I am delighted to have been a contributor to an inspirational wedding editorial, A Rose of  Different Colour, which was featured in the January edition of Ireland's premier glossy magazine, Image. Victorian splendour meets modern eccentricity was the theme, with concept and styling by the talented Kate O'Dowd of Love and Gatherings

I am always a little indecisive about what to make for a Christmas dessert, but generally come to the conclusion that a centrepiece cake can never go amiss!  I have hence been experimenting with some traditional seasonal flavours and am delighted with this resulting Chocolate Chestnut and Cranberry layer cake recipe. 

I only recently discovered scented rose geranium as a baking ingredient, having bought some at our local farmer's market. While not the pretties of leaves, it releases a wonderfully delicate rose scented flavour simply by rubbing  to release the oils. It can be used in sweet dishes in a variety of ways, for example by infusing sugar to use in baking and desserts in place of normal sugar, or in scented syrups or jams. It pairs well with citrus flavours, fruits and spices.  I choose to use my geranium in a jam with plums, which happened to be in season at the time of late Autumn. It is quite possibly the best jam I have ever made!

Award-winning stylist, wedding and event planner Kate O'Dowd of Love & Gatherings approached me last summer to contribute to a wedding editorial for Image magazine to be shot at Gloster House, a beautifully restored 17th century mansion that is a lived-in family home as well as a magically elegant wedding venue. The results were truly inspirational!

Loaf cakes are a weekend favourite, partly because they are so quick and easy to make. Without the need for layering and filling, a quick glaze or icing and some edible decorations results in something delicious and pretty with minimal effort.

I do love a loaf cake...easy to make and requiring little decoration, they are a perfect weekend teatime treat. I devised this recipe for a feature in the November 2018 edition of Irish Country Magazine and hence had the pleasure of having talented photographer Ramona Farrelly follow me in its making in my kitchen...thank you for these lovely photos Ramon!

It is always a delight to receive wedding photos from clients! So many months are spent working closely on their wedding cake design, it is always exciting to finally not only see those plans come to fruition but also to see the cake in the context of the overall wedding styling. Today I am sharing three of many favourite real weddings from 2018!

I had the pleasure of being invited to collaborate on a photo shoot last July designed and planned by the talented Grace and Saviour Styling and photographed by Paula O'Hara Photography.  I am in love with this one and thrilled to see the full shoot now published on prestigious wedding blog Green Wedding Shoes.  In this blog post I wanted to give a little insight into the inspiration for the shoot and corresponding brief for the cakes...with a sneak peak of the result!

Much attention has been focussed of late on the scourge of plastics in our oceans and environment, with dire consequences for future generations unless we take action. Living beside the sea, we see at first hand the waste that is routinely washed up on our little stretch of coast. Since last year my family has worked to take one small step at a time to reduce plastic use, and waste in general, in our home, each thing we eliminate is one less piece of plastic or waste in our environment. But what about my business?