I’m currently working on all sorts of projects behind the scenes and have a few more interviews to conduct and write up. Here’s the latest one. I’ve met Hanna on a few occasions over the past few years, usually at Ashdown Park Hotel and her cakes always look amazing!
Peter: Please can you tell me a little about your background and how you started your business?
Hanna: I have a degree in Engineering Product Design and became a teacher of Design and Technology, I slowly moved into the food department as I have always loved good food and cooking. I made a few cakes for family and friends and one of my best friends asked me to make her wedding cake. My husband paid for a series of courses that gave me a good background in all the elements of cake making and decorating and I went from there. I took advantage of my maternity leave with my second daughter to set up my business 5 years ago and I have not looked back
Peter: What does your business offer?
Hanna: I make celebration cakes and wedding favours. Our cakes are all bespoke, each one is different. I specialise in handmade sugar flowers and can make and flower arrangement to match the couples wedding flowers. I makes cakes of all shapes, flavours and sizes.
Peter: What sets you a part from your competitors? Why should couples book you in particular?
Hanna: I like to get to know my couples and have a personable approach, we have a detailed consultation and from there a create a sketch that I send to them for approval. I am highly skilled in making sugar flowers and most of the cakes I make have sugar flowers on them somewhere. For me the cake also needs to taste as good as it looks and I have developed a range of very tasty cakes over the last 5 years. I am also always researching and updating my skills.
Peter: Where are you based and what areas do you work in? i.e. towns/ counties etc
Hanna: I am based in Buxted and am a recommended supplier at Buxted Park Hotel and Wadhurst Castle. I am on the East Sussex and Kent border as well as the West Sussex border. I cover all of these areas and have gone as far as Hampshire, surrey and delivered a number of cakes to venues all over London.
Peter: Do you have any particular wedding story that stands out? Please share it here if you can.
Hanna: There are so many cakes that stand out however one I really enjoyed making was a few years ago I had the honour of making a cake for a lovely couple whose wedding was on Bonfire night. They ordered a beautiful cake with a cascade of sugar flowers and leaves all in stunning autumnal colours. They also wanted decorated sugar cookies for wedding favours in the shapes of leaves matching the colours of the flowers. The fun part was that they also ordered toffee apples, I spent the whole night making these from scratch. It was a big learning curve and I did get a few burns, but it was worth it. Each toffee apple had the name of each guest and table number, these were placed on a table and the guests had to find their toffee apple and find their table. It was lots of fun.
Peter: Do you have any exciting new offerings in the pipeline for 2021 and beyond i.e. new products/services etc
Hanna: I am currently working on a new range of cakes that can be ordered from my website and facebook page to compliment my bespoke range. I am also designing new flavours and a new range of edible wedding favours.
Peter: Please offer a tip or piece of advice for brides and grooms considering booking the service you offer. i.e. what to look out for,/questions to ask/things to avoid etc.
Hanna: There are a lot of people making cakes out there at the moment. When contacting a cake maker I would check that they have a hygiene rating and that they have public liability insurance. When asking for quotes make sure that prices include delivery and set up. Listen to the advice your cake maker gives you, sometimes some designs are trickier to make and everyone specialises in different aspects of cake making, for some it may be sugar flowers, for others it maybe buttercream finishes or naked cakes. Go with the flavours that you like, check for dietary requirements. I also advise to cater for all guests, although some guests may not eat the cake others may two or three pieces. If there is any leftover ask your venue or caterers to keep it and you or your family can enjoy it afterwards. There are no real rules with wedding cakes these days, go for what you want and have fun.
facebook – https://www.facebook.com/hannasbakeryuk/
Instagram – hannasbakery
All images in this article are the copyright of Hanna’s Bakery who kindly supplied them for this article.
You can view my portfolio on my website here and my Facebook and Instagram pages.