Baby, I'm back!
After a fantastic and, lets face it, completely exhausting maternity leave I’m back baking.
As always I had plenty of wedding cakes booked in advance so have been really busy already since returning in April and don’t get many chances to share what I’ve been up to with you. I’ve already had my daughter chopping glace cherries and mixing eggs in our own little mixes and she’s approved a few of my bakes too!
The joy of being self-employed is choosing my own hours, although obviously the pay changes with it! I’m lucky enough to be able to work part time currently and get lots of lovely time with my daughter. This means I only take on one cake per week now and naturally need to aim for bigger ones to ensure I can earn enough income, hence changing to making wedding cakes only (and the occasional large celebration cake orders!).
I can’t even explain what a joy it is to be meeting my couples again and hearing all of their love stories and dream plans for their big day. Setting up at the venue has such a buzz in the air and I get so excited for the day ahead they’re about to have, so happy to be back baking.
I have limited spaces left for this year and booking up fast for 2026 + 2027 so do get in touch today if you’d like to discuss your wedding cake with me, can’t wait to meet you too!
A Painfully Honest Update About The Here & Now
20 MONTHS
It has been 20 months since I last wrote so candidly about current life. The world in 2020, we were labelling it ‘2020’ in a way that made it sound like it would be over the very moment the clock struck 12 on New Year’s Eve. Yet here we are again.
Right now I’m facing the same fate in Winter ‘21 as I did in Summer ‘20, having already lost half of my income this month due to Covid - cancelled parties, postponed weddings. Only this time, I’m more broken, I’m more worried and, on the flip side, more grateful of a rest.
PEOPLE SAY “YOU’RE DOING SO WELL, BUSINESS LOOKS BOOMING”
I worked triply hard in summer to fit in the workload that should have been nicely paced out over a whole year. So I could, for a few months, earn more money than life is costing, pushing myself through my mental and physical capacity and gaining a repetitive strain injury along the way. How I wish I’d have appreciated the more free summer that so many experienced, seen family and friends more. Little did I know that we’d be plunged back into this same ludicrous situation and I’m not sure I can take another year like this one.
PEOPLE JUST DO SOMETHING
As I mentioned in the original post - I’m not usually one of the people who just do nothing and over the months following the first lockdown me and the fella, well mostly the fella, built the Shepherd’s Hut Bakery in the garden; the space I have been so thankful for when I was working until 11PM - with the ability to roll straight into bed or to nip down for dinner.
CUSTOMERS
There has been a shift in customers, throughout 2020 I saw communities coming together to support one another. SUPPORT LOCAL was branded everywhere, SHOP SMALL was a slogan to live by. 2021, for me, saw many people dropping their orders last minute or forgetting to tell me their numbers had reduced - leaving me with excess stock, less income and not enough time to fill the holes in my diary.
It has been lovely to see so many regular faces too and receive such great feedback to keep me going (please leave public reviews for businesses, it helps!). To be amongst the buzz of wedding set ups again made me feel full of life. The joy on people’s unmasked faces as they saw their cake idea become a reality was priceless. This makes it all feel worth it, I hope I’m not about to stop feeling these things once more.
I’ve had such a variety of collections to contemplate on recently. I always have a table to put the cake on in the doorway for social distancing, sanitise my hands, keep everywhere spotless and do random LFT checks. I hope my customers feel safe. I still have customers collect fully masked up, understandably cautious and fearful from the sensationalised news. I also have customers tell me of family that won’t see them in case they kill them, opting to spend more years staying in their living room than potentially catch a virus that they think could kill them after being triple jabbed to avoid getting seriously ill.
WHEN WILL IT END?
I don’t hold out a whole lot of hope for this looking better any time soon and as another month rolls by with less income, munching up my savings, I wonder - when is it time to stop?
WOE IS ME! DRAMA LLAMA
I know I know I know… sounds like I just want your sympathy, I don’t, I want to give you a realistic account of the running commentary in my head. Because there’s more to a business, to a person, than the successful image they’re trying to portray on social media.
