Buns of Fun Bakery turns 8

.Buns of Fun Bakery turns 8 years old – now that’s worth celebrating.  It’s a birthday that I am so proud to have as a self employed / only me at the helm girl boss.  I think I have developed so many skills and learnt things I didn’t think I needed to know.  Worked in a host of historical places and educated so many groups of people with cake and gingerbread workshops. Got lost on more country roads than I knew Norfolk had (and there’s a fair few).  Made mistakes and made them right, learning this skill has made me immeasurably happy, if you can’t learn you can’t accept error you can’t expand as a human and in business.  If I put some of the escapades below you’ll see what I mean – it’s in no particular order. These are just a few of my favourite things and a pic of my little people I do it all for.

recommended wedding cake supplier

• We thrilled to be the Recommended Cake Suppliers to Chaucer Barn , rated the 6^th Best Wedding Venue in the UK by The Independent, (image below by Andy Davison Photograpgher) We are also rpud of our friendship and being their Recommended Supplier for Cley Windmill which holds a special place in my heart for its stunning location in the long grasses at Cley with its quirky-ness and lovely roundy corners and nooks. (image by Chris Taylor Photography)

kirsties handmade christmas winner

• Kirsties Homemade Christmas Winner – Gingerbread Lighthouse, all lit with fairy lights! We were stunned and surprised to a) be asked to appear on the show and b) win!  Our hgingerbread lighthouse had echoes of Norfolk with seagulls, crabs and lobsters, a beached boat, spun sugar for seaweed, chocolate driftwood, sugar sand and loads of piping. There were sugar glass windows with piped octopus sucker marks round them, windswept waves piping in bands down the curved bake. I loved making that piece and the Channel 4 crew polished off after the wrap party.

Our peggy

• I met and worked with Peggy Porschen earlier in that year (cake Goddess) who taught me some of the finer arts of piping which I later put to use on Kirstie Allsopps show and Holkham at the end of the year. Meeting Peggy was lovely but we also made some cakey friends who we are still in touch with, fabulous Emete from Friddle’s Cakes based in London. One fo the perks of my job is meeting lots of lovely like minded people.

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holkham hall giant bakes

• Holkham Hall Christmas Extravaganza – we’ve made the edible installations for Lady Leicester each year; The Gingerbread House  featured in The Telegraph you might remember me spamming media with that in 2013!  Gingerbread Winter Olympics, The Gingerbread Nativity, The Gingerbread Beach Hut featured on BBC News , Big Ben featured on Mashable & BBC.  We have  also made all four of Lord & Lady Leicesters childrens cakes through their ages.

food demo’s

• We’ve demonstrated creative techniques on a mobile rig at Ely Food Festival with Jean Christophe Novelli who was very cuddly and gave me one of one his books. I was making (and later gave away) a gingerbread tree /swing /fairy combo. The lady who took it home with her wrote a lovely piece on her blog.

awards & blogs

• If you have a time to sit and have a look at thinks you’ll see some of the real weddings and styled shoots that we’ve been blessed with. We’ve scooped awards in London and Norfolk and featured in magazines and blogs worldwide (Hawaii being furthest) with some of our more unique designs. Wedding Sparrow, B.Loved, Festival Brides, Want That Wedding, Burnetts Boards, Easy Weddings, Bride & Tonic, Rock My Wedding has 2 or 3 posts, Then EDP Food & Drink Awards 2014, Bride Magazine Awards 2017, Brides Guide Awards 2017, The Wedding Industry Awards 2017. That’s just some of it!

bibliophilia

• I contributed recipe and baked goodies to Norfolks Own Cookbook . This was undertaken by Mary Kemp, Vanessa Scott at Stratton’s and Melinda Raker in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Trust. Our offering of Funfetti cupcakes with white buttercream frosting graced it’s pages. There were fishermans receipes with catch of the day,  farm producers and generally foodie bods who all put their best ingredients forward.  At £20 a book it made for a great gift or home recipe book for visitors to Norfolk and Norfolkers alike. Additionally we hosted a Blooming Great Coffee Morning and raised funds for Marie Curie. The sum total with all sales raised £250,000 for the charity. Well done Team Norfolk!

media

• I have been on countless BBC interviews at home and at Holkham or at foodie events. Poor old Norfolk Radio,  BBC Norfolk and BBC News know I’m not the best at being on camera or when given a microphone…

norfolk colleagues

• I have a marvellous bunch of creative wedding co-suppliers that I am proud to call friends. We collaborate on styled shoots which is a great way for us share inspiration for the next Seasons vogue. In doing so I’ve been to hundreds of beautiful locations on shoots and set up weddings or celebration cakes in glorious surroundings. If you’re stuck for a photographer, florist, make up artist or props hire I’ve got ’em all in my little black book ready and waiting for you, just drop me a line below.

gold times – our tony

• I’ve had the privilege of meeting and baking and made cakes for famous folks who never get named nor get their cakes shown owing to privacy clauses, as well as those who are happy with media. Here’sTony Hadley having a Gold moment with some of his favourite things, Toblerone, Jack Daniels and chocolate.  Doesn’t he look a happy boy?

charities

• And made cakes for Charities, SSAFA, Marie Curie Cancer Trust and Nelsons Journey which is a Norfolk based charity working with bereaved children and their families. We love a Worry Eater! Working with the children at the centre in Plumstead was so rewarding and so exhausting. The brave boys & girls who came to my teddy bear cupcake workshop were amazing to listen to and gain important life lessons. We were making cupcakes with fondant bears on for their Special Person or someone to gift it to.

home life

In that time I’ve also cooked a (now 5 year old) baby.  We moved house last year purposefully to gain a space where I could have a kitchen uninterrupted by the house movements / children / animals. Here I discovered:

• I love putting down flooring
• I’m a dab hand with a saw
• Drills are fabulous – I bought my own kit to convert our garage into my kitchen affectionately called ‘The Cake Hole’

What’s Next?

• I have half written a cake/craft book which I hope to get finished and out by the end of the this year. It might make a good stocking filler ;o)
• We have a diary of cake bookings and 1:1 baking classes that is filling up quicker than I can type. Bookings are already in to 2019 and requests for 2020 and beyond are not unheard of.
• Holkham Hall 2018 theme is yet to be decided but I have an abundance of ideas as ever!
• We’re on the wedding show circuit to only a few events, ones that fit our style. Look out for us at A Most Curious Weddign Fair – the biggest Indie wedding festival at The Fire Pit, Most Unusual Wedding Fair at Godwick Hall and at Holkham with EDP.

[inage Big Phat Photos]

contact

#email : bunsoffun@hotmail.co.uk,

FB: Buns of Fun Bakery

Instagram / Twitter @bunsoffunemma

See you soon x x Emma