When I discovered that I was gluten-intolerant a few years back, it was a fun challenge to experiment with all the old family recipes, putting a new twist on them - which is why you'll find most of my items on offer are gluten-free (I can make regular versions of everything too, but I like to have yummies around that I know I can enjoy with friends who don't even realise that what they are eating is gluten-free!).

An important part of the process, for me, is being sure that my ingredients are of a good quality. So to collect the eggs I need for my cakes, I head over to my friend Claire's backyard, and she sells me whatever 'the girls' have laid that day. There really is no substitute for a freshly-laid free range egg! (If you crack one into a pan next to a store-bought one, you will see exactly what I mean.) Same goes for the rest of my ingredients - eg there is no skimping on supermarket brand chocolate in my kitchen! The way a good quality chocolate melts into velvet loveliness is superb, and I think everyone should experience that kind of quality when they are buying a hand-made product.