From handwritten recipes passed down through generations to cakes that bring whole communities together, hundreds of the UK and Ireland’s treasured family bakes have been given a lasting home in print as Lorraine Kelly unveils The National Book of Bakes.
Created by HP following a nationwide appeal, the collection preserves not just the recipes themselves but the memories, people and traditions behind them.
Lorraine Kelly, broadcaster and HP campaign partner, said: "It's not just a recipe, is it? It's a memory, a story and a connection to the people who came before us. Seeing hundreds of these recipes from across the UK and Ireland brought together is really special. You're not just looking at recipes, you're looking at generations of family memories. By preserving them in print, we're helping ensure these stories live beyond the original piece of paper, so they can be shared and passed on to the next generation."
The unveiling isn't the end of the story. To give the recipes a lasting home, HP has entrusted a copy of The National Book of Bakes to Leiths Education, one of the UK's leading culinary schools while another will be housed in the University of Leeds' renowned Cookery Collection, alongside historical materials documenting centuries of food and cooking. Together, the institutions will help ensure these personal pieces of the UK's baking heritage can be discovered and celebrated for generations to come.
The recipes were reproduced using HP Smart Tank, which comes with three years of ink included, capturing the handwritten notes, amendments and personal touches that make the originals unique. In total, one tank of ink has produced 21 full copies of The National Book of Bakes, amounting to almost 8,000 colour pages, turning recipes previously kept on individual pieces of paper, in family cookbooks and personal collections into a physical archive that can be shared and preserved.
Among the recipes featured is Lorraine’s Granny Mac's Dundee cake, a handwritten family favourite she hopes to pass down to her granddaughter Billie. The collection also celebrates a Christmas cake tradition shared by Polly Pollecutt and Fiona Penn, who, alongside their friend Allison, have brought their village together for nearly 20 years. Each November, families gather for 'Stir-up Sunday' to mix the cake and make a Christmas wish, before Polly bakes it for the village's Junior Choir Nativity.
Other submissions capture the diversity of the UK's baking heritage. From Julie B's wartime inspired rock cakes, made using a Second World War recipe that substituted eggs with grated carrots and golden syrup, to Christopher H's Norfolk toffee tart, passed on by a former school dinner lady. Ellen G's Erna Green Apple Cake also features, honouring her late Slovenian grandmother, who baked the family favourite using apples from her North London garden.
At a special launch event in London, Lorraine officially unveiled the book and presented a copy of the National Book of Bakes to Lou Kissane, Culinary Director at Leiths Education. The institution will then preserve this collection for its community of chefs, teachers and students to explore.
Lou Kissane, Culinary Director at Leiths Education, said: "Shared culinary experiences are baked into the DNA of so many families across the UK. Countless memories and stories are associated with the smell or taste of a loved one's baking. By creating a printed archive that Leiths Education can safeguard and share with our students, we're helping ensure these traditions live on for generations to come."
The initiative comes as HP research highlights the importance of keeping family recipes alive, with 48% of respondents associating them with nostalgia and a third (33%) identifying younger generations' lack of interest as a reason recipes could be lost. The findings also reveal the enduring appeal of print, with 41% preferring to use a printed recipe when baking, compared with 19% who prefer their phone.
Ruth Patterson, Managing Director, HP UK&I, said: "Growing up, our house was always filled with the smell of my mum's baking at weekends, and my sisters and I still remember sneaking Welsh cakes straight off the baking stone. Looking back through her old recipe book recently brought those memories back and reminded me just how much family history can be held in a single recipe.
“That’s what makes The National Book of Bakes so special. Using a HP Smart Tank and its three years of ink, we've been able to bring hundreds of these personal stories together in print, creating something tangible that people can turn to, share and bake from. Seeing these recipes now entrusted to Leiths Education and the University of Leeds is a wonderful next chapter for this project, ensuring these recipes can continue to be discovered and enjoyed long after the original appeal."
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