Does anyone EVER CHECK the recipes in newspapers?

[choccyp1g]

THe question probably sums it up, but I've just made "Never-Ending Gingerbread" from a Guardian "We Love to Eat" feature.

Half way through I realised it was very vague about how much bicarbonate of soda to use. I went for the smaller of the two possible amounts.

Otherwise I followed the quantities to the letter.
Its come out looking OK, but tasting more like scones than gingerbread.

I'm going to answer my own question.
Obviously no-one in the newspaper checks them, otherwise they would include a photo of the finished food, rather than the totally random cake, that bears no resemblance to what I have produced.

Sorry about your Gingerbread. Do you want a cake-y style gingerbread? a single layer, meant to be cut up like brownies? I have a reliable American recipe.

The most successful cake I've made so far this year has been a Cardamom Orange cake recipe, reader-submitted, to The Guardian. I've made as written the first time, then doubled the quantity and sent to the school bake sale the second time around.

Maybe it's a matter of budget cuts at the newspaper. Only 3-4 of the major American newspapers have a dedicated test-kitchen where they properly test the recipes. The others simply pay to have the recipes re-printed with the source mentioned at the end!