Bakeries: questions and Band 8 answers

Yes, fairly often actually. There's a charming little independent bakery just around the corner from my flat, so I usually pop in a couple of times a week to pick up some fresh sourdough or a croissant on Saturday mornings.

I tend to stick to savoury items mostly, like seeded loaves or freshly baked rolls for lunch. That said, if they've just pulled a batch of cinnamon buns out of the oven, I really can't resist treating myself to something sweet.

Not all that often, to be honest. My parents generally bought standard sliced bread from the supermarket to save time. However, on special occasions like birthdays, my mum would take me to a traditional local bakery to choose a proper iced pastry.

Definitely a local bakery, hands down. Even though it's usually a bit pricier, the quality is far superior and it doesn't have all those artificial preservatives. Plus, I quite like supporting small neighbourhood businesses whenever I can.

Yes, I have had a go a few times. During the lockdown a few years back, I got really into baking banana bread, like pretty much everyone else. It was quite therapeutic, though kneading traditional dough was much harder work than I'd anticipated.

I certainly would. I'd love to master pastry making in particular, as it requires quite a lot of precision and patience. Attending a weekend artisan bread-making workshop is actually something on my bucket list.