Hello! I’m Emma, a 20 yr old student. I spend most of my free time baking...

...trying to attain some kind of perfection in the kitchen. I live in Oxford (England) in term time, where I’m studying English Literature. I go home to the Swiss Alps in the holidays (despite this I’m not actually Swiss, I’m English).

How long have you been a Daring Baker/Daring Cook and what’s your favorite thing about being in the group(s) so far?

I’ve just completed my first challenge as a Daring Baker. It’s really struck me how friendly everybody is – but more than that, how much inspiration and passion for baking is in the air.

What’s your favorite kitchen gadget? How about your favorite kitchen appliance?

My Le Creuset spatula or ‘licker’ as it’s known in my house. As for appliance we’ve always had Kenwood free standing mixers – last summer my Grandpa handed me my Grandmother’s original Kenwood Chef from the fifties. It still works like a dream and has a lot of meaning for me.

Are you known for making a certain dish or dessert? If so, what is it?

I think I’m mainly known for making birthday cakes. It’s become fairly traditional that I bake cakes for my friend’s birthdays. My mum also has had some very big birthday parties (think a guest list of 400 or so) and I provided the cakes – the last one had four tiers and a base diameter of 16” – so people know me for that.

You’ve just won $5000.00!!! What would you spend it on?

I would probably use it to travel in the summer – I want to take advantage of my last three month long summer!

What is the ultimate comfort food to you?

There’s so many foods that comfort me and deserve a mention – but to be as selective as possible: macaroni cheese made with gruyere, pear crumble with custard, ice cream, porridge, crumpets and chocolate.

Which season (Winter, Summer, Spring, Fall) is your favorite.. why?

Spring – I love cold days when the sun is out and the air is crisp. I like watching the bulbs come up and the flowers break out and the feeling that everything is getting brighter again. Not that I dislike winter – a sunny powder day when the air sparkles at home in Switzerland makes my heart sing.

Other than cooking and/or baking.. what hobbies do you enjoy?

I find sport a good way to counteract all that baking/cooking - when I’m at university I play squash and row and at home I ski. Other than that I love watching films, reading, sipping coffee in cafes, travelling and just spending time with loved ones.

How long have you been blogging? Do you like it? What’s your favorite post you’ve written?

I’ve been blogging for about ten months. I really enjoy it but don’t get to spend as much time as I’d like on it with my university work and so on. I’m getting better at simply making the time to do actually write things out – I definitely bake more than I blog at the moment.

What’s your favorite cookbook for desserts/baking? What’s your favorite cookbook for savory/cooking?

When I came to university, the two books I felt I had to have with me out of our sizable collection were Delia Smith’s Complete Cookery Course and Nigella Lawson’s Domestic Goddess. I was also given the Leith’s Cookery Bible, Baking Bible and Techniques Bible for Christmas and all three are proving to be worth their weight in lugging them back from Switzerland!

Who taught you how to cook and/or bake?

It was a joint effort between my mum and my grandma. I used to spend at least one day a week at my grandparents helping with the fruit picking, jam making, cake baking and so on. Yet my mum is an inspiration and taught me so much (not just about baking and cooking).

What is your favorite cooking/food related magazine? Why?

I really like Good Food from the BBC – there’s always something I want to make. I can’t say I’ve read a huge variety though!

You can visit Emma on her blog Poires au Chocolat