If the empty flour shelves in Sainsbury’s are anything to go by, it looks like we’re all going bonkers for home baking at the moment. A quick scroll through Instagram yields batches of ‘quarantine cookies’, and a dozen or so loaves of ‘the world as I know it is breaking down’ bread. Heck, people who barely knew what yeast was last month are now proud parents of sourdough starters, posting feeding routines and marvelling at just how fast they grow up.
And it’s pretty understandable. In times of uncertainty, the sheer joy and fulfilment that comes from working through a baking project from beginning to end is, in many ways, unbeatable. Baking means sinking fingers into dough, making an ungodly mess, and not fearing failure. In the end, it means having something to share, and something to look forward to.
Our team of Lifestyle editors have seen some striking creations from Oxford students over the past few weeks, and we wanted to celebrate all the weird and wonderful sugar, flour and butter (or dairy alternative) based products that have graced our screens. As a result, The Oxford Blue is launching a Star Baker series. We’re asking you to nominate your baked goodies in the Google Form below, with pictures, a short description of what you’ve made, your inspiration, and any baking-related anecdotes to go alongside. We will be collating our editors’ favourites and, after much deliberation, crowning a Star Baker of the Week every Thursday.
To launch the series we’re showcasing an architectural marvel spotted by our Travel Editor Sarina Chandaria.
Laura Wilson, a first-year English and French student at Christ Church on of her gingerbread model of her college:
“With all this spare time on my hands, I decided to attempt a new baking project, and what better than an Oxford-themed one, to relieve my ‘House-sickness’? I’d made smaller gingerbread houses before, but not on this scale, so after several days planning, constructing, and decorating, I managed to complete my ‘gingerbread House’!”
