Unvarying days, the same four walls at home, the regular Zoom meetings with the same people - you know, the ones who still irritate you even when you are working from home - make us all crave... a little excitement.

So we stalk Instagram, waiting for boxes to drop.

Yes, the dropping of boxes has become a thing in this pandemic, as people find pleasure and happiness in boxes of pastry.

Home-based food businesses have flourished during Covid-19 and they have built up such huge fan bases that the boxes are snatched up the minute they are up for grabs.

One business, Levelled, which sells caneles and jet-black brownies, had a waiting list more than 1,000 names long.

Lucky customers crow on social media about their haul and post pictures, of course. Others gripe in the comments about unsuccessful attempts to score this box or that.

For bakers testing the market, this has been an opportunity to test what works and what does not resonate with customers.

Lovers of pastry have never had it so good. Who would not want to open a box of exquisite cakes, cupcakes, caneles, brownies, tarts and croissants?

At least two of these businesses, Le Matin Patisserie and Tigerlily Patisserie, are opening bricks-and-mortar shops. And to think, they did it all by thinking about what's inside the box.