Food brings people together.

Loads of us have been spending more time in the kitchen recently, trying out new recipes, first-time baking, getting creative, nurturing sourdough starters, or trying our hands at recipes that might take that little bit longer than we’d usually be happy to spend.

And while I can’t be sat around a table sharing food with friends right now, they were more than happy to share their food here.

So, this post is about that; a celebration of lockdown baking. Sharing photos, ideas and recipe links if you want to try anything yourself.

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In my kitchen, bao buns and pierogi were on the menu for the first time. Neither of which I’d tried to make before, both of which I’d make again. I’ve been relegated to sous (Sue – ha!) chef on a couple of occasions too and my kids even did a kitchen take-over last weekend making pasta carbonara, fajitas and these doughnuts. Hopefully setting themselves up with some valuable life skills.

But what’s everyone else been making?

Bex has been persevering with preserving and bottled up some lovely lemon marmalade. You’d just need two ingredients for this one: unwaxed lemons and sugar. You knew there was a reason you’d saved those jars.

Jess’s kids have been having Skype cooking lessons with their nan – how adorable! They’ve made scones, rock cakes, ginger biscuits, jam tarts, all the classics and passing down family recipes.

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Kate’s been baking classic scones with jam and clotted cream. Unfortunately, she didn’t have a photo of them topped their aforementioned jam and cream, so we’ll have to use our imagination. But she assures me that even though she had to use whipped cream as she didn’t have clotted, they were still really good. The big question is though, jam or cream first?

Tasha’s been really busy making all kinds of things. She’s been foraging for dandelions to make bee-friendly Vegan Dandelion Honey, and wandering through low wooded dells in search of wild garlic to make pesto. Back in the kitchen, she’s also been baking New York-style Bagels (I do loves me a bagel, so I might have to try these), Fruit Scones and Oatmeal & Raisin Cookies with a little helper who has expertly shaped each and every one.

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Sophie’s been baking a chocolate version of Grandma’s Afghan Biscuits. I’ve never heard of these before, but to be honest, she had me at ‘chocolate’ and there’s even more chocolate on top.

Pavitra has tried out kale chips and sourdough discard waffles. Now we know what to do with the sourdough bit that you’d usually throw away.

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Michelle tried her cooking skills at Gypsy Tart. Her photo comes with the slight cautionary tale of perhaps not relying on the recipe on BBC Good Food. I bet it still tasted great. If you haven’t heard of gypsy tart before, it’s a regional Kent dish.

Hannah cooks something new every week anyway as part of her #ThatTranslatorCanCook series but she’s shared her recent bakes: Spiced Fruit Sourdough (just look at that cracked loaf!), Pissaladiere and Far Breton, a baked custard dessert.

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Catherine baked proper British tea cakes using the Hairy Bikers recipe with her 4-year-old’s help and said they were a “revelation!” They look much nicer than the shop-bought ones, that’s for sure.

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Thanks to everyone who sent me in a photo or two. It’s been so lovely chatting food on Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp over the last few days.