, our fabulous bakers have again offered up some of their favourite family recipes, each with a seasonal lilt, and each offering a window into the bakers private worlds. Its a privilege to get to know the bakers over their time in the tent and to see first-hand how much they appreciate flavour and texture in their bakes and how intuitive they are about seasonality and the importance of buying fresh, local produce. These instincts are reflected throughout the recipes in this book whether from Prue or me, the team behind Bake Off, or the bakers themselves. Whatever the time of year, choose something timely, bake it with love and enjoy it with friends whether thats in the garden in summer, beside a roaring fire in winter, or anywhere in between.

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Seasonal produce has always been at the heart of my approach to cooking. If you use really fresh seasonal ingredients, youll really taste the difference. And if your food hasnt had to travel half way across the world, it will not only put less strain on the environment, but its also bound to taste better.

Each season brings its own culinary joys warming pies in winter, spicy plum and ginger cakes in autumn and the bright colours of a delicious rhubarb tart in spring. But for me, summer trumps them all. The sheer abundance of fresh summer fruit and veg is an inspiration for the keen cook or baker. The recipes in the summer section of the book are perfect for a jubilant summer picnic or garden party with friends and family. After so long living under Covid restrictions, dont we all need just such a celebration?

One of the few benefits of this horrific pandemic has been the boost it has given to baking. People who have never baked anything before have got stuck in and had the satisfaction of producing really good cakes, biscuits, pies and puddings. And keen cooks and bakers have upped their game to make Bake Off-worthy creations.

This year we spent six weeks of summer in the Bake Offtent, and it was wonderful to get to know the bakers as the weeks went by. Every year I learn so much from them, and every year I come home with a clutch of recipes. They are all so creative and talented, so open to new ideas and so knowledgeable about what is happening in the baking world. They always come up with new approaches to baking, original and delicious flavour combinations, and exciting ingredients Ive barely heard of.

The recipes in this book celebrate the talent of the bakers, my own enthusiasm and Pauls too, and favourite bakes of the wider Bake Offteam. This is a book packed full of deliciousness to take you through the whole year. Happy baking.

Welcome to The Great British Bake Off: A Bake for all Seasons, a collection of sweet and savoury bakes from Paul, Prue and the team behind the show as well as, of course, from our wonderful 2021 bakers themselves.

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Modern life enables us mostly to use any ingredients in our cooking at any time in any place. Supermarkets provide us with strawberries in winter or blood oranges in spring. The joy of seeing the first of the years asparagus appear in May has been lost over time bunches of those delicious, aromatic green spears now appear all year round on supermarket shelves.