If there’s one thing I look forward to every year, it’s the holiday baking season. My husband adores Christmas and spends much of the year planning for it, from decorations to the all-important cookie assortment. For months before December, we talk baked goods, debate what we’ll make, and get stuck into recipe testing. So when a copy of The Festive Baker by Ben Mervis landed on my doorstep a couple of weeks ago, the timing couldn’t have been better.
Mervis is a food historian and the author of The British Cookbook, a book I own and have had great success with, so I went into this with high hopes. I won’t lie to you, I expected more of a Christmas book. What I got instead was a whole year of celebrations.
Ube Cake, Philippines. Submitted by Florence Mae Maglanoc. Photography: Liz Seabrook
The book is organized by month, with each chapter covering the holidays that fall within it. It moves from Lunar New Year in January to Purim in March, through Rosh Hashanah in the autumn, and all the way to Christmas. With 170 recipes from 50 different countries and cultures, and contributions from more than 80 bakers, cooks and food writers around the world, this is a book for anyone who loves to celebrate, all year round. There’s also a handy recipe legend flagging vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free bakes, and even recipes with five ingredients or less.
In the foreword, Christina Tosi calls the book a love letter to the universal language of dessert. “Dessert is the punctuation mark on life’s most meaningful moments,” she writes, and “has this quiet, powerful way of showing up exactly when we need it.” Mervis feels the same way about the traditions behind each bake, writing that “through the act of baking, these traditions become something exchangeable: stories and flavors to link people, generations, and cultures.”
I thought about that a lot. I left Ireland ten years ago, and I love finding ways to honour my heritage through food. Last week, I celebrated Thanksgiving with my in-laws and made a Baileys Cheesecake for the occasion, a nice way to bring a slice of home to the table. The Festive Baker is full of traditions just like that, carried across borders and generations.
Prinsesstårta, Sweden. Submitted by Cecilia Tolone. Photography: Liz Seabrook (page 308)
The book begins with Epiphany and a Galette des Rois from Anna Trattles of Ten Belles in Paris, then heads to Sweden for Semlor on Shrove Tuesday. From there, it’s J.R. Ryall’s Spotted Dog for St. Patrick’s Day, Pistachio Ma’amoul Cookies from the Middle East, and so much more, each recipe opening with a short history of the holiday and the bake. The sheer breadth of this book is amazing.
I was specifically on the lookout for gluten-free recipes, and there are plenty of naturally gluten-free options. Many of the other recipes, such as cakes, cookies and non-yeasted breads, can easily be made with a good quality gluten-free flour such as Bob’s Red Mill.
Speaking of cakes, the book wraps up with a chapter called “All Year,” featuring bakes for celebrations like birthdays, weddings, and more. This is my favourite section, because I firmly believe every celebration should be accompanied by a baked good. You’ll find familiar favourites, like a classic Birthday Cake with Chocolate Frosting and Sprinkles, alongside celebration cakes that might be new to you, like Ube Cake and Orange Soda Cake.
I was offered the opportunity to share a recipe from the book, and I’ll be honest, I found it very challenging to pick just one. I was torn between the Prinsesstårta (Princess Cake), contributed by Cecilia Tolone, whose YouTube channel I adore, and a Canadian classic, the Butter Tart. I went with the latter, and I’m so glad I did. I baked off a batch at the weekend, and they didn’t last long. You’ll find the full recipe here, courtesy of Phaidon and Ben Mervis.
As someone who already has a cookie list as long as my arm for December, I’m telling you this is a book worth making room for. It’s also a fantastic gift for friends and loved ones. The Festive Baker is a reminder that every culture marks its biggest moments with something sweet (or savoury), and that baking is one of the best ways we have of sharing those moments with each other.
Butter Tarts, Canada. Submitted by Allisa Murphy. Photography: Liz Seabrook (page 355)
About the author
Ben Mervis is a respected food historian, researcher, and writer. Born in America and now based in Scotland, he is the founder of the food-focused travel magazine Fare, which explores city culture, community, and history through food. Mervis is also the author of The British Cookbook, a comprehensive exploration of the diversity, depth, and history of traditional British food culture. He has been a contributor and researcher on Netflix’s Chef’s Table since 2017 and consults internationally with Michelin-starred chefs and award-winning food festivals across Europe.
The Festive Baker features a foreword by Christina Tosi, two-time James Beard Award-winning pastry chef, bestselling cookbook author, and founder of Milk Bar.
The Festive Baker by Ben Mervis is available for purchase in hardcover format. Check Bookshop.org to support an indie near you.
Avocado Diaries is part of the Bookshop.org affiliate program and may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
