So many of us are trying to improve our diets, replacing meat-heavy dishes with ones that are predominantly plant-based.

Breadsong Book Launch — Five Little Pigs Breadsong Book Launch — Five Little Pigs

This one loaf of bread quickly turned into a passion and then an obsession that drove Kitty to become the best breadmaker she could be.I always appreciate a cookbook which blends the cook's story and experiences into the recipes, which Breadsong manages excellently. Breadsong is the first book from Kitty and Al Tait, the daughter-father duo that run The Orange Bakery in Watlington. It has been so lovely reading about Kitty’s journey through her mental health and seeing how much the family supported each other. This is not a cookbook; although there are recipes for the breads and pastries discussed, it is first person accounts from a father and daughter about how flour, yeast, salt and time can be transformative.

Breadsong by Kitty Tait, Al Tait | Waterstones Breadsong by Kitty Tait, Al Tait | Waterstones

I'll admit I sometimes skim or even skip over the background section in cookbooks, but trust me, don't skip this! Al asked Kitty if she'd like to try baking bread herself, and their lives were never the same again.Although I am almost two decades ahead of Kitty at the start of this book, I recognized some of her struggles in my own teenage and adolescent years.

Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives - Hardcover - AbeBooks Breadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives - Hardcover - AbeBooks

Kitty was doing well at school and was known for her infectious giggle, but, almost imperceptibly, she became less sociable, more anxious.During covid and lockdown this family helped to keep the village going even supplying ingredients for those wanting to make their own bread. This is an incredibly beautiful book that chronicles a girl’s tumble into crippling anxiety and depression and how baking and her father’s partnership in this pursuit brought her back.