Steph it’s great to hear from you again, i hear you when you felt it a struggle to get a newsletter out, I have exactly the same feelings of guilt and stress whenever I put things off, which I do all the time. Please don’t attempt to go back to producing them weekly, that’s too much pressure on yourself (errr....what am I going to write...?). The fact is you write so well, with disarming honesty and it’s all so relatable. I’m sorry the job didn’t work out but it’s not worth going down a mental health rabbit-hole over, the thing is you gave it your best shot and that’s all you can do. Best wishes for this year, hope you feel positive spring vibes very soon, keep baking and I’ll look forward to when you check in with us next time. And say hi to Olive !!!
Hey David, bless you, thanks so much for the support, I feel like I repeat myself but it honestly means the absolute WORLD to receive such a lovely empathetic message! Hoping to send out another newsletter tomorrow - I'm predictably nervous that it's rubbish and I'v written a load of nonsense but hopefully it provides a bit of entertainment for you! Olive sends her love back! x
Steph, it won’t be rubbish and even if it was it would be better than 99.99999% of the thoughtless, ignorant, offensive, trolling nonsense that I read on the web. You and your community on here fall into the remaining 0.00001% of thoughtful, kind and decent people who seem so scarce on social media. Hope you’re managing to get out with Olive even though the weather in Cheshire today is absolute pants! 🌧️
It was really good to see your newsletter in my email. I wanted to save it for when I had a really bad day and yesterday was that day. You wrote exactly what I needed to read. Things will get better; life just has those ups and downs. I hope you're doing well and enjoying life.
Hey Brent, so sorry you had a bad day the other day... they just suck don't they? And you know what is so hard about writing this newsletter? The fact that I too get these bad days cropping up often... they sneak up on me between days of slightly 'better-ness'... I'll start writing that I'm feeling better and the world is a sparkly happy place and then suddenly BAM, I feel like crap! It's so hard to accept that the bad days will occasionally rear their ugly head but acceptance and an ability to ride the wave of blah-ness helps a bit for sure. So hope you're doing ok, sending hugs! x
OMG YES TO MARMALADE with Alizza fruit!!!! Side note - have you made marmalade before? I LOVE the homemade stuff sooooo much... it's a right faff but so worth it!
Thank you for sharing your creativity, insights and personal struggles with your readers. You never know whose life you have touched positively through your honesty- those who subscribe to your writings know and love your perspectives. It's already an act of bravery to write a series of honest self-observations and offer them up for public consumption. That alone deserves a 'well done'. I find your recipes, your musings and your writing helpful, intriguing and enjoyable. Sending you support and gratitude for your contribution to the world of artistic baking and honest living.
It's so lovely to hear from you! Per usual, everything you wrote is so incredibly relatable for me. You've inspired me to look around today with fresh eyes to spot the cozy moments in my life, which will be a huge boost since I'm feeling particularly exhausted and run down at the moment. Sending you a big hug from the USA this morning! <3
Hey Natalie, Bless you, I hope you managed to find some comforting moments this week - the sun is *trying* to poke its head out for me today (between the rain showers) and I'm soaking it up! Sending love! x
Great to read another newsletter! As always, your candor and vulnerability is truly inspiring. You're doing a great job and I'm excited to see what's coming next for you!
Great to hear from you. Life goes on your newest C C is like you were never gone. Only thing different is your added puppy and your continuing endeavor to write, bake. Your like a fresh breathe of air. Keep up with sharing and encouraging us with your recipes for life. I’ll sit and wait intently for your shared interest for life. Much love to you Steph I…
Gosh, I related to absolutely everything in your newsletter! I love my morning coffee so much that I get excited about it the night before. I seem to lose and regain my urge to bake too. It was such a comfort reading your latest update. Thanks
OMG, SAME - I literally go to bed like HMMMM coffee (and porridge - because that's a close second in terms of excitement factor! haha!) Isn't it funny how you ebb and flow with it? I also have moments of not knowing what to do next and that annoys me... or if I encounter a difficultly, and don't know how to address it, I get frustrated! ohhhh the challenges eh? haha! Sending love x
Hi Steph… and the adorable Olive! I’ve missed you.
