Jessica Merchant’s passion for cooking is infectious. With some 370k followers on Instagram alone, her down-to-earth approach to cooking has attracted her legion of fans.
A self-taught cook with no formal culinary training, she tests most of her recipes at least once, but by no means claims to be a culinary genius (describing her approach as “just tons of mess-ups in the kitchen”).
Her delightful blog, How Sweet Eats, is an extension of Merchant’s passion to create recipes. According to Merchant, she makes upwards of six recipes per day that get eaten either that day or later in the week. Other times, her recipes get made for parties or entertaining.
“One of my main points is to not be afraid to make things your own,” she remarked once in an interview with Bakepedia. “Like with the crisps. I knew that my readers love crisps, and I started thinking about how I could make one that was just a bit different, but still easy and accessible. My desserts aren’t as precise as many [dessert recipes], and a lot of them allow you to swap things in and out…it’s all about trial and error; that’s how I learned to bake. So don’t be afraid!”
According to Merchant, she’s much more of a cook than a baker because of her intrinsic (and relatable) hate of following instructions of any kind. Her platform offers anything from healthy recipes to comfort food and indulgent desserts to cocktails and mocktails.
For more delicious recipes and rambles, you’re invited to purchase her best-selling cookbooks, Seriously Delish, and The Pretty Dish, (both bestsellers), visit her blog or follow her on Instagram.
