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Cookery Schools and Grand Houses
The grandest households still have their own pastry cooks
Girls were taught cookery in schools and at academies such as Marshall’s School of Cookery in London and Edinburgh College of Domestic Science
Gas companies are leasing stoves out to their customers, releasing cooks and housewives from the tyranny of the coal fired range, home baking is promoted with new cookery books for cooking with gas -
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Baking
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War and the WI
History of the WIServants leave for the First World War and work in other careers. Women work in armament factories and in other jobs, giving them less time to bake
The Women’s Institute is founded in 1915. Advice on cookery is offered and members share their experiences at meetings. After the war their magazine Home and Country, offers recipes and advice -
Good Housekeeping
The National Confectionary Industry started to issue adverts in press, encouraging women to take up home baking as a source of extra income
Good Housekeeping Magazine is first published in 1922
Ready shredded packets of beef suet are advertised with the strapline of “What visions of delight...”. The advert refers to Spotted Dick amongst others recipes - this is for women who continue to bake -
Picnics and Banana Bread
Banana Bread RecipeIncrease in car travel meant out-of-home dining experiences such as picnics became popular, with a variety of baking recipes dedicated to on-the-go food
The Great Depression migrating to the UK meant that many households were unable to sustain their purchase of luxury baking ingredients, so alternative products such as margarine (instead of butter) became commonplace in the pantry. Home baking with these cheaper products was encouraged as a way of stretching the pennies -
War and Rationing
Wartime RecipesThe rationing of the war era meant that homes had to make do with what little fresh produce they could source. Kitchen waste was eliminated and the likes of Dripping Cake recipes were eagerly shared between housewives
Alternative cooking methods, such as pressure cookers, started to appear in the kitchen following the war – therefore it was no longer all about the oven as the main way to cook food, reducing the need to bake
Bread consumption was at a consistently high level in the 1940s (~1700g) -
Sliced Loaves and TV Chefs
The consumption of cakes stood at 190g per person per week in 1950 - DEFRA
The introduction of the Kenwood Chef to market, in 1950, prompted a shift in how housewives made their home baked goods in the UK and globally
Baking oligopolies were producing sliced loaves such as Mother’s Pride and Sunblest, while Lyons was the major supplier of inexpensive cakes, producing Swiss Roll by the mile
After the Coronation, more homes had acquired televisions, so TV cookery now had a wider audience. -
Adventurous Baking and Mass Production
The 1960s saw TV chef Fanny Craddock inspire housewives to become more adventurous with their cooking
The traditional ‘tea time’ of a cuppa with homemade cakes and buns faded from everyday life
Mass produced goods, such as bread and biscuits, became staples in the local stores
During a 50 year research window, the consumption of biscuits peaked at 166g per person in 1967 - DEFRA -
Bake Sales and Dinner Parties
Local charity groups encouraged women to get involved and raise money by baking at home for bake-sales, as ‘their contribution’ to the cause
Introduction of ‘foreign food’ such as pizza and pasta to the home meant that even more choice became available to the everyday family cook, not all of which would need to be baked
The first campaign for real bread is launched in 1976 promoting better quality commercial baking and home baking. -
Microwaves and Tray Bakes
Another campaign for Real Bread is launched, this time by ‘The Sunday Times’ with food writer Caroline Conran, medical correspondent Oliver Gillie and journalist Michael Bateman
The rise in popularity of the prefab kitchen meant that the kitchen essentials – such as the oven and hob – were ‘out of sight and out of mind’ for many homecooks
By 1986, 1 in 5 households was estimated to have a microwave which was said to help reduce cooking time by 75% and gave rise to the influx of ready meals -
Artisan Cakes and Celebrity Chefs
Delia Smith’s TV series ‘How to Cook’ acknowledges that many people do not even know how to boil an egg. The series and her book were best sellers
New style wedding cakes were made by arranging cup cakes on tiered wire stands. An individual cake for each guest and nothing for the couple to cut, a true creation for the age of individualism
A new enthusiasm for artisan baking was typified by De Gustibus bakery, opened in Oxfordshire in 1990. -
Home Baking and Luxury Cupcakes
Up until 2000, there was little indication that home baking had increased with a steady drop in the consumption of flour (206g in 1950 to 67g in 2000) and sugar (287g in 1950 to 105g in 2000) - DEFRA
From 2001-2006 the sale of home baking products increased by 25%, bringing total sales to £429 million in 2006 - Mintel
Luxury cupcakes started to become the ‘must munch’ baked good after Carrie Bradshaw from Sex in the City bought one from the New York Magnolia Bakery. -
Recession and The Bake Off
2010 research shows that over half of Brits (52%) say that they get recipe ideas from online websites compared to the 46% who rely on cookbooks, driving easy access to baking inspiration - Mintel
Tightening the belt to stave off the recession in the home has resulted in many families baking their own bread to combat rocketing pre-made loaf prices
The TV show ‘Great British Bake Off’ has captured the imagination of the nation and highlighted the joys of baking
