We had a great time baking, and loved the challenge!
The fun started on the day when kids were playing in the garden, and the postman delivered a medium-size brown parcel. The label on the parcel said 'Anchor Butter Baking Kit'. Kids couldn't wait to open it and see what's inside. In the box there was an apron, a mixing bowl and a plastic mixing spoon, which we put to good use soon enough.
I thought about how other children might be playing in their gardens, and how postmen might be delivering baking kits to lots of children in different parts of the country, and how those kids might be smiling too, running to their mums and sharing the excitement!
Now, to the questions.
1) What bakes did you and your DC create? Please post a photo or two on the thread of the finished result or of the baking session!
We chose to bake apple crumble, my son's absolute favourite of all times!
2) What was your child’s favourite aspect of the baking process? Getting messy, licking the bowl at the end or anything in between!
My son loves mixing (in this case flour, butter and sugar). My daughter likes to be trusted with cutting (under supervision). Both kids get really excited about weighing or measuring ingredients; and reading the recipe, so that they are 'in charge' of the process. They also like the feeling of knowing their favourite recipes by heart. But the best part of the process is obviously eating the results!!!
3) What was your favourite aspect of baking with your DC?
When I was growing up, my parents didn't teach me to cook, and to this day cooking doesn't appeal to me very much, which is a shame. But kids bring in the enthusiasm that is irresistible and contagious - baking with kids is fun! On a practical level, now that my kids are 10 and 7, they do really help, and we cook and bake things faster than I would on my own. They also love writing down in a notebook any adjustments or personal touches that we discover as we go through the same recipe a couple of times, and I'm very grateful for that!
4) If you don't normally use Anchor, do you think that your bakes taste different when using Anchor butter compared to your normal butter? Please explain.
Our apple crumble was more tasty than usual. Whether it was because of the butter or not, I find it hard to tell.
6) Do you normally use butter or margarine for baking? Do you usually use unsalted or salted butter for baking? How aware were you that using unsalted butter is great for baking?
Unsalted butter.
7) Were you pleased with the results of your baking?
Loved it!
8) Would you use Anchor butter again for your baking? Why? Were you aware Anchor was the original block butter company having made butter for over 125 years? Is this important to you?
Well, the main problem with Anchor butter for us was finding it in the shop, so that we can use the voucher, in the first place! We buy the weekly shop from Aldi, then top up in Co-op and small Tesco, none of which sell Anchor unsalted butter. I then found it in Asda but I don't regularly shop there.
Anchor baking challenge made me think about which butter is better, something I didn't consider before. Ingredients are the same for all brands, it seems, so the only differentiating factor I could previously see, was the price. If Anchor could explain how their production process is superior to other brands', or how the taste is better (perhaps based on reputable chefs' opinions?) then I would be more inclined to pay the premium price. Organic label would also make me it stand out for me. 125 years don't mean much - it's marketing language, and it's more about the company than the customer, but if this experience/history can be translated into meaningful, factual statements about quality and taste, then that would have an impact.
9) If it came up in conversation, would you recommend Anchor butter to friends and family? Why?
I would probably mention the baking campaign, and how we had lots of fun baking with Anchor. It really left me with a warm fuzzy feeling that I'm more than happy to share with friends and family!
I'm not entirely persuaded that Anchor butter is actually better than others, but I might give Anchor another try and see whether I come to a more definitive conclusion.
Thank you Anchor! :)