Bread Therapy

It is a rare pleasure to spend time in the company of such a thoughtful, intelligent and compassionate food writer. Pauline Beaumont explains how making bread in all its many forms can help your mental and physical health, as well as provide you with something wholesome and delicious to enjoy and share. Bread Therapy is a book that deserves to be read from cover to cover, but it ultimately belongs in the kitchen: whether you’re a complete beginner or a seasoned expert, you’ll find the recipes immaculately explained, with infinite attention to detail, and inspiring ideas for the creative bread maker. An exciting new voice in the world of food writing. – Orlando Murrin, President of the Guild of Food WritersPauline Beaumont’s Bread Therapy is a reassuring, generous book that answers the big question of why we bake bread rather than buy and shows the healing power that crafting and baking a loaf offers us. It’s a heartfelt, enlightening book for the baker in your family, your friends, and especially the baker within you. – Dan Lepard, award-winning baker, food writer and photographerPauline Beaumont writes persuasively about the power of something as simple as breadmaking to help us cope with life’s stresses and disappointments. In her gentle explanations, age-old wisdom informs modern psychotherapeutic practice and the traditional craft of baking real bread at home emerges as both metaphor and métier. Her belief that ‘the final gift of breadmaking is to spread the word, for you to express your care for others through bread and, in doing this, inspire others’ shines through a book that may well change lives. – Andrew Whitley, author of Bread Matters and DO Sourdough – Slow bread for busy livesWe love this book as it sums up exactly how we feel about bread. Bread is like a small animal; it needs feeding, resting and quite a lot of love to get it to feel right. Caring for it gives you a huge buzz. Bread also has the ability to care for you and making bread is such a simple and pure way of boosting mental wellbeing. Pauline’s book captures the magic of this equation beautifully. – Alex and Kitty Tait, founders of The Orange BakeryThe Real Bread Campaign has long believed in and championed the benefits of making Real Bread by hand. It’s great to see Pauline helping to spread this message to even more people. As lovingly crafted as a handmade loaf, this book guides you through why and how Real Bread can be better for you, not just while you enjoy eating it, but first as you enjoy making it. Along the way you’ll discover the opportunities for making connections with the food you eat, with people around you, and with yourself. One day, we would like to see Real Bread making offered on prescription. For now, this book will help many more people to find happiness in a bag of flour. – Chris Young, coordinator of the Real Bread Campaign and its Rising Up initiative, and author of Slow Dough: Real Bread and Knead to KnowI have read Bread Therapy with pleasure, interest and admiration. Pauline has written so thoughtfully, clearly and lovingly about the benefits, delights and surprises of breadmaking for both mind and body. It will help the reader feel good inside and out. As Pauline says: “managing expectations in baking and life leads to calm acceptance”. Even a doorstop loaf can’t stop the door being opened any more! – Nick Jones, past Chairman of the Traditional Cornmillers GuildBread Therapy is a deeply nourishing read, offering a fresh and inspiring application of both mindfulness and self-care. A genuine feast for the senses. – Suzy Reading, author of Self-Care for Tough TimesA meditation upon, and life lessons from, the art and science of bread making, beautifully exploring its importance in our societal, emotional and physical lives. A joyful, comforting and helpful book at any stage of life. I thoroughly enjoyed it. – Sasha Bates, author of Languages of LossA perfect recipe for wellbeing - self-help mixed with baking! – Juliet Sear, TV baker and authorThis isn’t just a cookery book, it’s a rich contribution to all-round mindfulness. * Bella *Bread Therapy provides encouragement to the novice and a new way of looking at the process for the veteran baker. * Baking Heaven *I think this was written with me in mind. – Adrian ChilesI could talk to you all day, it’s such a pleasure - I am really inspired. – Liz EarleHer brilliant book, which has made me want to don a pinny and head to the kitchen, explains the pros of home-baked bread and demystifies the process. – Susannah Taylor * You, Mail on Sunday *

Pauline Beaumont has a degree in Psychology and Philosophy, a post graduate certificate in Low Intensity Psychological Therapy and a Diploma in Group Work Practice. She works as a student counsellor at Newcastle University, supporting students who are struggling with a wide range of mental health problems. She has found that the physical and meditative nature of making and providing bread has helped her foster the self-acceptance that she works to help her clients reach. As a mother of six, baking bread is both an expression of love and a way of staying calm amidst the occasional chaos of family life.