7 things you may have forgotten we were all completely obsessed with during lockdown

With the threat of Lockdown 2.0 hanging over the UK, people are reflecting on what happened the first time around.

It’s a surprisingly hard task; turns out a lot has changed since those surreal early months of hourly exercise and trying to book a supermarket delivery slot.

So here’s a quick reminder of seven things that utterly obsessed the nation during the first lockdown – but now we barely remember.

1. Becoming an artisan baker

Roughly around April and May was when the jars started appearing. Soon you couldn’t scroll through social media without stumbling across at least one progress picture of how someone’s sourdough starter was doing.

Often, it wasn’t well. Many bread novices went straight from zero to 100 by trying to master a sourdough loaf before they’d even so much as turned out a basic white farmhouse. Quickly, it was discovered that sourdough starters actually took patience, tenacity and also required ‘feeding’. A lot.

To their credit, most of Britain’s newly recruited Paul Hollywoods struggled on until they’d produced one sourdough to call their own. But now starters all over the country lie dormant in the depths of many a millennial’s fridge.

Waiting. Watching. Wanting to be fed...

2. Getting a buzzcut

The prospect of being locked away from polite society with no determined end date meant may could do what they’d always dreamed of: drastically change up their hair without any consequences.

Gaudy dye jobs, half-hearted mullets and home braiding attempts all had their day. But the buzzcut was undoubtedly the defining hair cut of lockdown.

Some lucky individuals discovered it was the hairstyle of their dreams. Others however quietly put away the clippers and pledged to wear hats for the next eight months.

3. Becoming ridiculously ripped

For a while, lockdown felt like some bizarre fitness bootcamp. Joe Wicks was welcoming millions to his Instagram every morning for gruelling workouts. Dumbbells and fitness gear were sold out everywhere you looked.

Going to the park for your daily exercise felt like being transplanted to some LA fitness studio. It was as if the UK was collectively training for some giant marathon.

However then this thing called ‘summer’ hit, the rules relaxed and suddenly going to the park with a few tins seemed far more inviting than taking along resistance bands.

So long abs, hello memories for life.

4. That weird app, Houseparty

C’mon! You remember! Before Zoom quizzes, there was Houseparty. You could play games and chat with several other friends.

Well, until a rumour began going round that the app had been compromised by hackers and people were having their money stolen.

App developers claimed that the whispers were part of a “smear campaign” but by then, the damage was done and so was Houseparty.

5. Going full Changing Rooms

Funnily enough, being stuck at home made a lot of people decide to finally embark on those DIY projects they’d been putting off.

While some people stuck to minor and achievable tweaks – like slapping a new lick of paint on the wall – others went above and beyond their paygrade.

Pour one out for all the unfilled garden ponds that are waiting

6. Logging onto Zoom clubbing

Imagine telling your grandkids about the wild escapades you got up to during the pandemic.

Like getting dressed up to go to your living room and try and recreate the feeling of a sweaty basement club by turning off all your lights and video calling about 10 of your friends.

Zoom clubbing… rest in hell.

7. Virtual pub quizzes

At the beginning Zoom quizzes were a fun novelty, a way to connect with your loved ones in a way that meant you weren’t all awkwardly talking over each other while the webcam glitched.

But you know what they say about too much of a good thing and Zoom quizzes quickly went that way.

Now, sadly, we’re all deeply sick of them and have far too deep a knowledge of FA Cup winning teams from the 1990s. No more.