Giving up

Margs

A close friend, about my age, liked to bake for various local charities and fund-raising generally, but then one particular charity clamped down on her, ungraciously, citing Health & Hygiene and telling her she would need a licence from the local authority.

It nearly knocked the stuffing out of her.

I think the Health & Hygiene thing was an excuse because her cakes weren't 'proffessional' enough for their snobbish requirements.

She never bakes now - not even for herself.

WI's have had this too. WI markets have mostly gone because of the red tape. Baking at home in unregulated kitchens now needs an environmental health certificate but I would hazard a guess those kitchens would be a sight cleaner than some commercial premises. Reusing jam jars is forbidden and someone involved with the sale of home-made food now has to have passed a Food & Hygiene certificate and have this displayed on the stall.
The only thing that makes any sense is listing all ingredients in the bake so people with allergies and intolerances can make safe choices.

I would like to see the statistics that show how many people were ill or died after eating anything from a WI stall.

What a shame Margs. Is that common now across all charities and churches for example? I seem to remember a thread from way back on Gransnet complaining about something similar and I can't remember what the answer was.

Requirement for an H and H certificate would put off many people donating homemade cakes etc.

I hope Grandmattie reads this thread and advises what her church requires from her as she is the cake, biscuit, preserves and chutneys queen.

Crossed post Sarnia

I’ve recently started cake making again, so gone the other way.
I used to make lots of cakes especially for kids birthdays when they were small. christmas cakes, easter cakes etc and also for school sales.

Then I didn’t bother for many years but recently I have started again, trying to get my husband to help with just one hand. We enjoy doing it together. We do banana cake, coffee and walnut, fruit cake, lemon drizzle etc.

Occasionally I'll make the lockdown banana cake when there are a couple or three ripe bananas hanging around which no-one will eat.
Last week's was full of currants, chopped prunes and dried cranberries. I tell myself it's good for us (probably not).

I still love baking and experimenting with gluten free recipes. I could write a book with all my notes and photos but now there’s nobody to eat it all and my freezer is often groaning.
On Saturday I took out some Snickerdoodle cookies because DD and DSiL were coming for coffee. I didn’t spot the message saying they’d have to arrive half an hour earlier so the damn things were still frozen and I ended up opening a packet of supermarket biscuits. 😫

loopyloo

I agree with you there!
Also I find if I make cakes I end up eating them and as a type 2 that's not what should be doing.
I do try to concentrate on what I can still do. Watch interesting tv, contact friends, read, do jigsaws, do half an hour in the garden.
You are not alone.

Exactly same here.

I would like to see the statistics that show how many people were ill or died after eating anything from a WI stall

Utter nonsense. Death by Lemon Drizzle.

Well, Death by Cake is a popular theme for fiction!

I think this thread is not just about baking ( I have given up altogether) but more about regretting what we can no longer do or not enjoying doing what we used to do.
As the O P says, life shrinks as we age.
I remember full days, racing round, now life is slow, nothing really to strive for and Friday bin day is about every 4 days and don’t even mention Christmas which seems like 4 months ago.

It's frustrating, seeing what needs to be done that we could do in a day but are unable to accomplish even in a week.

I have a Victoria sponge cake in the oven just now, but I only make them now and then, when anybody else will be here to help eat them.
Dh and I would be like the sides of a house if I made them regularly, just for us.
The only other one I ever make is a lemon drizzle, and chocolate fairy cakes for the Gdcs’ birthday parties.

Whenever I do make any cake, I give thanks for my trusty old Kenwood Chef - wedding present in 1974! - which does all the hard work!

When I down sized I gave away all my baking equipment and have rarely baked since. I just didn't want to bake for myself.
There are lots of things I used to do that I find harder or too difficult now.
Climbing ladders is one I have had to give up.
I only manage an hour's walk where I used to do two and on uphill and stony paths. I try to keep to level and smoother paths now.
You never really understand the limitations of old age until you get there.

I used to spend all day gardening. Bending and lifting, digging and clipping.
After an hour now my back complains. Same applies to hoovering...not that I ever spent all day hoovering. But it is more of an effort now.

I have largely given up cake making, mainly for weight reasons but also because I am avoiding white carbs. However, I still indulge occasionally as I do love homemade parkin and fruit cakes. To avoid temptation, I slice them and put them in a freezer, preferably the one in the garage because even weak willed me can't be a***d to go outside to retrieve a slice!
It's sad not to be baking for my boys and my cake loving DH but the former are also off cake and dear DH is no longer here to enjoy them.

I generally don't care for commercial cakes, they are far too sweet for me now and mine are much nicer anyway!

My DGM ( born in 1905) used to bake beautiful cakes and scones . She made all her children’s and grandchildren’s wedding cakes , the last being my brothers in April 1989 and she died in November 1989 aged 84 . Her baton has been picked up by my granddaughter ( her great great granddaughter who is now 21 and make lovely cakes with beautiful decorations, as well . I’m sure all of your baking genes will be passed on too

JenniRen

It's frustrating, seeing what needs to be done that we could do in a day but are unable to accomplish even in a week.

I relate to this JenniRen my days go by as I slowly do the job in a day that would have taken me an hour or two.

We gave up on the home made cake as well because there was no one else to help us eat it. Several neighbours were recipients of surplus cake then finally the chickens