I didn’t realise how much I enjoyed reading your newsletters until they were no longer there. And I thought at first I’d just missed something or maybe they had slipped into my junk mail. So it was such a joy to see your name pop up in my inbox today. Thank you. I feel as though I’ve got my pen pal back! xx
Awh Lisa, I'm so sorry I was absent for so long - I've written another newsletter for tomorrow and already worried that You'll all hate it and think that it makes no sense, but hopefully it will be slightly relatable! Delighted to be your penpal! Sending loads of love! xx
Steph, don't ever apologize. You are so honest with your struggles. I really fell in love with you after I read your first book. You need to take care of you first and not worry if you are disappointing people by not churning out a newsletter as much as you wanted to. Write when you are able, but, never feel guilty if it is every couple of months or whenever. Find what works with you. Take care of yourself. Love from Canada
Thanks SO much for the empathy and support Kathryn - also INCREDIBLY grateful to you for buying my book! means the world! sending loads of love to you in Canada! x
Steph, I continue to follow you because, despite being male, twice your age, and living west of "the pond," I share a lot of your internal struggles. Your finale on GBBO brought back many difficult personal memories, and your openness and vulnerability here make me feel less alone. Thank you for that. Now, to the main reason I started writing this comment: your tease of "a little brownie situation." I thought I'd share a bit of history, since I live in Chicago, and I'm training to be an architecture docent here. Brownies were invented for the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago at the request of an early woman leader, Bertha Honoré Palmer, the wife of a hotel magnate. She was instrumental in developing a pavilion at the huge fair to celebrate the accomplishments of women around the world. She asked the hotel pastry chef for a dessert that could be easily transportable in boxed lunches. The brownie became that dessert, though the name "brownie" was coined much later. I hope that you find this to be of interest!
OMG THIS IS SO INTERESTING - I love learning the history of foods - honestly we should be taught history in this way I think don't you? So interesting that you are pursuing architecture - I originally applied for this at university but realised it probably wasn't *enough* of a passion - I still find it incredibly interesting though! Lovely to hear your stories and sending loads of love and strength to you! x
Thanks so much for the reply! It made my week, and perhaps my month. I completely agree. When I read history, I'm often not interested. But when I read how a food was created, a building was built, or how someone overcame a challenge (e.g., you! though you're in the present 😁) it makes me interested in the larger context of history at the time. Truth be told, I never found my true passion--I tend to dabble; I'm happy to hear that baking remains a constant for you. ❤️ My mom told me later in life that I should have been an architect, because I was good at math but more interested in the arts. A little late to help me by then! 😂
Hi Steph, so great to hear from you! Thank you for sharing your gift of baking and life wisdom with us. Your new puppy is adorable & If I were a chef, I would totally be in Polka Pants...so cute!
Hi, Steph! Thank you for your thoughtful newsletter. It was so nice to see it in my inbox! Thanks for sharing everything you’re going through! I’m glad you have Olive and have found your joy of baking again! Stay strong! Sending love.
Oh Steph, this was such a joy to see land in my inbox this morning. Thank you endlessly for your words of encouragement and support as I have been in a bit of a hole myself, it is comforting to know that even though we might often feel so alone, we really aren.t I truly hope the the tide continues to turn for you and that you can hold onto the little joys that are there to be found in each and every day. Love to you, the family and of course Olive xxx
Steph it’s great to hear from you again, i hear you when you felt it a struggle to get a newsletter out, I have exactly the same feelings of guilt and stress whenever I put things off, which I do all the time. Please don’t attempt to go back to producing them weekly, that’s too much pressure on yourself (errr....what am I going to write...?). The fact is you write so well, with disarming honesty and it’s all so relatable. I’m sorry the job didn’t work out but it’s not worth going down a mental health rabbit-hole over, the thing is you gave it your best shot and that’s all you can do. Best wishes for this year, hope you feel positive spring vibes very soon, keep baking and I’ll look forward to when you check in with us next time. And say hi to Olive !!!
