WHILE more foreign holidays, a bit of golf, or pottering around the garden may be high on the list for many would-be retirees, one Northwich woman is taking a very different path.
Stephanie Hill started baking cakes as a way of entertaining her grandchildren, but in 2017, began making special celebration cakes for other people.
Her new hobby soon started taking up all her evenings and weekends, but she was loving it.
Then when the opportunity to take early retirement from her job in local government came along in 2020, she took it, and decided to turn her cake making hobby into a full-time business.
Zig Zag Cakes was officially born, making boutique, bespoke wedding and celebration cakes, and Stephanie has never looked back.
She started making all sort of celebration and birthday cakes, but she now specialises in boutique wedding cakes.
What’s more, her customers recently put her forward for the national Wedding Industry Awards 2024, in the cake designer section, and she’s now made it through to the North West finals.
The awards take place in Clitheroe in November, and if Stephanie wins, Zig Zag Cakes will proceed to the national competition.
The 58-year-old said: “I was absolutely thrilled and amazed to be nominated for the awards.
“I’ve been following them for a long time, and they usually go to people who’ve got posh shops and a huge following on social media.
“Only your clients in the last 12 months can nominate you.
“I’m busier now than I’ve ever been, but I love working for myself.
“I worked in the public sector for 38 years, and through that whole time, I was never once able to say, ‘I think I’ll take tomorrow off’.
“I can now. Or if I don’t want to work for a week, I just won’t. It’s wonderful.
“I like doing wedding cakes best, as I just love the styles you get to do. I’ve got a little studio in the garden.”
Stephanie’s husband, Colin Hill, also has an input into the business, managing the company’s website, as well as taking all the promotional photos of the cakes, and helping out at wedding fairs.
“He’s even been known to help with the airbrush on occasions”, Stephanie added.
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