This is the rough with the smooth, just this morning I shared a post on an awesome guitar cake for a big 18th celebration, and last night a happy blue handed Lu working in the kitchen. I’m living lots of happy moments with an undercurrent of confusion and frustration. Every time I see another restriction added, another cancellation email come through it chips away at the doubt but I still remain positive that I’m a lucky one, to have savings, a home, incredibly patient fella, friends, family and fluffball. I’m glad that I can, for now, still keep going with the business I worked so hard to create. That I still have opportunity to be creative and hope that it doesn’t come to a halt with another lockdown or more restrictions in the UK imminent.
I wish luck to everyone in the same boat of uncertainty and even more so to those who are worse.
Ready to ride another storm?
How To Become A Baker
GBBO 2021
As The Great British Bake Off delights our screens year on year - I inevitably get the same questions or comments…
“You should SO apply for Bake Off”
“I want to do what you do - any advice or tips?”
Applying for GBBO is out of the question for me, I have 2 bakery qualifications, own a baking business, have done numerous decoration courses, worked in big bakeries to gain a tonne of experience and have been doing this now for over a decade. Not only is it against their rules - it would be an ‘unfair advantage’. Although, seriously, I see some of these contestants now and say “WOW how did they think of that?” - truly incredible masterpieces by incredibly talented home bakers. They have such passion and enthusiasm, exploring lots of possibilities and reaching far beyond comfort zones to impress the judges.
Hairnets off to them, I would be terrified!
I’ve been an avid viewer, year on year me and the famalam would sit down to watch it together, sometimes with bakes that one of us had made after being inspired by the previous week. I’d be forever saying about the timing making it virtually impossible to complete the Technical Bake challenge. Working time, sure… but COOLING, in that HOT tent? Not having enough cooling time seems to be responsible for most of the epic fails in there and my heart goes out to every contestant that I see in tears at the thought of saying “Pud-Bye”.
I’ve also spent many moments in awe at the creativity and skill involved in the Show Stopper challenge and my mouth watering at the taste sensations they create for the Signature Bake.
One of the best things about shows such a GBBO, Ace of Cakes and Cake Boss is the life it has put back into baking, inspiring new generations to get in the kitchen and whip up something that is awesome to them or at least have fun trying... I can remember me and my bestie making cookies at her house years ago, only to find her boyfriend had pretended to eat and enjoy one but really stuffed it under the sofa until she found it months later - perhaps that wasn’t the best cookie recipe ever! And baking gingerbead with my brothers; they would come up with the most imaginative combinations.
The point is - let’s have a go and see how we get on.
Now, if you’re getting on very well, loving it, having lots of great feedback and good reviews from people then you may be considering if you’d like to take this up as a career. I’ll run through a few things from my own time as an experienced baker.
MONEY - if you can get on board with this first then you’re good to go!
I’m not going to lie - there is not a lot of money in most baking jobs. I spent the first 4 years of my professional baking life earning less than living wage until I became a Head Decorator and then finally reached London living wage.
Having seen how many cakes I could produce in an hour, adding up their profit vs my hourly rate I figured it would be much more lucrative for me to start my own business.
Of course I hadn’t considered just quite how much background work is involved. Just because I could frost 30 whole cakes in an hour worth £40 each - that is far from the money you’d take home. Ingredients costs and packaging alone take up a huge chunk of that. Hours upon hours of admin time, collection and delivery time, cleaning, supply runs, marketing, logistics, development, training and financial work all need to be taken into account (which is all you when you go solo!). Not to mention putting aside a percentage for tax, new equipment, funds for website purchase and maintenance, domain name and email address, business cards, leaflets, uniforms, insurance costs, car costs, telephone bills, utility bills, enough to cover your holiday and sick pay and in some cases - rent. At home, there’s not always the space to bulk buy like the big bakeries and you can only fit a few cakes in your oven or fridge.
That’s the daunting bit out of the way.
Satisfaction & flexibility
I cannot put a price on this! The smiles I see on my customer’s faces when they see the cake is incredible. I’m blessed with good feedback on a daily basis and that gives you that warm fuzzy feeling.
Being self employed can be difficult to motivate yourself sometimes and you really need a sturdy routine to keep on top of that. With that being said, nothing compares to the flexibility this life offers - to meet Mum for lunch, visit my Nan & Gramps for a cuppa after a supply run or even walk the dog when it has stopped raining instead!
