Most people will know Jo Wheatley as the much loved winner of the Great British Bake Off in 2011. Home Baking is the second book she has released, the first being A Passion For Baking. This book definitely has a similar cover style as the other GBBO books. If you look at the cover, it is very similar to those of Mary Berry’s, or other GBBO winners such as John Whaite (although this book is published by Constable).

The book is filled largely with sweet recipes, but there is plenty for those with a more savoury tooth, with breads, quiches and pies galore. I, however, was positively drooling over the sweet recipes.

Following an introduction from the author, the recipes themselves are divided into 10 chapters. Following that, there is a Bits & Bobs chapter which features tips on customising some of the dishes, or flavour variations. For instance, for shortbread it suggests adding lemon zest or chocolate chips. Neither of these variations are new or original, but I guess a novice might find this section useful.

According to the blurb, there are approximately 100 recipes in this book, so a fair few for your money. The photos are just lovely, I must say. Very professional looking, beautifully lit and staged. Only a few of the recipes did not contain pictures. Personally, I would have liked to have seen a picture for all recipes, and slightly less of the author. I love Jo Wheatley, but for me personally, a recipe book should be about the recipes. It feels more like a magazine trying to sell me a lifestyle.

The recipes seem easy to follow and, as you would expect, vary in skill levels so plenty of choice for both novice and experienced baker. They range from grand centrepieces such as the Pavlova Tower, to a simple shortbread. Fantastically, there is a whole section devoted to recipes you can do with the kids, which isn’t surprising as Jo is a mother. The measurements are largely metric grams, with the odd imperial tablespoon or teaspoon, which is the British way. Oddly though, one or two of the recipes call for a ‘teacup’ measurement. My only quibble with the book is I couldn’t find anywhere in the book an indication roughly what size this teacup should be. My experience is they vary. I don’t really like measuring when it comes to baking anyway, I prefer weighing. It is undeniably more accurate, and accuracy is much more important in baking than it is in cooking.

For anyone that has been baking for a little while, there are lots of very familiar and traditional recipes in this book, the twist being they are laid out in Jo’s warm and homely style. There are, however, a few stand out recipes that I was desperate to try: Lemon White Chocolate and Macadamia Bombs, Peanut Blondie Pie, and Goat’s Cheese and Fig Gougeres. All in all, this is a very good collection of baking recipes.