It’s time to lay the table, light a candle and eat, says Bake Off ’s Flora Shedden. Here, she shares four recipes to take your supper to the next level
T he art of dining in can easily be lost among the hustle and bustle of life. It’s something I’m definitely guilty of! But during various lockdowns, when life became quieter, and I had more time, I fell in love with cooking all over again. Preparing a meal should be something to look forward to at the end of the day – a reward for making it through a particularly difficult one, or a celebration of a day well spent. Now if I’m feeling like I don’t have the energy to cook, I’ll pour myself a glass of something, put on some music, then just get started by doing something simple like taking a chopping board and a knife, and slicing garlic. It’s a bit of a mind reset.
I grew up in quite a busy house, with everyone eating around a table. But living with my partner James, I’ve realised it’s actually quite difficult to maintain that. When there are just two of you, it becomes easy to eat standing up in the kitchen, or with a plate balanced on your crossed legs in front of the telly. So I started to make more of an effort for the two of us by lighting candles, finding glasses and napkins… it became a very nice way of marking the end of the day and keeping the relationship going; a space to check in with each other.
In my new book, Supper, there are a lot of recipes that are really quick to put together. But if you’re able to do 15 minutes of cooking, then take another 10 minutes just to set the table and make it nice; it really makes a difference. By slowing it down a wee bit even if the food is nothing fancy, you’re going to carve out that little bit of connecting time. I’m very conscious that everyone has different tastes when it comes to setting the table, but I wanted to hint throughout the book that even a tea light that you’ve picked up in a corner shop can make a difference. The smallest of touches can make a big difference to your mentality and your enjoyment of the meal at the end of a busy day.
The build-up to Christmas is usually a really busy time at ARAN, the bakery I run in my hometown of Dunkeld. There’s a lot of baking and packaging up, and gold ribbon everywhere! But after we close for the holiday, I can switch off. We head to my family home and set up camp there for a few nights. My mum’s an amazing host and it’s usually a pretty big family affair. It’s lovely; one of my favourite times of the year. This year, we have a baby on the way… the due date is right between Christmas and New Year, so I’m keeping everything crossed the baby doesn’t want to arrive on Christmas Day!
Meet Flora
Bake Off semi-finalist Flora Shedden lives in Highland Perthshire, Scotland, where she runs the artisan bakery ARAN. Supper is her third cookbook. Recipes e
