The nation is obsessed with the Great British Bake Off and it has now been claimed that baking could be a cure for stress and anxiety.
Julia Ponsonby, author of The Art of Mindful Baking, told The Huffington Post that the concentration and physical acts required to follow a baking recipe, such as kneading, "takes your mind out of the intellectual and connects you to your body".
Mindfulness is a recognised aid for those fighting anxiety and Ponsonby says that baking can help people to conquer the process of focusing on the present moment without any conscious effort.
"For example, when you’re baking sourdough, you’re letting things develop at their own pace and you’re observing them. I think not trying to control everything and accepting that things will happen when they’re ready is a useful tool to have in life," she says.
"We’re always afraid of missing out on opportunities, but when we slow down, we often become more successful in life because we gain a heightened sense of awareness."
