Completely new to baking. What do I need? What is easy to start with?

[StockingFullOfCoal]

I currently have a madeira cake in the oven. It looks okay so far

I've never baked anything other than those crap box things with the DCs.

What are essential pieces of kit?

Where's best for ingredients?

What are easy recipes to get me started?

Lakeland is known as "kitchen porn" in this house.

I use silicone loaf pans, but prefer regular cake pans for round and square cakes. If you're not sure what to try, you can have a go at different things at Poundland, as they have quite a bit of baking stuff, then upgrade as you go.

Hmm, each time I add the link, it changes to something else, here's the recipe anyway:

Salted caramel shortbread recipe

Ingredients
For the shortbread
185g (6½oz) butter
75g (3oz) caster sugar
250g (9oz) plain flour

For the caramel filling
185g (6½oz) butter
75g (3oz) caster sugar
3tbsp golden syrup
300g (10oz) sweetened condensed milk
1tsp salt

For the chocolate topping
150g (5oz) milk or plain chocolate, chopped (I use a mixture)

Line a 7" x 11" or 9" x 9" cake tin with nonstick baking paper. Heat the oven to gas 4, 180?C, fan 160?C.

Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until light and creamy. Beat in the flour until it forms a soft dough. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared tin. Bake for 20-25 minutes until pale golden.

Place the butter, sugar, golden syrup and condensed milk into a large pan over a medium heat. Stir continuously until the sugar has dissolved then turn up the heat and boil for 5-7 minutes, stirring all the time to ensure the mixture doesn't burn on the bottom of the pan.

The mixture is ready when it turns a deep golden colour and has thickened to a soft fudge consistency. Stir in 1tsp salt, then pour the caramel over the shortbread and leave to set for an hour or until chewy.

Put the chocolate in a bowl and melt in the microwave for 1-2 minutes (or place over a pan of simmering water). Pour melted chocolate over the caramel. Leave in a cool place to set, then cut into squares. Keep in a tin for up to 1 week.

If you've never baked before then Delia is your friend. She's exact and prissy which helps if you are a beginner.

Either her website or any of the how to cook books with help. Once you get a feel for you oven and how cakes are made then you can begin to experiment

"Lakeland is known as "kitchen porn" in this house."

Same here The Lakeland catalogue is the porn magazine.

I agree about Delia. She spells it out exactly.