WHEN is a croissant not a croissant? When it has no butter perhaps? When it has nothing like the short list of ingredients in the traditional croissant — flour, yeast, water, butter, a little sugar and salt, and instead a long list of cheaper non-hydrogenated fats and oils, emulsifiers and acidifiers, dough enhancers and antioxidants.

VEGETABLE and fruit-based cakes make us feel less guilty, even virtuous. Getting one of our five a day in a cake sounds good, but are we kidding ourselves?

WINTER may have landed on us straight from summer, but the arrival of bracks in the shops brings a lovely autumnal glow.

LET’S embrace some European traditions and seek out the best seasonal cakes to celebrate the festive season.

THIS year’s crop of mince pies yielded not just one or two, but three worthy winners of our gold star.