What a Year of Mary Berry Taught a Bread Baker.
It’s been a little while since I last pulled up a chair here at the Severn Bites blog. Life, as it often does, has been a whirlwind of flour, sourdough starters, and the wonderful chaos of teaching. But as we move into the early days of 2026, I found myself reflecting on the things that truly inspired me over the past year. From the books that have become dog-eared with use to the recipes that reminded me why I fell in love with baking in the first place, here is a look back at my ‘Best of 2025’—featuring a few old friends and some new inspirations.
Breakthrough: Mary Berry’s Baking Bible
As many of you know, my heart (and my hands) usually belong to the world of flour, water, yeast and salt. I am a bread baker through and through, but 2025 was the year I decided to venture into cake making. I’ve been working my way through Mary Berry’s Baking Bible, and I must admit, it has truly made me up my game.
Whilst we often dip in and out of recipes online, tackling a whole cookery book is rather like listening to a whole album by an artist. You grow to love recipes you might at first have rejected.
There is a reason Mary is a national treasure; her precision and no-nonsense approach to cakes are a masterclass in technique. Stepping out of my “bread comfort zone” has reminded me that whether it’s a sourdough starter or a delicate sponge, a good recipe is what makes the difference. If you’ve ever felt intimidated by cake making, this classic remains the ultimate companion.
While I haven’t added any new bread books to my shelves this year (sometimes the ones we have are more than enough!), I have continued to dip into the ones already on my shelf.
The Sieve: What Didn’t Make the Cut in 2025
Of course, not everything in the kitchen was a triumph this year. Part of ‘upping one’s game’ involves a fair amount of trial and error—and occasionally, just plain error.
The Air Fryer Experiment: I finally succumbed to the hype and tried a few experiments in the air fryer. Let’s just say the results did not enthuse me. Luckily the one I borrowed has gone back to the owner.
The Sugar Rush: I’ve come across several recipes this year—mostly from across the pond—with levels of sugar that make my teeth ache just reading them. I’m all for a treat, but when the sugar outweighs the flour, the balance is lost.
The Untested Recipe: Nothing frustrates a baker more than a recipe that clearly hasn’t been tested. You follow the instructions to the letter, only to realize the hydration is impossible or the timings are guesswork. It’s why I value the precision of Mary Berry even more these days.
The Bake Off Bugbear: Finally, I cannot watch the Great British Bake Off without shouting at the television. Year after year, the bakers are given an impossibly short window to prove their dough. When Paul Hollywood inevitably taps a loaf and declares it ‘under-proved,’ I find myself defending the poor bakers. Bread needs time, and no amount of ‘TV magic’ can change that.
Nourishment for the Soul: My 2025 Digital Subscriptions
In between the baking and the note-taking, I’ve found a great deal of inspiration in my inbox this year. There is something lovely about the slower pace of a newsletter compared to the rush of social media. Here are four that I’ve particularly looked forward to:
Lickedspoon by Debora Robertson: As someone who has spent a lot of time in France , I find Debora’s observations on creating a new life in South West France absolutely wonderful. She writes with such wit and warmth. I am so envious of her ‘market haul’ round up of everything she’s bought that week.
Mark Diacono’s Abundance: Mark is a ‘gardening cook’ in the truest sense. His writing is simply beautiful, and his stories remind me of the vital connection between the soil and the table. He grows unusual ingredients and often serialises his books in real time.
The Dahlia Diaries by Rachel Golding Barrett: This one has nothing to do with food, but it has everything to do with beauty. Following Rachel’s life as a dahlia farmer at the Tetbury Flower Co. Her updates are a breath of fresh air and a reminder of the seasonal rhythms of our local Gloucestershire landscape.
Ill Advised with Bill Nighy: If you need a bit of ‘nourishment for the soul’ that doesn’t involve a kitchen, Bill Nighy’s podcast is it. It is charming, thoughtful, and the perfect thing to listen to while waiting for a loaf to prove or a timer to go off.
And perhaps most importantly, finding joy. The current Honey & Co Food Sessions podcast season is focussing on joy through conversations with some simply lovely people. You’ll be uplifted.
The Baker’s Journal
The Power of the Pen
Alongside my cookbooks, the most important tool in my kitchen this year hasn’t been a new scraper or a fancy banneton—it’s been my notebook. I’ve made a conscious effort in 2025 to jot down notes on every recipe I tackle.
Whether it’s a Mary Berry sponge or a new sourdough experiment, I record what worked, what didn’t, and those little ‘aha!’ moments that only happen in the heat of the kitchen. It is a great reference when I revisit recipes, even when it is my Christmas mincemeat. I’ve also been keeping detailed notes during my breadmaking classes. Reflecting on what went particularly well in a workshop—perhaps a new way of explaining a technique or a specific flour blend that performed beautifully—has been invaluable. It ensures that every class I teach in 2026 is built on the successes of the last.
If you are looking to enhance your loaf and haven’t yet checked out tangzhong, this is one to try. You can add it to any dough for a lighter result
A Pro Tip for 2026: The “Post-Bake” Reflection
If you want to truly improve your baking this year, my biggest piece of advice doesn’t involve buying a single piece of equipment. It’s simply to write it down.
After every bake—even the ‘ordinary’ ones—I take time to jot down my observations. These could include:
- The Recipe: Did I make any changes?
- The Environment: Was the kitchen particularly cold or humid today?
- The Timing: Did I autolyse a little longer than usual?
- The Result: What would I change next time?
In my breadmaking classes, I’ve noticed that students who keep a simple log-book ‘get their eye in’ far faster than those who don’t. It turns a one-off recipe into a repeatable success. Why not start your own baking journal this week?
Here’s to some great baking in 2026.
NB Some links are to Amazon where I will receive a small commission.