Comfort in troubled times: date nights and baking

It has been mostly a good week – as far as ‘good’ is possible in the strange situation we find ourselves in. We have managed to get deliveries, including one from a supermarket: it took five days of trying, and required a level of planning relative to a military operation, but the toilet paper situation is no longer getting urgent. Other deliveries included Carl, our lovely local butcher, with a pile of meat, and the local farmers market with a range of things, including actual flour! (They also brought us our first tomatoes of the season, so I’ll nominate them as my #ConfinedSpring entry).

Just look at these beauties

We have decided that Thursday night is date night for the duration of lockdown: basically this means we eat some nice food, drink some wine and try and look less scruffy than on an average lockdown night. Last night, we had some quick fry steaks and blue cheese, and chips, along with some carrots, because vitamins.

Today, I took advantage of the arrival of the flour to do some baking. I felt in need of comfort. I had been hanging on to a weekend away in Lyme Regis we had booked for September, as something to look forward to (I’ve been assuming the summer holiday wouldn’t happen since lockdown first started). Today we found out the company that owns the hotel – and our favourite restaurant there – has gone into administration. Compared to many of the things happening right now, this is not really a large thing, (unless of course you are one of the people now facing unemployment as well as everything else in this horrible time), but it feels a little like one of my remaining clutched straws being snatched away. It’s yet another reminded that even when this is over, things won’t just simply go back to being the way they were.


So, this was the background to today’s baking. Given the level of distraction, I’m amazed I produced anything, but I now have chocolate chip cookies, and mini hot cross buns.


The cookie recipe is here and is remarkably easy. Good for baking either whilst feeling distracted, and probably also useful for baking with children, should you be in possession of them. I made the full amount, as it’s a hard recipe to halve, which produces what could be quite a lot of cookies for two people, but it’s a challenge we’re willing to try.

Please note socially distanced cookie.

The mini hot cross buns, from Nigella , were more complicated, but very similar to the process Ruth described here, so I won’t go into that in detail. Happy Easter everybody! I’ll see you tomorrow for cocktails.

The best looking of the mini hot cross buns