I had seen reviews for this tin elsewhere and they did not seem very promising. However, as my experience of Mermaid bakeware has always been positive, I thought I would take a risk.

I am so pleased that I did! The general feeling in the other reviews was that a) the tin is not non-stick and b) that the dough did not reach the top of the tin to give the loaf a ridged top.

Re the non-stick problem. Hard anodised tins are not non-stick (this is could because you don't get bits of it coming off on your food). However, seasoning will make them non-stick. Mermaid recommends that its bakeware be seasoned by thickly coating the interior of the tin in oil and then placing it in a pre-heated (200C/Gas 6) for 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool, wash in warm soapy water and dry thoroughly.

My advice when using the tin, is to lightly grease the tin with oil and flour lightly. Once the bread has been turned out, place the pan in the sink with a smidgeon of washing up liquid in each side and fill them with boiling water. This will easily remove any excess flour from inside the ridges.

Re the dough not reaching the top of the tin. This is simply because the recipe provided does not use a large enough quantity of dough. You want to the dough to almost fill one side of the tin. I would also recommend that you give the dough an extra rising before you let it rise in the tin.

For details of the recipe I used, see: http://www.cookipedia.co.uk/wiki/index.php/English_milk_loaf (Posted on 30/11/2010)