Family Baking
In our new mini-series of blogs we thought we’d give you a little insight into what makes us tick here at Doris & Dude! We believe in three fundamentals when it comes to socks: Comfort, fun and sustainability. And in fact it’s a principle that runs through our everyday lives too, so with each passing season we’ll choose something we love, and share it with you!
Starting in Autumn, something we most definitely LOVE at Doris & Dude is a bit of family baking! The fun of having the family together at home, sticky little fingers, mess all over the worktops, and yes, probably too much spoon licking and mixture pinching! The comfort of the familiar cosy kitchen when the weather is beating down outside, the anticipation as the smell of baking spreads around the house and tucking into delicious treats, with a hot chocolate and our comfies on most certainly ticks our boxes!
And of course we do have a couple of little tricks up our sleeve to keep our days of autumn family fun and comfort on the sustainable side!
Cows are a huge emitter of methane gas into the atmosphere so reducing our dependence is a great step to doing your bit for the planet. Sponge cakes don’t need butter, or margarine. So if you love a batch of fairy cakes as much as we do, switch out your usual dairy-based fat for a sunflower or olive spread. It makes a lovely sponge mixture and you probably won’t even notice the difference! You can also use these vegan spreads for your butter icing as well if you like to decorate with it.
Don’t forget to look for the RSPO label for responsibly sourced palm oil. We know ‘Pure’ sunflower spread is free from nasties and has the RSPO certification.
Another idea for sustainable treats (especially if, like most of us, you’ll be watching your energy consumption in the coming months) are no-bake recipes, so you can enjoy a tasty treat without the gas or electric power to complete it! Rocky Road is a classic choice, and one we can’t get enough of here at Doris & Dude! OK, so you do have to melt your chocolate, but this can be done quickly with a few short bursts (30 seconds – so you don’t burn it) in the microwave. Your microwave is most likely cheaper than melting over the hob.
If you fancy going old-school, how about a traditional pink and white coconut ice? Easy to make and you can chop them up into little bite-size chunks to make perfectly-portioned bites for little sweet-tooths! We found a nice easy recipe here.
Cheesecake is another option that has plenty of ‘no-bake’ recipes out there, endless flavour options, and makes a lovely family dessert to share after a meal together – perfection! We love this maltesers one from BBC Good Food.
And don’t forget to be mindful when shopping for your ingredients, considering animal welfare, food miles and fair trade options if you can – every little step can help us all protect our planet.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this little Autumn glimpse into life with Doris & Dude and how we bring a bit of comfort, fun and sustainability home! Why not share your ideas with us too, by leaving a comment?
And if you agree with us on the comfort, fun and sustainability fundamentals, we think you’re probably going to love our socks too! Have a little browse on our webshop before you go, and find your perfect pair.
See you for the next Doris & Dude LOVE blog in Winter! ❄❄❄