Do you or any of your guests have food allergies or intolerances?
Allergies and intolerances are known about so much more now than they were a few years ago, and there are some super products out there to overcome some of these issues.

First things first - I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR ALLERGIES!  Please inform me straight away if you have issues with any food ingredient.  I get so many people who ask for "Vegan" without telling me that they have dairy or egg allergies.  I need to know.

So much extra care is taken by me to keep things separate if I know I'm dealing with an allergy or intolerance, since the consequences can be so bad for you if there is any contamination.  I wash everything beforehand and keep things separated while I'm baking. 

​ I have recently renewed my food allergy training.

​

hThis is not an easy one!  I've spoken to the Coeliac Society and the Local council (Monmouthshire County Council) - and, I'll be honest - they don't agree with each other on the subject.  
This is the reasoning behind Monmouthshire's standpoint, and it is the approach that I use;
Gluten can be transferred into food more easily because it can be airborne, so because I use normal flour most days, there is a small risk that even with all the cleaning, some gluten could contaminate the mix through being airborne.  Therefor, what I tell my customers is that I can make cakes with gluten free ingredients, but cannot call them "gluten free" because of that risk.  

If you are gluten intolerant, that should be fine for you.  If you are a coeliac, you have the choice to make.  Some are happy with this, and will sign the disclaimer to that effect - others would rather have a supplier that can guarantee the absence of gluten and I wholeheartedly support that.

​

Yes, I do.  There are now some amazing products out there that make great substitutions for butter, and I have some great recipes for egg free cakes.  

No I don't - generally.  I use nuts in my baking and I like to eat them too.  With nuts being an airborne allergy, and the consequences being so serious, I just don't.  Having said that, I have done some for people who understand that there is a risk, are aware that I will take every care possible to eliminate that risk, and are happy to go with that.  They are asked to sign a disclaimer as well.

I can make a few cupcakes for a few of your guests.  (A minimum of 4 due to this being the minimum amount of mixture I can make at a time).  They will need to be aware of my limitations as stated above.

Talk to me/text me/email me - but please in some way inform me at the beginning of our conversation if you have any allergies or intolerances that I need to be aware of

 1.  How big a cake am I going to need for my wedding?

The most important thing to know is whether your cake is going to serve as dessert, or whether it's going to be served separately later - maybe at the party after the main reception.  
As cake makers, we recommend that if cake is going to be dessert, we aim for a "party size" piece for your guests.  This, translating to a normal height cake, would be 2 inches squared, or 1 1/2 inches squared.  
If the cake is extra to dessert, we recommend pieces half that size - a little taste of loveliness to treat your guests. (Treat size) 
The easiest way to work out your needs is to look at this chart below......

2.  I'm only having a few guests, but I want a big, scene-stealing cake.  
Many, many people solve this problem by having "fake" tiers - extra tiers at the base (usually), beautifully decorated to fit in with the style of your cake.  It's a beautiful way to enhance the overall look of your cake, but save on waste.  It won't save you any money, though, because the bases have to be bought, and time and effort used to decorate them.
Another way some of my clients have solved this problem is to have a layer of fruitcake, which is then put aside (well-wrapped and kept in the freezer works well) and used to celebrate the first anniversary.​
​

3.  I only want a 3 tier cake maximum - but I'm having a lot of guests.....
Tiers can be made very tall, doubling or more, the amount of people they will serve - or you can have  separate "cutting cakes" - which can be baked and iced and not decorated.  They can be kept in the kitchen and cut up and served to your guest.  This will save you money, as the cutting cakes won't have any decoration on them, but will match or contrast your chosen flavours.

These are things you can think about, but the best way to make these decisions is to meet up (it'll all be online at the moment) with your cake maker and chat through all your needs and desires, and let them guide you through everything.  I offer cake tastings on selected days, when you can come over and taste some different flavours I have available, and talk through everything.  At the moment, I am offering postal cake tasting samples, with a "Zoom" consultation.  Soon, hopefully, we'll be meeting in person, but it is a good substitute in the meantime.  Next postal date for samples is 25th March 2021, and monthly after that.  Please email  to book some samples and an online consultation ([email protected]).*
​
Happy planning!
 
*The price is £25.00 for the samples and consultation.  Does not include postage. This money will be refunded towards your order if you book within 10 days of receiving your samples. 

• Have a fake tier (or two) as the base and some smaller tiers on top.

A base tier can be made of polystyrene, coated in your chosen cake covering and decorated just as if it were a real cake.  A talented cake maker will be able to do this so that no-one would be able to tell the difference.  Be aware that this option will probably cost you much the same as a real cake of the same size.  You wanted a semi-naked cake?   Your cake maker should be able to created this effect for you too
 
 

The bottom tier was a lemon drizzle cake with lemon curd and lemon buttercream.  The central tier was a chocolate fudge cake with chocolate ganache, and the top tier was a fruit cake.  The layers needed careful internal structuring to support the heavy top tier

The ruffles were rolled out of sugarpaste with added gum tragacanth for strength.  Thinned and applied, length by length......

Transported in 3 separate tiers, dowled and ready, they were assembled in situ using some royal icing for extra security!

A beautiful combination of colours for the flowers, which arrived arranged by the florist, a topper chosen by the couple, and it was all completed - phew!

So, a few hours of baking, filling, covering, carefully colouring, making and applying layers of ruffles, boxing up, transporting, unpacking, assembling and adding finishing touches - it done!