Books and baking

It’s a Monday in the A&B office. It's no different from any other Monday except for one thing. Today there is a pecan cinnamon sponge cake in the kitchen. Well, there is half a pecan cinnamon sponge cake in the kitchen. I’ll admit to having scoffed the other half this weekend…that’s what one trip to the Wholefoods in High Street Kensington does to you. (Allow me to introduce myself as the food loving, permanently salivating and culinary adventurous member of the Allison & Busby team.)
So, whilst I could pretend that offering this treat to the Allison & Busby girls was a purely altruistic act on my part – a desire to satisfy the sugar cravings of five hard-working women – it was, in reality, a gesture brought about by necessity. It hit me on Sunday, as I reached for my umpteenth slice of cake, that I was getting perilously close to resembling the photo of screen legend Roscoe Arbuckle on the cover of Jerry Stahl’s book I, Fatty. Not that I'd really mind (I absolutely adore this book, so I’d be more than happy to play the poster-girl for it) but I fear I’d be a poor representative. 'Fatty' Arbuckle's life as the fat-boy of 1920s Hollywood was all about onscreen pie-fights, celebrity parties and heroin; mine is more off-screen pie-scoffing, celebrity magazines and herbal tea. Much less fascinating.
But one thing has come of all this: this Monday I'm inspired to get back into baking on a regular basis, with a view to sharing the results (and calorific content) with all at A&B. Because truly, there's nothing like enjoying a cup of tea, a slice of pie and a good book (or manuscript). Sure, there’s more to life than books and baking, but come to think of it, there really needn’t be.