We’ve loved working with Parragon Books over the past 18 months reviewing fun and entertaining children’s books for Caspian, so when they offered me a chance to review one of their latest cook books I was very excited. I’m very fond of baking which was the focus of this book, so it seemed perfect. It also gave me a chance to use our new Savito mixer again.

The first thing I love about this book is that it is beautifully illustrated with great snaps of all the delicious baked goods you can make. This is a big plus for me as I generally like to see a finished result so I know what I’m aiming for especially when it comes to the colour of the bake. The second thing is that the recipes are easy to follow. They are even divided into categories of easy, medium and hard. Though I found the medium category to be fairly straight forward still.

There are many different recipes to try from savory to many sweet treats. I started out with a Lemon Drizzle Loaf. As it’s winter and Christmas is approaching I decided to make it in the shape of a snowman using a new silicon mold I’ve recently bought. It turned out well with the perfect zing of lemon.

It was especially easy to prepare using the stand mixer and I found the estimated timings in the book to fit. Due to our oven only heating from above it did go a little darker on one side than I’d wished for, but it still tasted as it should.

I’m not sure what Mary Berry would make of my finished bake, but my boys really liked it. It all about having fun making simple bakes at home that taste good. You can easily involve older children in any of these recipes and have a great afternoon baking as a family.

The Cook and Enjoy Baking Book from Parragon is available from all major book stores and online. You can even find it on offer for £5 (down from £15). It makes a perfect gift for any lover of baking. So if you are looking for an affordable Christmas present, this is it!

NB! Please note we were gifted this book. All word and opinions are my own. Prices were correct at the time this post was published.   

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