Take a bow Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry. Thanks to your sterling efforts, baking has been elevated to the status of a treasured national pastime in Britain these days. Spending a lot more time at home through the coronavirus lockdown has helped, of course.

With more of the same set to follow this winter - and The Great British Bake Off back on our screens just in time - it is fitting that we are about to celebrate National Baking Week to get those cake-sensitive taste buds match fit again.

But what’s that? You’ve never baked a thing in your life before and wouldn’t know a whisk from a wooden spoon? Never fear, because in this technological age, there are plenty of clever kitchen gadgets to help even the most culinary-impaired of us bake up a storm. Here are some of our favourite baking appliances to try out.

Tefal Cake Factory

If you feel like you only have to look at an oven for your baking experiments to end in disaster, the Tefal Cake Factory is definitely the appliance for you. This brilliant standalone appliance will have you wowing family and friends with your baking skills, no matter what it is you want to bake. Cakes, cookies, brownies, you name it, the Cake Factory delivers perfect results every time with five intelligent baking programs that set temperature and time just right. All you have to do is make the mix, choose the container and voila, sit back and wait for a tasty treat!

Ninja 3-in-1 Food Processor

For anyone who thinks all the beating and whisking and folding and kneading involved in baking sounds too much like hard work, a food processor is a must have. Essentially an electric mixer with different attachments to perform different tasks, the beauty of a food processor is how versatile it is. The Ninja 3-in-1 goes above and beyond in that regard - not only will it whip up a cake mix or cookie dough in seconds, it also comes with two different blender attachments (big and small) for whipping up everything from smoothies to sauces.

Bosch MaxoMixx Hand Blender

Speaking of versatile, the Bosch MaxoMixx is a super-handy stick blender with bells on. As well as having the usual blades for blending smooth sauces, soups and pastes, it also comes with a whisk attachment, which makes it a baker’s best friend when it comes to beating eggs or creaming a cake mix together. Not only that, it comes with not one but two containers, one a measuring vessel and the other with an integrated blade attachment of its own - perfect for blitzing nuts or making your own homemade spice mix.

Salter Cook Bluetooth Smart Kitchen Scale

Finally, no wannabe baker should step into the kitchen without a good set of scales. Salter has been leading the market in kitchen scales since the 1760s. And although they still do a great line in classy traditional mechanical scales, we love this ultra-modern digital version. Not only does it have an impressive weighing range of 1g all the way up to 10kg and provide instant conversions to imperial and to fluid measurements (ml and fluid oz), it also connects to the Salter Cook app, which gives you recipes to follow step-by-step and lets you read measurements on your phone.

Once you are all set up and ready to start baking your masterpieces, don’t forget to protect your shiny new appliances with Row.co.uk’s fantastic value kitchen appliance cover. 

*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.

Some people fall into it almost accidentally. Some people plan for it meticulously for years and years. Others seem almost born to it.

However you end up getting into it, becoming a one can be a roller-coaster ride - full of thrills and spills, sometimes bumpy, often enthralling! If you are relatively new to the game or you’re thinking of investing in your first buy-to-let, here are some top tips for ensuring you don’t end up feeling green about the gills.

Landlord is like a second job

One of the things that catches many out is that first time their tenants call to tell them the fridge has packed in or they need them to come and fix the boiler. “Why are they calling me?” they wonder. Well, that’s your job - you are responsible for maintenance and upkeep of the property. If you go into renting property expecting not to have to do any work, you will be in for a nasty shock. Like they say, you don’t earn money for nothing.

Treat your tenants like customers

As per the last point, when you become a start letting your property to tenants, what you are effectively doing is going into business. Your tenants are your customers, and what is the first rule of customer service? When you hear horror stories about dreadful houseletters, you should think of it like this - when those tenants up sticks and leave, they lose their income. It doesn’t make sense, so when you get good tenants who pay their rent on time and respect your property, do everything in your power to keep hold of them. It’s easier than having to go out and find new people to pay you rent.

Landlord and tenancy agreements

The truth is, very few tenants in rented properties ever sit down and read their tenancy agreement. They’re pretty boring. But you don’t have much choice. There are all sorts of regulations you have to make sure you comply with and, if the terms of your contract don’t stand up legally, you might not be entitled to even get paid. When you become a homeowner with tenants, you should ask a lawyer to draw up your tenancy agreement, and spend time discussing all the terms and conditions you want to include - like, for example, who is responsible for repairing damage caused by the tenant.

Weigh up the value of a management agency

If you are the sort that doesn’t like to be woken up at 3am to go and do some emergency plumbing, you might want to consider the value to hiring a lettings and management agency to do all the dirty work for you. For around 10% of your rental income, you may be glad of the undisturbed sleep.

Landlord Insurance?

Finally, if you supply any appliances or furnishings with the property - cookers, refrigerators, freezers, beds, sofas etc - you are responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of these (although clauses about acceptable use and wear and tear can be built into your tenancy agreement…) This will mean they are not covered by your tenant’s home contents insurance and, if they fail, you will have to fork out for their repair or replacement. A similar principle applies to boilers, which every home owner who has tenants must supply, whether the property is furnished or unfurnished.

If you don’t want to be landed with any nasty unexpected repair bills as soon as something goes wrong, it is sensible to take out your own insurance on anything you provide with the property. Starting at just £1.49 - yes, you read that right - Row offers comprehensive cover for people like you to protect all appliances and boilers in every rental property they own. We also provide Landlord Home Emergency Cover, which includes 24/7 emergency repair call out, meaning you can get your beauty sleep and save a few quid on a letting agent.

*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.