Hey David, bless you, thanks so much for the support, I feel like I repeat myself but it honestly means the absolute WORLD to receive such a lovely empathetic message! Hoping to send out another newsletter tomorrow - I'm predictably nervous that it's rubbish and I'v written a load of nonsense but hopefully it provides a bit of entertainment for you! Olive sends her love back! x
Steph, it won’t be rubbish and even if it was it would be better than 99.99999% of the thoughtless, ignorant, offensive, trolling nonsense that I read on the web. You and your community on here fall into the remaining 0.00001% of thoughtful, kind and decent people who seem so scarce on social media. Hope you’re managing to get out with Olive even though the weather in Cheshire today is absolute pants! 🌧️
It was really good to see your newsletter in my email. I wanted to save it for when I had a really bad day and yesterday was that day. You wrote exactly what I needed to read. Things will get better; life just has those ups and downs. I hope you're doing well and enjoying life.
Hey Brent, so sorry you had a bad day the other day... they just suck don't they? And you know what is so hard about writing this newsletter? The fact that I too get these bad days cropping up often... they sneak up on me between days of slightly 'better-ness'... I'll start writing that I'm feeling better and the world is a sparkly happy place and then suddenly BAM, I feel like crap! It's so hard to accept that the bad days will occasionally rear their ugly head but acceptance and an ability to ride the wave of blah-ness helps a bit for sure. So hope you're doing ok, sending hugs! x
I found an Alizza fruit in Tesco, and I love it thanks for the heads up. Would make a great marmalade i feel :) x
OMG YES TO MARMALADE with Alizza fruit!!!! Side note - have you made marmalade before? I LOVE the homemade stuff sooooo much... it's a right faff but so worth it!
I haven’t actually! I’ve never eaten homemade marmalade even :( It’s one of those things I’ve always wanted to do though, maybe this will inspire me!
Thank you for sharing your creativity, insights and personal struggles with your readers. You never know whose life you have touched positively through your honesty- those who subscribe to your writings know and love your perspectives. It's already an act of bravery to write a series of honest self-observations and offer them up for public consumption. That alone deserves a 'well done'. I find your recipes, your musings and your writing helpful, intriguing and enjoyable. Sending you support and gratitude for your contribution to the world of artistic baking and honest living.
Bless you, thanks so much for the message Megan, so glad you like the newsletter! Sending love! xx
It's so lovely to hear from you! Per usual, everything you wrote is so incredibly relatable for me. You've inspired me to look around today with fresh eyes to spot the cozy moments in my life, which will be a huge boost since I'm feeling particularly exhausted and run down at the moment. Sending you a big hug from the USA this morning! <3
Hey Natalie, Bless you, I hope you managed to find some comforting moments this week - the sun is *trying* to poke its head out for me today (between the rain showers) and I'm soaking it up! Sending love! x
Great to read another newsletter! As always, your candor and vulnerability is truly inspiring. You're doing a great job and I'm excited to see what's coming next for you!
Thanks so much Chris!
Great to hear from you. Life goes on your newest C C is like you were never gone. Only thing different is your added puppy and your continuing endeavor to write, bake. Your like a fresh breathe of air. Keep up with sharing and encouraging us with your recipes for life. I’ll sit and wait intently for your shared interest for life. Much love to you Steph I…
Awh thanks SO much Matt - what a lovely message! Sending love back! x
Gosh, I related to absolutely everything in your newsletter! I love my morning coffee so much that I get excited about it the night before. I seem to lose and regain my urge to bake too. It was such a comfort reading your latest update. Thanks
OMG, SAME - I literally go to bed like HMMMM coffee (and porridge - because that's a close second in terms of excitement factor! haha!) Isn't it funny how you ebb and flow with it? I also have moments of not knowing what to do next and that annoys me... or if I encounter a difficultly, and don't know how to address it, I get frustrated! ohhhh the challenges eh? haha! Sending love x
Hi Steph… and the adorable Olive! I’ve missed you.
