Where the bloody icing sugar?!!!

[Kittenlicker]

...And the flour, dessicated coconut and bicarbonate of soda. It’s an outrage! I need my cake.

I haven't noticed a lack of icing sugar round this way, but struggled to get caster sugar for ages. A suggestion for making icing without icing sugar though (if it's buttercream you are after) is to do swiss meringue buttercream. A bit of a faff, but makes a lovely smooth icing. Obviously check a recipe online, but the basic gist is to whip up egg white and caster or granulated sugar over a pan of boiling water until the sugar dissolves. Beat it in a mixer until it forms stiff peaks and the bowl has cooled, then gradually beat in the butter and any flavours/colours (except, not vanilla essence, because I can't bloody find that anywhere!)

I don't think it's stockpiling, I just think lots of people are using the time at home to do baking. We can get flour in my local supermarket now but in different packaging to normal but no caster sugar or chocolate chips. I have two corner shops nearby though and can always find them in those.

Check your local bakeries if they are selling to the public. There's one near us who are selling all the normal baking supplies plus alternative flours to the public. It's a great way to.suport small business owners so a win win.

@theAntsareMyFriends I tried that.

They got eaten before we got round to baking

I got self raising flour, plain flour and icing sugar no probs, it’s caster sugar I struggled with but found some eventually only bought 1 of each I might add I’m im up north in Scotland so it must be available just not when you’ve been in shops try Poundland/home bargain type shops that’s where I found caster sugar.

I bought a box of stuff from www.thefoodboxuk.co.uk
Was about £20 and I chose 2 x icing sugar, large caster sugar, brown sugar, cocoa power, 2 x plain and 2 x self raiding.
They had other boxes such as bread making box etc came in a couple of days.

You still don’t seem to be able to get flour, baking powder or vanilla extract round here in any supermarket. Sugar (of any type) is also hit and miss.

I assume demand is still higher for these things than supply chains have been able to cope with.

I did manage to get self raising flour, bread flour, yeast and baking powder from Waitrose last Monday, I was very surprised, I also got icing sugar there the other week. I have a Tesco delivery each week and haven't been able to get any of these for ages. I make bread in the KitchenAid or by hand and thought I might treat myself to a breadmaker - all sold out everywhere apart from the odd overpriced one on eBay

Maybe try amazon? I managed to get 5 boxes of 1kg icing sugar, caster sugar and self-raising flour. It arrived really quickly as well.

Our Morrisons have had everything back in for ages now EXCEPT caster sugar, icing sugar, soft brown sugar.. every bugger is baking for fun or starting businesses while on furlough.

I got caster sugar and baking powder yesterday. Been able to buy plain flour easily the last few weeks (in bakery bags, not the 'normal' paper bags) but can't find self raising.
Can't get condensed milk.

DM is struggling to get Chocolate chips (apparently they make gluten free cake a little more palatable) so I've suggested she trays grating chocolate.

(Re caster sugar... I lived in a country where it didn't exist really, but there wasn't really a taste/texture difference in most well mixed cakes. The bigger problem was the heat- you could only bake first thing in the morning to get the butter soft but not melted)

Couldn’t get it in Sainsbury’s but our corner shop has plenty!

@Mercedes519 can’t you just bash up chocolate with a rolling pin? Loads of chocolate here.

I’ve bought everything I need online instead now but much pricier. Have a birthday coming up so needs must.

[quote Kittenlicker]@yugi thank you. I did try that but it wasn’t that effective sadly but thanks for tip! Think I need a better food processor.[/quote]
You need a coffee grinder (clean one obviously)- good for bread crumbs as well.

We're getting sacks of bread flour from a mill and using it for everything else, bought baking powder on line to make it self raising, - and to my suprise it's worked really well for everything I've tried to make so far.

@Kittenlicker I did get chocolate buttons this week for baking. But we ate them I shall try again...or at least I will have lots of snacks to eat!!!

Strange that chips are just shaped chocolate but only used in baking?

Home Bargains have quite the grocery range on the quiet....managed to get dried milk and coconut in there this week, they have been OOS everywhere else since the beginning of lockdown....so it'd be worth a poke about there if you have one

I imagine B&Ms would be similar too.

Also farmfoods....I got flour in there when it was no where else.

I'm sure I saw icing sugar in Home Bargains yesterday

Took me ages to find vanilla flavouring and now I'm
On a quest for yeast! Not seen it for months ☹️

DP has just done an online grocery order for MIL from Sainsbury’s and it had icing sugar and caster sugar! Didn’t check flour.

@RunningKatie

Also jam sugar and glace cherries. Can't get hold of them around here

I got Certo today in Sainsbury's so don't need jam sugar but they had some in stock.