Hertfordshire: alban bun

There is a story that in the 17th century, Oliver Cromwell banned Eccles cakes on the grounds that they were too indulgent: all of that melting pastry and expensive dried fruit, sugar and spice deemed

Halloween trick-or-treating is seemingly an excuse for kids to consume far too many sweets. But this modern tradition has a more virtuous – and tastier! – origin: soul cakes. The word ‘Halloween’ is a

Christbrot is very similar to a stollen, but lighter in texture, and is best eaten freshly baked without needing time to mature. It isn’t hard to make Christbrot, but the method involves a triple rise

This year marks the 625th anniversary of The Canterbury Tales author – and “father of English literature” – Geoffrey Chaucer’s death. He penned this classic, about a merry band of medieval pilgrims te

Blessed with a vastly superior taste, penny buns are the champions of champignons and the perfect accompaniment to maggots, finds John Wright

ALISON HAMMOND on why this year’s bakers are a special batch as they tackle Biscuit Week