We’re all deserving of a treat every now and again, and if that treat is swift, sweet and pretty cheap to whip up, all the better.

Food writer Sarah Rainey’s latest cookbook, 6-minute Showstoppers, ticks all those boxes – with cakes and bakes that barely take any effort to wow, and will satisfy that craving for something comforting and tasty.

On the release of the recipe collection, we caught up with Rainey to mine her memory for her foodie recollections…

Her earliest food memory is…

“My grandma making scones in her kitchen in Belfast. I just remember she had flour all over her apron and all down her legs. I was probably clinging on to them because I was that little, but I just remember it being everywhere.”

Rainey’s culinary high has to be…

“I made a cake for Mary Berry. She said it was really nice. I basically wept – it was a sticky ginger cake. And I made it for her and Paul Hollywood, and Paul was quite mean. And Mary was lovely. I asked her if I would be Star Baker and she said, ‘Yes,’ – she was just being nice.”

The first time she felt proud of cooking for others was…

“I remember at university when I was probably about 18. I think I made a stir-fry or something really simple, but we all sat on the floor of my room and I just remember thinking, ‘Oh, that was nice, I made people happy with food’.”

Her greatest food-related disaster was…

“One of my best friends is allergic to dairy and eggs. So, I often try to make him something vegan or something excluding those, and they’re always horrific. I  wanted to make an apple sponge, and it was just slop. Anytime I try and make anything for him, it’s a disaster.”

6-minute Showstoppers by Sarah Rainey, photography by Clare Winfield, is published by Michael Joseph, priced £14.99. Available now.