A Fantastic Holiday Gift from the UK

Dan Lepard, of the Guardian in London, has put together an impressive offering of baking tips from some of my favorite bakers around the world and others whom I'd love to get to know as well! The link to his site is at the very end of this posting.

Here's what he wrote to me:
"I thought I'd email with some good news, especially with all the bleakness in the world today. I've been thinking, what can I do that's helpful and doesn't cost everyone something? So from Thursday, 20th November, at Guardian Online I've put together an exclusive list of baking tips straight to you from the great bakers of the world:

US
Shirley O. Corriher
Jim Lahey
Rose Levy Beranbaum
Dorie Greenspan
Sarah Phillips
David Lebovitz
Matt Lewis
Jeffrey Hamelman
Peter Reinhart

UK
Yotam Ottolenghi
Gerhard Jenne
John Rolfe

Scotland
Robert Winters
Catherine Brown

Ireland
Rachel Allen

France
Eric Kayser
Pascale Weeks
Clotilde Dusoulier
Fanny Zanotti
Sandra Avital

Australia & New Zealand
Donna Hay
John Downes
Dean Brettschnieder

Canada
Elizabeth Baird
Cliff Leir
Marcy Goldman

Norway
Gunn Borrowman

Sweden
Johan Sörberg
Jan Hedh

Denmark
Camilla Plum

"There are some seriously good money-saving ideas, suggestions for getting your cakes, cookies and loaves that bit better, and all you have to do is go to

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2008/nov/20/dan-lepard-baking-tips1

Running at the same time is a competition, no cost to enter, to win a copy of "Cook Simply Everything", the mighty how-to cookbook from Dorling Kindersley with recipes and tips from the likes of Pierre Hermé, Marcus Wareing, Peter Gordon, Charlie Trotter and many more sharing their secrets.

Plus, you'll win your own customised recipe from me. The winner will get the flavours they like best crafted into a unique personalized recipe, and I'll make sure it's genuinely special and tested.

All you have to do to enter is get a free username and password for www.guardian.co.uk and post in the competition thread your useful home baking tip. Now it can be how to save, how to share, whatever you like so long as it's helpful and thoughtful.

Last of all, on November 27th, I'm online at
http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2008/nov/20/dan-lepard-baking-tips

for a Winter Baking Q&A session, where you can post you baking questions and hopefully I'll have the answers. Or if I get out of my depth - I know what you bakers are like - I'll find the right expert and try and find the solution."