Me working at The Hummingbird Bakery, South Kensington 2013
My career path
There’s no right or wrong for people, I spent years doing different roles at various companies before deciding to train as a baker. Aged 23, I went down a traditional route of education - a Baking Diploma course at Leicester City College. The tutors were awesome, inspiring and were able to pass on great knowledge in both the science and art of baking that I would have struggled to find anywhere else. I’d really recommend this route, providing you with the base knowledge that you can apply across a variety of baking to excel. Whilst studying for 3 days a week, I spent the other 4 working at Tesco Bakery and making cakes for family and friends. This practice at home combined with the pressure of a high speed job really helped me to develop my skills, management and confidence.
My diploma was my ticket to get into the ‘real’ world of baking. During the course I was so lucky to be invited to The Master Bakers Ball, where I met The Fabulous Baker Brothers who invited me for work experience. Again, more doors were opened as I got a job at The Hummingbird Bakery in London, gaining valuable experience before moving on to Konditor.
Konditor has become a pivotal moment in so many baker’s careers and I know LOTS of bakers that have started their own business after working there. They were a great company for helping you to understand a whole range of the business roles.
Now, education and experience will always be the best starting point in my book. Regular top ups of courses, learning new techniques, keeping an eye on trends and staying open minded will take you a long way after.
Of course there are lots of home bakers that are self taught too and creating incredible work. If you feel that’s enough for what you want to do then get going already!
Without a doubt, no matter what background or journey you take to become a baker, the best book I ever read for this was ‘How To Start A Cake Decorating Business From Home’ by Kathy Moore. You can apply all of it to any baking - it’s the theory, the hoops you have to jump through, the bits you’d have never thought of to set up a business. Education is key, no matter what format, and constantly research new techniques, products, trends to keep ahead of the game.
Now then, everything listed above is my route, my journey, what’s yours?
First Step - Figure out where in the bakery world you want to be - in a shop? working from home? mass-production? artisan small scale production? breads? cakes? pastry?
Second Step - What education do you need to get there - qualifications? experience? working your way up? teaching yourself online?
Third Step - Just do it - nothing ever happens by doing nothing. You have to try, you have to put in effort and push yourself to achieve it.
Good luck!
Drop me a message below to let me know how your baking journey is going, ask me any questions or just say hey!
WEDDING CAKE- LU’S GUIDE & TIPS
Cake table with the most gorgeous pops of Meadow Flowers from Gigil & Bloom florists. At The Pumping House, Ollerton
Piece of cake
Along with the stunning dress & gorgeous venue, your wedding cake is a focal point of the big day. It’s often a main feature at the venue, with lots of pictures being taken of it, you posing with it and cutting it and will be remembered for the rest of your lives.
I’ve put together a guide to help you choose the perfect combination of flavours and design details to show your guests a little piece of your love for each other.
Venue
The venue can help to inspire or influence the design of your cake, e.g, is the venue large, small, rustic, colourful, dark, modern, tall ceilings, outside... Consider where the cake will be placed, check with your venue- most venues will already have a designated table and often a cake stand. Your cake will normally be on display for a long time and while it may be a style that creates plenty of impact alone - there are lots of ways to dress your cake table. To add to the style of your venue or your vibe you can add things such as displays of small cakes, biscuit jars, meringues, candles, fabrics or loose fresh flowers in colours that tie in. Just ask Lu if you would like help sourcing any of these additions. You may even prefer a dessert table to a full tiered wedding cake.
Flavour
Seasons can affect flavour choices, summer weddings will be much more suited to lighter cakes such as zesty, fruity or vanilla based ones whilst winter weddings can accommodate a richer cake such as sticky toffee or fruit cake.
Guests will often appreciate a choice if you are having multiple tiered cakes, remember whilst you want to choose a cake that you both like as a couple, you won’t have to eat every tier so you can choose a big crowd pleaser even if it’s not your favourite, so long as your favourite is involved somewhere!
Allergies need to be thought about, your guests should let you know if they have any allergies or dietary requirements, Bakerlu can always provide a full list of ingredients when requested and flavour labels are recommended. Ask your stationer to fit these in with your theme, or ask Lu to print some Bakerlu ones.
