Book Review: A Passion for Baking by Jo Wheatley

Winner of The Great British Bake Off, Jo Wheatley delighted the judges with her raw talent, original ideas and delicious baking. Now, in her first book, Jo shares the tips, tricks and family recipes that she has developed in her own kitchen.
With the practicality of a busy mother but an eye for the pretty details, Jo's love of baking shines through this collection of over one hundred recipes. Including the family bakes which Jo raised her three boys on and the afternoon treats for her friends. A Passion for Baking also features chapters on breakfast, celebration bakes, savoury treats and tempting desserts.
Recipes include a perfect Sticky Toffee Pudding, a heartwarming Cinammon Swirl Loaf, indulgent Chocolate Mud Cake, and mouth-watering Mini Pistachio Meringues. From the tradition to new versions of family favourites, all of Jo's recipes will inspire you to develop your own passion for baking. 

I was rooting for Jo to win The Great British Bake Off so I have been eagerly anticipating her first recipe book ever since.
A Passion for Baking is one of my favourite recipe books of the year, it is jam packed with great recipes that will appeal to many a baker. Jo has split the book into ten clear sections ranging from Afternoon Tea and Celebration Cakes to Pastry and Desserts. There are some classics and some really interesting new ideas, it really does feel as though Jo has covered everything.
My favourite recipe from the book so far is the chocolate mud cake, I am not a huge fan of chocolate cake but this is simple to make and really delicious!

The Celebration Cake section  is  not too complicated, they are simple but extremely effective. You do not need to be a master baker or decorater to produce something for a special occasion and Jo's ideas could be tweaked to meet different requirements.
I loved the Baking with Children section. It was clear that Jo had really thought about what would be easy to make with children and more importantly, what they would actually like to eat.
Jo's section on bread is also excellent, she has some very basic recipes which I welcomed as some books just miss out the basic white loaf in favour of something fancier.
The only criticism I have is that there could have been more pictures. Personally I prefer there to be a picture with each recipe even if it is only small but there were a few recipes that left me wondering what the finished product would look like.
Next on my list to try from A Passion for Baking are Crumpets, Treacle Tart and Raspberry Iced Fingers, I seem to add new things to this list though every time I look through the book again.
Jo Wheatley's book is lovely and very well thought out, it's a book that I know I will come back to again and again, I highly recommend it.