How did our residents celebrate National Baking Week?
Happy National Baking Week! From Monday (October 13th) to Sunday (October 19th), we’re celebrating the joy and benefits of baking.
Because, as you may have already seen on our Facebook, baking is a firm favourite at Birchwood House. Whether it’s sweet treats or savoury goods, we make sure baking is a regular activity. There are always recipes to try, techniques to learn, and opportunities to discover something new.
We wanted to shine a light on our favourite recipes and remind ourselves of all the good baking can have, so read along to find out.
Benefits of baking
Baking has been shown to have great cognitive benefits, as following recipes and measuring ingredients is a helpful exercise for memory. It also helps practice fine motor skills and grip development. Using a range of baking techniques (like kneading, rolling, and mixing) helps strengthen dexterity. It’s a fun way to develop focus and hand-eye coordination. Plus, it gives our residents a boost of pride and a sense of accomplishment for their beautiful bakes.
It’s also great for sensory stimulation, because who doesn’t love the smell of a fresh bake? Stimulating the olfactory smell senses is so important for encouraging appetite for our residents and filling our home with their favourite scents.
As well as the individual benefits, we use baking to facilitate and nurture social interaction. Making something as a group helps foster that sense of teamwork, and creates the family feel we strive for. We also regularly invite visitors and loved ones to join in on afternoon tea, offering catch-ups with cake, and using baking to help us connect with one another.
The familiarity of baking
Some recipes have been around for years, so baking becomes an important way to evoke nostalgia. Certain recipes can remind us of specific memories, and our residents have particularly fond memories of classic treats like Victoria Sponge and scones.
Chef John regularly bakes his Pineapple Upside Down Cake, which has been raved about for over 100 years. We love hearing the stories and memories our residents have associated with this bake, some of them even going back to their childhood. This is a key example that recipes don’t have to be complicated to still be meaningful. A lot of times, it’s not about the final product, but what the baking represents, and we’re always here to go on a trip down memory lane.
Our top recipes
We like to be led by our residents, and we’re always open to trying new recipes and exploring different flavours. A popular bake at our home includes banana bread, which is simple, yet so effective. It’s a great way to prevent food waste and make use of any bananas that are getting too ripe, and the cake stays moist for days!
Banana bread
We’re also loving cheesecakes; crushing the biscuits is great for exercising those fine motor skills, and for building muscle control. A recent bake was our blueberry cheesecakes, with a rich creamy filling and the perfect crunch on the bottom!
Blueberry cheesecake
Another popular sweet treat is spumoni, which has a great history behind it. It comes from the Italian word spumone, meaning ‘foam’, and originated in Naples, before being brought to America in the late 19th century. This is a layered dessert made with gelato and candied fruits, and it was traditionally moulded into a loaf and sliced to show off its vibrant layers.
Spumoni
Yes, we love eating sweet treats, but we also love making them! Baking is such a good way for our residents to express themselves, expand their flavour palette, and connect with those around them. This week (and every week), we’re celebrating the beautiful bakes we’ve achieved – here’s to many more!
To find out more about our regular activities, have a look here, or get in touch with our friendly team.