Portions
Portions needed can vary so much, here’s my guidance
Wedding portions vs generous portions
Cake sizing on my website is based on generous portions (2” x 2”), a wedding portion is half size (1“ x 2”)
In my experience, the more unique cake flavours would happily get gobbled up, as guests are more intrigued to try them. Not everyone will eat cake and personally I’d like to know I’ve catered for enough for every guest to have at least 1 piece. You know your guests better than anyone - are they big cake lovers? Will some be too busy boogying and boozing by the time the cake comes out to eat much? Most of the Bakerlu cakes stay delicious for a minimum of 5 days and most are suitable for freezing if you do have some left.
It’s really down to yourselves as a couple with what size you’d like to choose, there’s no right or wrong. Evening guests are normally included in your portion requirements.
Kitchen Cake
This is especially useful if you have a small budget and want a highly decorated cake but lots of people to feed, it’s a separate slab of cake that the catering staff keep in the kitchen and add to the portions when cutting up your main cake. It’s a great way to save money as it doesn’t require lots of decoration.
Handmade Sugar Parrots & feathers cascading down a 3 tier wedding cake at Swancar Farm, Nottingham
Budget Tips
I will always try my best to design something you love to suit your budget, just ask any questions you like and don’t be shy.
Highly decorative cakes that include lots of beautiful hand crafted sugar pieces take a lot of time so naturally will have a price that reflects that. Fresh or silk flowers are more budget friendly and often will suit the style anyway. There are many beautiful wooden sign cake toppers and various cake stands available on the market, ask if you would like me to source one as I can sometimes get a trade discount.
Fondant/sugar paste covered cakes or ganache cakes are more expensive than buttercream cakes.
Choosing one of my pre-designed cakes in a colour of your choice could save you money as there will be less design and consultation time needed.
Inspiration from other cake designers
I can make almost anything but I am an artist & prefer to put my own spin on things. We can certainly take inspiration from other artists but I’d also love for you to have something unique to you as a couple to make your day all the more special.
Weather
Hot & humid weather is out of your control if you are having a summer (or even Spring or Autumn!) wedding, I can recommend the best fillings, flavours & finishes to keep your cake happy. Cake is traditionally cut in the evening which means it is often sitting in warm environment and can cause things to move slightly. I use the correct supports and have found the best ingredients to optimise it’s beauty all day. In the rare event that you should encounter any problems, just get someone to call.
Delivery
As standard I deliver your cake to the venue. Tiered cakes are carried in separate boxes and assembled at the venue, any finishing touches or delicate items are also done at the venue, this normally takes up to an hour to complete. You are welcome to collect the cake fully assembled but do so at your own risk and under guidance provided.
Have your cake and eat it
With all the wonderful things that fill your day, make sure eating some of your own cake is part of it. A good idea is to ask the venue to put together a box with 2 slices of each flavour for you to take home the next day. Together, we’ve created an amazing cake that represents your love so enjoy your day and don’t forget to eat the cake!
The most spectacular cutting of the cake I’ve ever seen! With a sword, a family tradition since Jenny’s Uncle was in the navy - now any family member who gets married has the sword to cut the cake.
At Long Clawson Village Hall, Leicestershire
How To Put Dried Flowers On A Cake
A guide to the process of putting dried flowers on a cake
Whether you’re a pro Cake Decorator or total novice it’s always a good idea to look up a tutorial or tips on a project you’ve not done before. When I took on my first dried flower cake I thought ‘Oh EASY PEASY, just like fresh flowers on cake’ well yes and no, many methods the same but I’ve put together my top tips for ease, less mess, thought out arrangements and most importantly safety first.
MAKE IT SAFE - As with everything you put on to a cake you should always check first if it is safe to do so. Some flowers are edible, some are safe to put on a cake but not consume and some are highly toxic, there’s a few good guides around to check extensive lists. I would not expect your florist to know which flowers are safe so don’t just assume they’ve given you safe ones. I would recommend that it’s best to use a covered or crusted cake so that you can easily brush any loose petals, seeds of leaves off the cake if needed.
