My earliest memory of baking is being stood on a stool with my Mam in an apron that drowned me, taking everything in with fascination, excitedly waiting to see the end result! Growing up on a farm, I learnt the basics of cooking and baking traditional hearty bakes with my Mam and growing veggies with my Dad.

I've always found growing from seed such a magical and rewarding process. It's relaxing, very easy, cheap and it's fun planning what to plant, watching seedlings grow, harvesting and adding them in everyday cooking and baking. Being sustainable and self-sufficient is something we love as a family.

It was my love and passion for baking that made me apply for The Great British Bake Off, a show that I'd watched for years in awe of so many talented bakers. To be chosen to bake in the big white tent was nerve-wracking to say the least, but it was an amazing experience I'll never forget and gave me memories that I will always treasure. The endless baking and intense recipe development made me the baker I am today, as it gave me the confidence to try new flavour combinations, become more adventurous and even gain star baker of cake week!

Since buying my first cookbook with my pocket money from the touring bus library that came to my school as a child, it has been a lifelong dream of mine to write my own. I still have that book; it's covered in splatters and held together with tape!

My first book, The Seasonal Baker, is filled with colourful, flavoursome bakes from my kitchen to yours, for you to enjoy and become family favourites in your home as they have in mine.

These inspiring creations will keep you baking through the year with the best produce each season has to offer. Whether you have a small plant pot, window box, balcony, raised bed or garden veg patch, we can all grow our own!

So, pop on your apron, get baking and watch your loved ones faces light up when you give them something that's made with love.

Happy Baking!
Michelle x