Quite some years ago I was diagnosed with coeliac disease which answered a lot of questions for me at the time but, as anyone who is gluten intolerant will agree, also presented a lot of difficulties as well.

Now many years later, gluten-free food is much more widely recognised and available – at a price – though if you’ve ever tried it, the issue of gluten-free bread continues to challenge all of us who need it.

Of course supermarket shelves often have it in abundance....but have you actually tried it in a sandwich? Or tried to toast it even?  And I’ve tried to make it at home so many, many times with very little success and some very sad-looking results.

Well, in my quest to find something better, I recently searched through Google for some new options to try.

And I came across a bakery delivering online orders of a range of gf breads and rolls along with some gift options and mixes, one of which is a mindfulness box.

Now that’s not what I was expecting in a bakery.....so I tried it....

A couple of tea bags, a bread mix to make up at home using baking as a mindfulness exercise with some instructions, and a notepad.

I run mindfulness groups and teach meditation, but this was something a little new for me.

And obviously other bakeries are available, and there are many books, courses and groups for mindfulness.

But it’s always good to try new things, and the process of mixing, shaping the dough and watching it bake (confident in the premixed dry dough mix results of course...) and focussing mindfully on the task, really did feel totally relaxing and refreshing – along with a cup of tea and noting down my thoughts afterwards.

Actually the process engaged all my senses – the feel and texture of the dough, the sight and smell of freshly baked bread – and of course the taste!  Even listening to the dough coming together as I mixed it.

This was a real escape for a short time.  And absolutely worth trying something new!

So whatever “new” you are trying - Go for it!