If you do a lot of baking it is worth investing in heavy gauge bakeware of a professional quality. Traditionally baking pans and cake tins are made of steel or aluminium with strong rolled edges that, even through years of use, keep their shape. New products in silicon, including Flexibake, provide a versatile alternative. Made of 100% silicon, the moulds go from the freezer to the oven or microwave for cooking or defrosting. Guaranteed non-stick, they are dishwasher safe and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Other essential baking equipment include cake cooling racks, mixing bowls in graduated sizes, a rolling pin, pastry brush and flour sifter.

For everyday baking, most cooks find that they need at least one large baking sheet/slide for biscuits. A muffin pan, a loaf pan, at least one square and one round cake tin, and a loose based flan tin complete the essentials. A springform tin, with easy release clip, is an essential. It snaps apart to release the cake and is unfailingly reliable - heartening for any cook. People who love to bake will build up their own range of specialist tins.

It's smart to have a variety of bowls for different tasks: a deep ceramic bowl for larger mixing; a nest of stainless steel bowls with rolled rims for smaller jobs; a small ceramic or stoneware bowl for steaming puddings; and an unlined copper bowl that produces beaten egg whites of the highest volume which hold their form in even the most delicate souffle. Glass bowls are so versatile - bake in them, use as a bain marie, set jellies, steam puddings, mixing...oven- microwave- and dishwasher safe, they are non-reactive with acidic foods.