I didn’t realise how much I enjoyed reading your newsletters until they were no longer there. And I thought at first I’d just missed something or maybe they had slipped into my junk mail. So it was such a joy to see your name pop up in my inbox today. Thank you. I feel as though I’ve got my pen pal back! xx
Awh Lisa, I'm so sorry I was absent for so long - I've written another newsletter for tomorrow and already worried that You'll all hate it and think that it makes no sense, but hopefully it will be slightly relatable! Delighted to be your penpal! Sending loads of love! xx
I’m looking forward to it already ☺️x
Steph, don't ever apologize. You are so honest with your struggles. I really fell in love with you after I read your first book. You need to take care of you first and not worry if you are disappointing people by not churning out a newsletter as much as you wanted to. Write when you are able, but, never feel guilty if it is every couple of months or whenever. Find what works with you. Take care of yourself. Love from Canada
Thanks SO much for the empathy and support Kathryn - also INCREDIBLY grateful to you for buying my book! means the world! sending loads of love to you in Canada! x
Steph, I continue to follow you because, despite being male, twice your age, and living west of "the pond," I share a lot of your internal struggles. Your finale on GBBO brought back many difficult personal memories, and your openness and vulnerability here make me feel less alone. Thank you for that. Now, to the main reason I started writing this comment: your tease of "a little brownie situation." I thought I'd share a bit of history, since I live in Chicago, and I'm training to be an architecture docent here. Brownies were invented for the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago at the request of an early woman leader, Bertha Honoré Palmer, the wife of a hotel magnate. She was instrumental in developing a pavilion at the huge fair to celebrate the accomplishments of women around the world. She asked the hotel pastry chef for a dessert that could be easily transportable in boxed lunches. The brownie became that dessert, though the name "brownie" was coined much later. I hope that you find this to be of interest!
OMG THIS IS SO INTERESTING - I love learning the history of foods - honestly we should be taught history in this way I think don't you? So interesting that you are pursuing architecture - I originally applied for this at university but realised it probably wasn't *enough* of a passion - I still find it incredibly interesting though! Lovely to hear your stories and sending loads of love and strength to you! x
Thanks so much for the reply! It made my week, and perhaps my month. I completely agree. When I read history, I'm often not interested. But when I read how a food was created, a building was built, or how someone overcame a challenge (e.g., you! though you're in the present 😁) it makes me interested in the larger context of history at the time. Truth be told, I never found my true passion--I tend to dabble; I'm happy to hear that baking remains a constant for you. ❤️ My mom told me later in life that I should have been an architect, because I was good at math but more interested in the arts. A little late to help me by then! 😂
Good to see that you’re doing well. You’re a smart and courageous lady, even if you don’t feel like it some days.
Thanks John! x
Hi Steph, so great to hear from you! Thank you for sharing your gift of baking and life wisdom with us. Your new puppy is adorable & If I were a chef, I would totally be in Polka Pants...so cute!
HAHA YES to Polka dot pants! x
It’s nice hearing from you. It was a wonderful read.
Thanks so much James!
Hi, Steph! Thank you for your thoughtful newsletter. It was so nice to see it in my inbox! Thanks for sharing everything you’re going through! I’m glad you have Olive and have found your joy of baking again! Stay strong! Sending love.
Hey Jess, so sorry i haven't been in touch, hope you are doing ok? Sending love to you (from Olive as well) x
Oh Steph, this was such a joy to see land in my inbox this morning. Thank you endlessly for your words of encouragement and support as I have been in a bit of a hole myself, it is comforting to know that even though we might often feel so alone, we really aren.t I truly hope the the tide continues to turn for you and that you can hold onto the little joys that are there to be found in each and every day. Love to you, the family and of course Olive xxx
Thanks so much Caroline - hope you are doing ok and have had a good week - sending love to you from all of us! xxx