On your marks, Get set…. sustainably bake!

You can make ALL of these six tasty baking recipes using just TEN store cupboard ingredients.

With the latest series of The Great British Bake Off set to hit our screens on the 22nd of September, baking fever is about to take over Britain once again.

It doesn’t get much better than settling down to the latest episode of Bake Off on a cosy Autumn evening at home, with a hot cup of tea and a slice of homemade cake. But how many of us have been swept away by the Bake Off excitement, bought 5 different types of sugar, and then only used a pinch of each, before leaving them to go out of date at the back of our forgotten baking cupboard until the next series rolls around?

The UK is in the midst of a food waste crisis, with households wasting 4.5m tonnes of food each year, bakers working round the clock, which not only has a hugely negative effect on climate change, but also on our pocket, with the wasted food said to be worth £14bn.*

With this in mind, food waste management specialist, BusinessWaste.co.uk, has sourced the best recipes the internet has to offer that use the bare minimum household ingredients, in the hope that Bake Off fans can enjoy their usual watching rituals, without harming the environment.

The following recipes use only the 10 ingredients listed below, meaning you can rustle up something delectable for every week of Bake Off, without contributing to the food waste crisis. Your waist might not thank you, but the planet certainly will!

Ingredients you will need:
Self Raising Flour
Plain Flour
Caster Sugar
Icing Sugar
Cocoa Powder
Butter
Eggs
Lemons
Chocolate
Vanilla Extract

Lemon Drizzle Cake – Jane’s Patisserie (@janespatisserie)
A lemon drizzle cake is a staple British bake with the zesty lemon topping keeping it light and moist. This recipe is the perfect pick me up and alongside a classic cup of Earl Grey tea, it makes for Bake Off viewing perfection.

Recipe: https://www.janespatisserie.com/2020/05/16/lemon-drizzle-loaf-cake/
Ingredients used: Self Raising Flour, Caster Sugar, Icing Sugar, Butter, Eggs, Lemons

Chocolate Shortbread – A Mummy Too (@amummytoo)
This recipe combines two of the best sweet treats, chocolate and shortbread. It takes just over 20 minutes to make from start to finish so is the perfect bake to whip up when you’re short on time.

Recipe: https://www.amummytoo.co.uk/chocolate-shortbread/
Ingredients used: Plain Flour, Caster Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Butter, Chocolate, Vanilla Extract

Vanilla Loaf Cake – The Baking Explorer (@thebakingexplorer)
This no frills vanilla cake with creamy buttercream icing can be made ahead and frozen for up to 3 months – perfect to see you through the Bake Off series, if you can make it last that long!

Recipe: https://thebakingexplorer.com/vanilla-loaf-cake/
Ingredients used: Self Raising Flour, Caster Sugar, Icing Sugar, Butter, Eggs, Vanilla Extract

Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie Recipe – Becky Excell (@beckyexcell)
Intensely chocolatey, fudgy and extra gooey, what more could you want from a brownie? Becky’s recipe suggests using gluten free flour, but standard plain flour can be substituted if you’re not gluten intolerant.

Recipe: https://glutenfreecuppatea.co.uk/2017/11/15/gluten-free-chocolate-brownie-recipe-dairy-free-low-fodmap/
Ingredients used: Plain Flour, Caster Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Butter, Eggs, Chocolate

Fork Biscuits – The Happy Foodie (@thehappyfoodie)
According to The Happy Foodie, these simple biscuits are a favourite of Mary Berry – the Bake Off queen herself! A simple 3 ingredient recipe, perfect for dunking into a cup of tea.

Recipe: https://thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/fork-biscuits
Ingredients used: Self Raising Flour, Caster Sugar, Butter

Lemon Shortbread Squares – Lavender and Lovage (@lavenderandlovage)
Another zesty lemon recipe, this time in the form of delicious crumbly shortbread. The one tray baking method means minimal washing up, so more time on the sofa enjoying these fluffy lemon slices of heaven.

Recipe: https://www.lavenderandlovage.com/2020/04/lemon-shortbread-squares.html
Ingredients used: Plain Flour, Caster Sugar, Icing Sugar, Butter, Eggs, Lemons

Mark Hall, Waste Management Specialist at BusinessWaste.co.uk comments on the food waste crisis: “While many people are great with recycling every last scrap of paper, we’re not so good at accepting that we need to do the same with food waste.

“For everyday consumers, the first step is to cut down on the food waste we produce. Simple steps towards this include making sure to use things up by their sell-by date, making multiple meals from the same ingredients, and planning your food shopping in advance so that you only buy the amount you need.

“Where food waste is unavoidable, composting is a preferable outcome, as rotting food left in landfill releases methane, one of the most damaging greenhouse gasses.

“Whilst the statistics around the several million tonnes of food waste produced by British households are shocking, businesses are as much to blame, adding millions of tonnes more food waste to the issue. On top of the steps individuals need to take, it’s down to waste companies to adapt their practices to enable greener collections and onward recycling, both for businesses and households.”