My very first blog…So it would only be right to start at the beginning.
Have I always been creative? Nope! Was I good at Art and Design at school. Absolutely not! I actually failed miserably at my graphic design GCSE. I was definitely more of the sporty type.
But food, treats and anything delicious. Absolutely!
I LOVE food! From a good old burger, cooked on the BBQ. To fine dining cuisine in Michelin starred restaurants. I just love it! We are a total foody family.
I have 3 main points in my life I think this has come from…
I can only assume part of this love affair with food comes from my nans side and my Italian heritage. (The Italians do food! The most divine food!).
Some of my earliest childhood memories are sitting around the dinner table at my nans, listening to my dad and his multitude of siblings deep in heated debates.
The classic Italian way! Whilst enjoying the most delicious homemade pasta and paupiettes. The table was always strewn with little extra nibbles too such as bread, celery sticks and almonds.
She then served coffee and her homemade liquor (the strongest bloody stuff ever created) topped with cream to the adults. Us kids were only aloud the coffee, but I always just sipped the cream from the top. How times change. A good coffee is now definitely part of my staple diet.
I also remember my lovely nan bringing us dried figs and delightful little morsels of cake made with almonds, that she used to bring home after attending weddings in her home town of Ceglie Messapica in the South of Italy.
She also managed to bring home massive rounds of Parmesan. I could never quite work out how she managed to get so much home in one suitcase. Good old Nan!
My next pinnacle moment that probably led me into the realms of becoming a cake designer, is my Mum and the cakes she created for my birthdays. As a keen and very talented artist, my mum always made my siblings and I the most fun and beautiful birthday cakes. She used to stay up for hours before our birthday creating them. It was part of our birthday ritual and celebrations.
Of course, as I grew up and had my own children, this challenge was inevitably passed to me. I had to carry on this creative tradition!
Although over the years and after becoming a professional wedding cake maker and designer, this started to become a bit of a challenge (and nightmare!). The kiddlers expectations grew bigger and bigger and their birthday cakes more outlandish and crazy. I think we had a volcano, a knight bus, wrestling ring, and a free standing dog with a UK flag. To name but a few from a very long list.
The third chapter and foody part of my life (actually, weddings are starting to creep in here) was working front of house for some local hotels and wedding venues.
As a teen I worked for Charlton House, in Shepton Mallet, when it was run by the Somerset fashion house Mulberry.
Oh, what a place it was! A Somerset hang out for the celebs in the late 90’s and early noughties. I experienced people living the high life. Enjoying the best. Eating divine food, sipping the best Champagne and attending the most glitzy weddings.
The Weddings! Oh my goodness the weddings!
They were just so mind bogglingly glamorous. Abundant floral displays, guests dressed to the nines, arriving in helicopters and McLaren's. Copious amounts of the highest quality produce and foods, and of course there were the wedding cakes. Stunningly beautiful, intricate works of art. Never would I have thought in years to come I would be creating them.
After becoming a mum to my 3 kids through my 20s and being lucky enough to spend priceless time with them all at home. I felt I needed a new challenge. Something to get my teeth into… (No pun intended!)
While having a cuppa with a friend she mentioned that she knew someone that was making cupcakes to make a bit of extra cash. Hey presto! I thought, I could do that and do it well. So I did….
My first paid wedding cake was made for a lovely lady that worked in our local garage. She mentioned that she was getting married. I madly said I made cakes and it all started from there.
8 years on and we now deliver our luxurious creations to some of the most exclusive wedding venues across The South West, London and beyond. We are also a recommended supplier for numerous high end wedding venues, including Lucknam Park, Elmore Court and Brympton House, to name but a few.
We are lucky enough to work alongside some of the most well known and talented wedding suppliers out there and have been featured in some of the top wedding blogs and magazines, such as Vogue, Rock My Wedding and Wedding Chicks.
The pinnacle of my career so far was achieved last month at The Wedding Industry Awards night in London, in which we took home the trophy for National Wedding Cake Designer of the Year 2024.
A night I will never forget and an accolade I am so ridiculously proud of.
So, there we are. My first blog about becoming ‘Cake Design by Holly Miller’. Be sure to stay posted for my next editions, to hear all about our amazing award winning night in London.
Along with a whole host of tit bits from my work in the wedding industry, future plans for the business, aspirations and of course lots of fabulous cakes.
Much love
Holly xxx