Note - This is just a guide and you should make your own judgements on what is appropriate for your situation.
Extra Note - Never use a naked flame near dried flowers, they can catch fire very easily as seen recently in an eye opening post by BrambleSky.
I hope you’ve found this guide useful and taken some good tips from it, feel free to comment below with your own suggestions or questions and don’t forget to tag me in on any creations you made with help from this, I’d love to see your work!
Lu x
I got my cake supplies & equipment from The Cake Decorating Company
Dried flowers from The Lanes
Honey, I Shrunk The Wedding
We all hoped we’d crack it and the impact of Coronvirus would be long gone by now. I remember (stupidly) joking about a July wedding going ahead back in March and now so many dates have come and gone and nearly all have chosen to postpone. I think we need to hear some positive news stories now.
Hope & Love
So far, I know of 2 of my lovely couples that have decided to downsize and go for it. For these, I am SO happy and excited. Personally, I think the wait in postponing would be agony. I can see why some people are doing so, after spending over a year planning their perfect day, finding the best suppliers, organising the right space for so many people and creating an event that shows people who they are as a couple. They don’t want all that effort to go to waste, to miss out on everything they’ve ever dreamed of but the longer this goes on and with no way of knowing when it will end- maybe we could start to think a little differently, after all, love is what it’s all about.
Megan & Ben
This was my first couple that chose to go ahead with smaller numbers and it’s clear to see from the smiles on their faces that they made the right decision. Back in July, when they could have 30 people together it was far from their original 120+ guestlist. This couple had to think fast and shrink their wedding. They set up a live stream for the day and now have plans in place hold their original reception, as planned, for their first anniversary- such a special idea.
Here’s some heart-warming words Megan had to say about their very special day and to be honest it sounds just dreamy to me!
“turned out to be a beautiful day and so relaxed - we both absolutely loved it! We ended up with 600 views on our YouTube livestream as well so in a way we accidentally upscaled the ceremony”
“we're so so glad we could go ahead anyway - we were just keen to be married and we can party next year anyway so we're glad we didn't hang around! And we really loved the more relaxed day anyway so worked out well! …the only slight shame was not being able to sing the worship songs we'd chosen, but we had our fave two songs … playing whilst we watched a slideshow that Ben's mum put together!”
“After the service, we went to a nature reserve down the road, which was beautiful, with the idea of having everyone very much socially distanced and in small groups to be legal - we stuck to the distancing and had a whole field to spread out so think we did OK by the rules just about!
Then we went back to my back garden for a BBQ with our two immediate families (with Ben's brother zoomed in from America for the meal and his best man's speech) as we'd been in those two households, and just hung out there all evening - it was so so lovely!
We went to the Cotswolds then to Norfolk for honeymoon - very different from the original Northern Italy plan but so relaxing and just what we wanted after all the wedding stress.”
This wee wedding sounds just perfect and Megan & Ben are now already loving life as a married couple, massive congratulations to them and looking forward to seeing what their future holds.
Hannah & Luke
After the latest announcement on wedding numbers I was fully expecting to hear that Hannah & Luke wanted to postpone their October wedding. Having what we’d already consider an ‘intimate’ day of 80 guests planned and they had then had to make the heart breaking decision of reducing their guestlist to under 30. Then the news of 20 guests hit and Hannah got in touch to consider postponing, in the process of rearranging it all the allowance upped to 30 again, hoorah! Back to plan B or was it D or even G by this time?! Then, this week, back down to 15 forced Hannah & Luke to think about what is truly important to them...
“We have just decided we want to get married as that what matters most. I still want the full cake size, why not, ordered some nice little cake boxes so going to deliver to our guests that couldn't join us.
I was thinking about a live stream … but if not we don't mind as we don't know if we rearrange it if things will be the same”
I absolutely can’t wait to create their cake as I’m completely missing the buzz and flurry of activity on the day. They totally deserve to have a wonderful day after all this mayhem and happy that I can be a part of that!
