Saving room for…
You know when you go out for food and it starts off just as a one course affair. You know something low key. Something chill. Something just to fill a hole (lower those raised eyebrows, cheeky).
And then out of nowhere, the bread basket appears on the table. Oooo, well twist my arm, I’ll just have a little slice. And then the little slice turns into the bread stick. The bread stick turns into a bread roll. The bread roll turns into a starter, mains and dessert.
And before you know it, you’re left with…the Last Bite.
The bite you swear you shouldn’t have. The bite you say will tip you over the edge. The bite you look at longingly. The bite you want to share but also hope the other person generously declines. The bite you savour. The bite you enjoy. The bite you end up demolishing because you have zero willpower, no self control and you’re already 4 courses deep and a jean button undone so who even cares at this point? The bite that reminds you of a good time. A happy time.
A time…just for you.
That’s what the Last Bite is all about. That moment of pure unadulterated, deliciously filthy, indulgence…along with general life updates, travel yaps and the odd lifestyle ramble.
After months (or more probably years, I am being brutally honest) of pure exasperation at being held ransom to algorithms, dance routines and viral (more often than not, gross) food trends, I desperately wanted to create a little corner on the internet that was just mine. A place where people don’t care about what song goes with what video, where a video can AND SHOULD last longer than 15 seconds, where your ramblings don’t need to fit into 140 characters or where a recipe you have laboured over gets pushed to the bottom of the pile because god forbid you posted a photo. GASP! A photo! How stone age of you Rubes.
And talking of Rubes, that’s me. A 34 year old big kid stuck in a woman’s body who stumbled her way into a famous little white tent in the middle of some countryside in a rogue place in England and baked her way all the way to the final in 2018.
Just to jog your memory…
Yup, I am that Ruby.
But to make sure I am known for more than just the girl whose cake fell over on Bake Off and to reassure you that you are in good hands here, here are some fun none-cake-falling-over related facts about me:
I have a Masters in Architecture (I make myself feel better for not using this degree and lumping myself with a load of student loan by saying I ‘construct’ cakes and gingerbread houses??)
I lived in Manhattan, New York in 2021 in Spanish Harlem, working 4 jobs every day including in a bar down Wall Street and selling hair care packages on the streets (I have SO many ridiculous stories to share on this part of my life)
I’ve written for British GQ, Sunday Times and Waitrose Magazine to name but a few and chaotically cook live on TV every other week
I really do not like hummus or crumpets. Feel free to argue with me on this.
I love eating raw mushrooms. See note above about arguing.
Some of my favourite films of all time are Home Alone (1 & 2 duh) and It’s Complicated (the reason for this is…complicated)
So 5 years on from that life changing summer, I am now this Ruby.
I have no doubt you will get to know so much more about me than just my love of raw mushrooms over time…such as bake off gossip (I have ALL the tea), my week to week ongoings, ramblings that are stuck in my head, latest recipe developments and cookbook news.
Get a slice of the pie & stay up-to-date
Make sure you subscribe to get access to the Last Bite newsletter and website so you never miss an update (or more importantly, a recipe). The latest edition of every newsletter will be sent to you directly and land in your inbox every Thursday, giving you enough time to grab any last minute ingredients to get your bake on, on the weekend.
On top of my weekly anecdotes, random life stories, gossip from the last week and a bundle of things I definitely should never confess to but I’m going to do it anyway, on the Last Bite free menu you can expect:
Weekly recipe drops and inspo: everything from sweet to savoury, from easy to complex, from firm family faves to new ideas and flavour combos. A little something to tickle everyones pickle. Best bit about these, all the recipes also come in a downloadable PDF making it easier for you to save, stash and come back to.
A look ahead at future incoming recipes.
Access to my baking playlist - which fyi is sacred to me. Whatever your mood, I have a playlist for it and nothing goes better with baking, than some banging tunes and an empty belly.
On the Last Bite paid menu, for less than a cup of coffee a week, you can get the above plus so much more:
Access to the full Recipe Archive. This let’s you scroll through any posts you have missed and download any missing recipe cards from your collection. You also get exclusive ‘paid subscriber’ only recipes, saving the elite for the best.
Subscriber only posts where you can post comments, join in on Q&A’s, threads and start to help me curate the Last Bite community so it truly serves you up a delicious serving every time.
Lots of BTS content as I take you along with my week. Think along the lines of you pulling up a stool at my kitchen island whilst I yap away and cook us up something delicious.
And my personal favourite: brand discounts, exclusive offers and giveaways. WHO DOESN’T LOVE A GIVEAWAY?!
AND THEN. Just when you think it can’t get better, it infinitely does. If you choose to be a Last Bite Founding Member, not only would you get my eternal thanks, you will also get:
An online quarterly baking class with me (and some in real life if we can logistically make it happen) and monthly troubleshooting zooms to solve any of your baking dilemmas or dating dramas. I am available and here for both.
A signed copy of my cookbook, before it hits the shops next March 2024 (eek!)
The piste de resistance: a personal recipe, tried, tested and made by me, JUST FOR YOU, on your birthday.
We are basically best friends at this point, what more could you want?
But whatever way I have you, pull up a seat so we can all enjoy the Last Bite.
Now I can’t promise you
That you won’t be looking forward to your next Last Bite. I can’t promise you that we won’t become best friends as I keep you company on your work commute. Or that we won’t share a laugh or even a tear at some tragically, overly dramatic event that’s happened in my life because my life tends to be a joke 79% of the time.
But what I can promise you is a damn good time and some delicious carby crumbs to go with it. I am hopeful that we can create a lovely little community here, full of likeminded people who are after the tasty things in life.
The people who are always looking forward to the Last Bite.
If you know anyone whose pickle might also be tickled by all this, why dont’cha share the goodness with them?
Now we have the pleasantries out the way, let’s get bloody to it, shall we?
Rx
