A magical mixture as Ruth shares hot tips on baking

First-time baker Sarah O’Meara takes tips from Ruth Clemens, the new face of British Baking Week.

Within minutes of starting a batch of ham and cheese scones, dough is dripping off my hands, swamp monster-style.

“I tend to use a table knife to stir the milk and egg in with the flour and butter,” says Ruth Clemens, and pushes me kindly in the direction of the sink. “Otherwise the dough mixture sticks to you.”

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While I love cooking, I’ve never been a fan of baking for two reasons: the need for accuracy and the mess. And so far, my concerns have been proven half right. But Clemens, a finalist in last year’s The Great British Bake Off, is determined to convert me during her baking masterclass.

Yesterday saw the start of a second series of the cooking show which sees 12 homebakers put through a series of challenges set by Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood. After returning my hands to normal, I tip the sticky mass on to a floured worktop, pat it into a flat shape and get busy with a scone cutter.

“Don’t swivel it round, just press down hard and drag the circle smoothly out,” Clemens explain. Just over 15 minutes later, my six dollops have been transformed, by way of the oven, into golden mounds.

I’m slightly stunned by the speed and ease of my success. When my mother used to make her annual birthday cake, the kitchen was shut off for a whole day and the family knew to keep very, very quiet.

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But unfortunately, across the room, another student’s Madeira cakes haven’t had such an easy ride. But if anyone can see our class through these difficult times and convert us to the baking side, it’s Clemens. Gathering the group around, like a cross between Julie Andrews and Posh Spice, she explains: “The frustration of baking comes from things not turning out the way you expected them to.

“But once you’ve got to grips with your oven, you can turn out anything and everything,” she finishes positively.

I nod, munching happily yet still firmly thinking salads are a lot less hassle. Mother-of-three Clemens continues: “I’m a big believer in oven thermometers, you really can’t trust the dials. They lose their accuracy over time and can be out by 10 to 20 degrees, which makes all the difference to baking times.”

As I reach for my third scone, Clemens sees my hovering hand and smiles indulgently: “They’re good fresh, aren’t they?” Okay, I admit it: I’m hooked on these things. Now I just need to find out how to stay skinny while eating this much butter on a regular basis.

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Ruth is the face of National Baking Week’s Bake Along this year (www.nationalbakingweek.co.uk) “We did some filming ‘Where are they now’ style for the new BBC Bake Off series. They can’t believe the fabulous things that have happened – and neither can I!” she laughs happily, as I stare at my remaining three scones with love.

The Great British Bake Off is on BBC2 on Tuesdays, at 8pm. For more information about National Baking Week’s Bake Along, visit www.nationalbakingweek.co.uk