Lorraine Kelly has unveiled 'The National Book of Bakes', a cookbook that compiles treasured recipes from across the UK into a printed archive, with copies gifted to two leading institutions.
The book brings together hundreds of recipes and stories, ranging from Granny Mac's Dundee cake to wartime rock cakes, all preserved in print. The collection was assembled following a nationwide appeal, with recipes previously kept on individual pieces of paper and in family cookbooks turned into a physical archive that can be shared and preserved.
Recipes preserved for future generations
Kelly, broadcaster and HP campaign partner, has gifted copies of the collection to Leiths Education, one of the UK's leading culinary schools, and the University of Leeds' Cookery Collection. The institutions will help ensure these personal pieces of the UK's baking heritage can be discovered and celebrated for generations to come.
Kelly said: "It's not just a recipe, is it? It's a memory, a story and a connection to the people who came before us. Seeing hundreds of these recipes from across the UK and Ireland brought together is really special. You're not just looking at recipes, you're looking at generations of family memories. By preserving them in print, we're helping ensure these stories live beyond the original piece of paper, so they can be shared and passed on to the next generation."
Family favourites and diverse submissions
Among the recipes featured is Kelly's Granny Mac's Dundee cake, a handwritten family favourite she hopes to pass down to her granddaughter Billie. The collection also celebrates a Christmas cake tradition shared by Polly Pollecutt and Fiona Penn alongside their friend Allison. Each November, families in their village gather for 'Stir-up Sunday' to mix the cake and make a Christmas wish, before Polly bakes it for the village's Junior Choir Nativity.
Other submissions capture the diversity of the UK's baking heritage, from Julie B's wartime-inspired rock cakes, made using a Second World War recipe that substituted eggs with grated carrots and golden syrup, to Christopher H's Norfolk toffee tart, passed on by a former school dinner lady. Ellen G's Erna Green Apple Cake also features, honouring her late Slovenian grandmother, who baked the family favourite using apples from her North London garden.
Launch event and research findings
At a special launch event in London, Kelly officially unveiled the book and presented a copy to Lou Kissane, Culinary Director at Leiths Education. The institution will preserve this collection for its community of chefs, teachers and students to explore, featuring alongside its historical materials documenting centuries of food and cooking.
Research commissioned by the printer brand highlights the importance of keeping family recipes alive, with 48% of respondents associating them with nostalgia and a third (33%) identifying younger generations' lack of interest as a reason recipes could be lost. The findings also revealed the enduring appeal of print, with 41% preferring to use a printed recipe when baking, compared with 19% who prefer their phone according to OnePoll's data. Twenty-one copies of the book were printed using the HP Smart Tank.
Kissane said: "Shared culinary experiences are baked into the DNA of so many families across the UK. Countless memories and stories are associated with the smell or taste of a loved one's baking. By creating a printed archive that Leiths Education can safeguard and share with our students, we're helping ensure these traditions live on for generations to come."
Ruth Patterson, managing director, HP UK&I, said: "Growing up, our house was always filled with the smell of my mum's baking at weekends, and my sisters and I still remember sneaking Welsh cakes straight off the baking stone. Looking back through her old recipe book recently brought those memories back and reminded me just how much family history can be held in a single recipe. That's what makes The National Book of Bakes so special. Seeing these recipes now entrusted to Leiths Education and the University of Leeds is a wonderful next chapter for this project, ensuring these recipes can continue to be discovered and enjoyed long after the original appeal."