Inspiration
It’s inspiring, we have to start looking at ceremonies differently – for a while at least. Rather than a hindrance, it could be an opportunity for many to get more creative and think outside the box with wedding planning. We can think about those closest to us and what gorgeous small spaces we can create. Wedding cakes can be made smaller, a mini version of the original design even. We can get creative with dessert tables – a single tier cake can take centre stage on a tall luxurious stand with mouth-watering displays of your favourite bakes for puddings.
It can be an opportunity to save money for your future together or you can redirect that original budget for 100+ into the most spectacular intimate space for your nearest and dearest, a gorgeous vintage car to travel in, the beautiful outfit/s (yes why not have 2 dresses?!) that you never thought you’d have the budget for or a fancy new hat for the Mums. Supporting local independent businesses is a high priority for many right now. Totally unique and great quality services and handcrafted items that don’t cost the earth are on our doorstep and ready for your intimate plan B!
Have a small wedding and love every minute
I’ve heard that many weddings fly by so quickly and with so many guests the happy couple sometimes don’t spend much time together, this could be a great time to enjoy a slower paced, more relaxed vibe.
Chat to your suppliers to see what small wedding ideas they have, taking inspiration from your dream plans and realise how flexible everything can be. I always recommend taking a look at Leicester Wedding Network for any inspiration and to meet THE loveliest combination of local suppliers who I’ve been lucky enough to meet or work with most of them.
We’re here to make your planning smoother, to help create small weddings and ceremonies to be as spectacular and memorable as your original plans. To be here for your Plan A and your Plan B. To make your happy memories happen.
The Baker Who Didn't Know How To Bake
This is a true snapshot inspired by some very real & lovely people who I have given fictional names to.
2012 - A car park in the town centre
It was 4am & freezing when I first met the baker who didn’t know how to bake.
“Here’s your new trolley dolly Pete”
That quip about me was from beautiful blonde Pamela - who, I was soon to realise, was a highly imaginative & hilarious wind up merchant.
It took just 2 small tests to get a job in this supermarket bakery: Prove that you can load frozen cookies equally spaced on trays at lightening speed & answer the following questions
Have you ever had to lie? How did that make you feel & why?
Have you ever stolen anything? Why & how did it make you feel?
I can’t remember any other questions from my 5 minute interview, these stuck with me, I knew for a fact it didn’t involve any questions on baking, no reference to any skills I have, previous experience, no mention of my Bakery Diploma, only how trustworthy I was.
I also knew that I’d tried all the bakeries I actually wanted to work in - Brucciani’s who had a lovely response, Fiona Cairns, Patisserie Valerie & Geary’s (who were also in Ratby at the time) but no response from any. I wasn’t being snobby, I just wanted somewhere that might use more of the skills I’d been learning. Actually, my time at the bakery was alright, I loved the great variety of people I worked with & was looking at working my way up to Bakery Manager before I decided on a dramatic move to London that would finally use my skill craft.
Ups & Downs
Entering a walk in freezer to do a big stock take in the middle of winter was never pleasant, however, finding a colleague munching a full box of ice creams in the corner was a funny sight, they’d munched one but needed to ‘eat the rest to dispose of the evidence’… back to question 1 - I had to lie about where the ice creams went, that made me feel bad because it’s a lie.
The highlight of my day was drizzling the warm icing onto the freshly baked Cinnamon Swirls & if there was a ‘broken’ donut that couldn’t possibly go into a pack, well, question 2 - I might have stolen a hot broken sugary donut once, because it smelt so good & it made me feel all warm & fuzzy inside.
There are many stories that I won’t share but very much enjoyed hearing what creations Pamela had concocted to entertain me each day. Pete would tell me heart-warming stories of his children & partner who are clearly so loved & very lucky to have him. As I walked in each morning the mouth-watering smell of fresh bread filled the air. Pete had been busy baking all night, he’d hold up the most delicious looking, perfectly formed rolls, still warm, & say “look what I’ve made Luce!”. He was so proud of his work & should be. Only trouble was he didn’t know how. He knew exactly what to do to bake the perfect bread but didn’t know how it worked.
We all have an off day
One morning I came in to “oh Luce, I forgot to put the yeast in my bloomers this morning, I’m just baking it to see what happens”. Well I embarked on a lesson with my fresh knowledge of yeast being a bacteria that eats the sugars in flour, producing gas as it goes, leaving bubbles in the bread & helping it to grow & have good texture. Essentially we all eat little yeast farts & like it. He was amazed, something he’d been working with for 18 years & he finally knew how it worked.
