With Christmas on its way, we’ve been thinking a lot about gifts. Not the kind you rush to buy last minute or scramble to wrap before midnight. The less tangible kind. Like the gift of time with loved ones, or an early morning to yourself. The fizz and click of the radiator heating up. A candle melting away while you share dinner with a friend. For us, baking is the greatest gift of all. It’s something we always want to share, but never more than at Christmas.
The world is changing, and so is the way we think about giving. With each year that passes, it seems clearer that those last-minute presents more often than not end up shelved and forgotten, while the memories that last are the simpler, pulling the leftovers from the fridge on Boxing Day, or that first bite of piping hot mince pie fresh from the oven. In fact, the very first accounts of gift-giving date back to Medieval times, when cookies were baked in abundance and shared between friends, family and neighbours. When did we lose that sweet simplicity?
We want to bring back some of the purity of gift-giving. It should be about generosity, shared moments and heartfelt connection. That festive feeling is something to be cherished, but more often than not it passes us by in a flurry of panic-buying and exterior pressures. We’ve all been there. This year, it’s time to remember the joys of giving — not only to the people around you, but to yourself.
Gifting should be simple. We think a loaf of bread could be a heart-warming centrepiece when you present it to a table of friends and family. Especially if there’s a pot of jam or pat of golden butter nearby), or alongside a good bottle of wine.
A bakery can be a gift shop, in many ways. The steamed-up windows of our shops, heaving with people sipping hot chocolate and tearing into still-warm cookies. The comfort of something sweet and warm indoors when the air is icy outside. And plenty of things to take away and share with the people you love.
This year, we’re filling our bakeries with festive pies, buns and biscuits in abundance. Think flaky, golden pies. Sourdough with plump, purple currants. Sticky Brioche Christmas Buns. The Christmas classic; flaxen Mince Pies made with sharp Bramley apples and vine fruits. And our new Christmas Croissant; a twice-baked croissant brimming with leeks, cranberries and red cabbage stuffing, topped with Baron Bigod brie.
We’re baking more treats than ever for you to take home. And some of our seasonal favourites now come in bags for you to take away. Like our perfectly dunkable Pistachio and Sour Cherry Biscotti, warmly spiced Speculoos biscuits or Sienna staple addictive Ricciarellis.
Here’s to sharing the Gift of Baking this year. Take a look at our online Christmas shop, which is now live, or meet us in the bakery. And don’t forget to take something extra with you if you’re driving home for Christmas. After all, baking is a gift to give and receive.
