So, big news....The Bakery Den has passed the 1 year old stage!!

***Cue mini celebration gif.***

FYI, I basically just chose that gif. because it has my initials on it 😂 But hope you enjoy it as much as I am! I think the alien really completes it.

'What's this post about now?' I hear you ask. Well, with our little fox being over a year old, we (and by we, I mean me, by myself, sat at my computer, listening to Kisstory, whilst the sun is shining outside) had a little reminiscing session, which basically involved looking over all of our instagram posts....there's a few.

Reflecting over the last year got me thinking about how far I've come as a baker. If you know me, you'll know I don't exude confidence as easily as some people. I'm my own worst critic when it comes to my work, and always have been - my mother can be testament to that; when I decided my drawing of a pirate wasn't good enough, so threw it away and started again - I was 4 years old... What 4 year old critiques their own work??

It's the same with cakes. Baking them for family and friends, they were always met with a positive response, which is obviously lovely and so nice to hear, but then there’s that niggling feeling, spurred on by my self-doubt, that my family and friends wouldn't want to upset me, right? So maybe my cakes aren’t all that at all.

But here's the thing, after starting The Bakery Den, something strange began to happen. I had complete strangers praising my cakes, and I began to gain a bit of something called confidence (what is this mystical thing?). Most recently, was just a couple of weeks ago, at the South of England Wedding Fair. We took a tasting cake for people to sample. And as more and more people came to our table and said that our cake tasted incredible, I was overwhelmed with pride.

People were being so kind about my gluten free cake, saying it was the nicest gluten free cake they've eaten, or that you can't tell it's gluten free at all. Even though I tend to shudder away from compliments, it was these responses that really made me stop and think; well huh, I must be doing something right.

And it's reactions like those of my family and friends, and the reviews from complete strangers over the last year, that has allowed me to admit that I am confident in my baking and cake-making skills.

I am proud of every cake I produce, from Peppa Pig cake pops to ones like this...

And it really is a pleasure to run my business. So I just want to say thanks to all those people who have tried my cakes, and have liked my cakes. I wouldn't be doing The Bakery Den if it wasn't for each and everyone of you.

Blabbering is over.

Thanks for reading - if you got this far! :)

Holly @ The Den

x