Dodgy Robots
Another day, the baguette rolling machine gave up. I taught Pete how to roll baguettes by hand, he loved it & so did I. It took twice as long but I guarantee that if you bought a baguette in store that day it would have been a stunning handcrafted artisan work of art worthy of being in a top French bakery.
Pointy Waffles
I’ve been waffling on & must get to the point. Basically he didn’t know how to bake but he just did it. A natural, talented & enthusiastic baker - if we give him all the knowledge of how to bake, he could be the best baker that ever lived.
A painfully honest truth about the here & now
What better time to start blogging than in the midst of a global pandemic & suggested self isolation?
I have so many baking stories to share with you that I can’t wait to get to get started. The first is the story of how this current lockdown situation might ruin my business & my mind.
27th March: I had to laugh, not only because it’s a boost for the highly struggling mental health but because it took just 4 days to lose 6k worth of work - nothing else to do but laugh.
So I thought…
Turns out there are lots of things to do. I’ve always been one to look for positives, solutions, thinking outside the box. My mind should have been on overdrive but truth be told it imploded into it’s own little cave, the same cave as so many - where your days are spent trying to stay safe & keep your head above the fear, feeling scared, upset, angry, confused, then occasionally hopeful or positive, even, about the uncertain future. Amidst these days I was mostly unproductive, avoiding making decisions about business. I was only doing essential updates & occasional image uploads of cakes ‘that I made earlier’ to try to keep interest from you guys!
I’m one of the lucky ones, my customers & wholesale client have been lovely, offering to be flexible like I am for them too. Wedding dates painfully & calmly postponed, big celebrations on hold until who knows when.
Lets talk money - I’ve been living off my savings since I started this business in 2017 so not having enough income to cover my bills is no shock to me. The daunting part is not knowing how long my savings need to last. I have barely made minimum wage on most commissions but my passion is strong. The growth from last year, with some small adjustments this year added in looked like this would be the first time I would have a decent wage & stop eating into my savings. I keep having to think ‘it’s just on hold’ life on hold. I hope I can come out of the other side & continue where I left off. Since this time last year, I used to be fully booked for 6 weeks in advance, now in the middle of a 12 week cake drought & desperately looking forward to that government help of £30 a week as a self employed person (no I didn’t miss a zero off there).
Lets gossip about customers - I have had lovely words, so apologetic for cancelling, so appreciative of time already spent on designing their cakes & the admin for it, so grateful when I can transfer their wedding date at no extra cost. It’s neither of our faults & we’re doing the best we can to compromise so neither person loses out. I really appreciate everyone’s kind words, thank you, it helps me through this tough time.
Back to the future - As we all look at a new way of life, adaption & moving forwards with a different sense of awareness, it’s hard to know what to do or when to do it. I await government announcements, hoping it clarifies what I should do next. I am slowly seeing others return to work under new formats & regulations & wonder - when will it be the right time for me? The bakery is currently at my Mum’s house so I have been unable to access it for a while. I think flexibility will be key. I’m a great baker of all things, including the yummy cakes you know so well. Maybe a weekly bake box should be on the cards, with breads, pastries, cakes, brownies, biccies & meringues? Maybe I should focus on a range of small cakes, perfect for stay at home celebrations? Maybe I should go back to working in large scale bakeries?
Either way, I must keep baking, it is a part of my soul that I need to nurture. I must carry on, we all must, in our own ways. Hoping this is short lived, that we’ve broken the back of this Coronavirus or Covid-19 pandemic.
I hope I get to bake my next wedding cake in July & start delivering to my beloved Phoenix cinema again.
A little present - I don’t want to moan much, I know so many have got it much worse & I’m so grateful that my family & friends are doing ok at the moment & hope they stay strong & healthy. For now, we’ll focus on moving the bakery to where I live & bring you updates on that exciting new chapter. That focus, that hope is keeping me sane. It will be a gift to be creating from home, a little bit safer, a flicker of excitement on this drab day that one day better times are coming.
