Talking to the WI

In a moment of weakness a couple of years ago, I agreed to talk to our local Women's Institute about bread making. Someone had apparently found out that I was an oddity - a male who baked - and they wanted to find out more. Either that or they were so desparately short of speakers that anyone who could string two or three intelligible sentences together on a vague theme was welcome at one of their meetings. Whatever the reason, the session went reasonably well and they went away happy. And that's when the WI jungle drums started beating! "We've found a new speaker - and he's cheap" must have been the message that went out as, since then, I've been asked to talk to a number of other WI groups. And so it was that last week, after a morning's baking, I trotted along with my wares (see photograph: spot the new ones - chocolate bread and pesto whirls) to Kelly Bray WI Hall to tell them about bread.

It's always interesting to find out how I've been 'billed' and what the expectations of the attendees are. For this particular occasion, some seemed to have the idea that I was Mr Baker the baker. Although I find such nominative determinism amusing, I had to disabuse them and tell them the awful truth: I was not 'a baker' but someone who did a 'bit of baking' and had the gall to talk about it. As it turned out, not that many of them admitted to making bread themselves and seemed keen to learn. It was a good humoured session and when it came to the tasting, the chocolate bread and raisin and fennel fougasse came out on top.

I have a soft spot for the  British institution that is the WI. Admittedly it's an easy target for jokes (and sometimes they don't help themselves: anyone for the most interesting twig competition?) but I've always found the ladies engaging, engaged and appreciative. The food they ply speakers with is pretty good as well! Next week I'm off to the Launceston WI branch for a repeat performance, although I'm planning to add in some new items for this one to make it more interesting for me. Although practice makes perfect, repetition is boring.