number thirteen:

the Recipes

Back in 2019…

After being open for just over a year, and after finding out that our various cakes and bakes were a roaring success in the local area (being asked for recipes became a regular occurrence), I decided to look into writing a cookbook and publishing it myself.

Baking and me…

I stumbled into the world of baking quite by accident. I have had no formal training, nor was I particularly passionate about it prior to opening Number Thirteen. I dabbled in home baking as most adults often do, making cakes and slices for friends and family, with varying degrees of success. I was not a baking prodigy, with buckets of undiscovered talent that had to be discovered.

However, towards the end of my 20’s I started to enjoy the process of baking; maybe I had to be a certain age before I appreciated the method and simple science of it all. There was an essence of creativity too - being of an artistic disposition I always seek out projects and schemes to keep my mind active (this book is evidence of this) and baking was an outlet for that part of me.

When I moved to New Zealand I was hit by a new bout of inspiration, especially when I lived with a lady who obviously oozed baking knowhow. I started collating recipes, along with ideas for what would turn into Number Thirteen. Although New Zealand cookery stems largely from British tradition, due to much of the population being from British heritage, Kiwis have cultivated their own food traditions. Taking inspiration from many recipes that have fallen out of favour in Britain in past decades, they have created a culture unique to themselves, and it was this creativeness that fed this motivation.

I started to play about with recipes myself, swapping out ingredients or changing ratios to make them healthier, cheaper, more accessible, more inventive or simply tastier in my eyes. When these new creations started receiving praise from my peers, it bolstered me to do more, and started to make me think about how this could add a new dimension to my bigger plan.

Baking in an extraordinary world…

While working in restaurants and cafes over the past 12 years, it has become hard to ignore the fact that the face of catering has changed dramatically. Dietary requirements, intolerances, allergies and lifestyle choices impact the industry more than ever before and I feel it would be imprudent for chefs and bakers to not consider this change when designing their menus and recipes.

When I came back to the UK and more importantly back home to Knaresborough, it became apparent that my home town was lacking in providing for customers with food allergies, intolerances or even basic vegetarian and vegan options. It turned into a personal ambition to provide for these consumers in particular; but not to alienate the rest of my potential customer base. I wanted to prove that you can have a vegan sponge cake, or a gluten free biscotti and it taste just as good as one that wasn’t vegan or wasn’t gluten free.

The result was what you see before you; a collection of recipes that celebrate taste, comfort and decadence, striving to deliver exciting and inventive options for everyone, regardless of dietary need.

the book…

The book itself can be purchased direct from the coffee shop and on our online shop, both for £18.50 (although online you will also have to pay for postage).