"For a sourdough mother to develop, all you need is water and a mix of wholemeal and white flour. Because there are enough bacteria in our air, this is enough for spontaneous fermentation. But it works even better like this: leave 1 organic apple in the kitchen until the skin shrivels. Then cut the wrinkled apple into large pieces and leave to stand in a cup covered with water for 4 days. Drain 100 g of the apple water, mix with the same amount of flour mixture and cover the cup with cling film (with a few holes cut in it). Leave to ferment at 25ᵒ C for about 15 hours until the amount has doubled. The temperature of 25ᵒ C is important. If it is too warm, the yeasts will die; if it is colder, the process will not start at all. You should therefore look for a suitable place, such as on the coffee machine, on the radiator or in the bathroom.

Now comes the patient, loving task of tending and caring. Over 8 days, half of the liquid, fermented mixture is poured off every 12 hours and the remaining half is fed fresh. The 'feeding' is always the same, with 50 g each of water and flour, whether wholemeal or white flour. The sourdough mother is then ready for baking bread.

Once prepared, the sourdough mother should always be kept in the fridge and fed at least once a week. It is perfect when it is slightly sour but still smells pleasant and has small bubbles. If mould forms, throw it away immediately and start again.

As I'm often travelling all over the world, I have two main worries. Who feeds my cats and my sourdough when I'm not at home?"