Achica Living: Interview with the queen of cake decorating Lindy Smith

“There is never just one thing that leads to success for anyone. I feel it always a combination of passion, dedication, hard work, and being in the right place at the right time.” Lauren Conrad

I couldn’t agree more with this quote. You can work incredibly hard and have tonnes of passion but you also need to be in the right place at the right time! It was certainly a case of being in the right place when I met one of my fans, Emma Morton Turner, who also happens to be a Guest Editor for Achica Living! We met whilst I was demonstrating in a fabulous film set kitchen in London for Dunelm. As always, it was wonderful to talk to someone who was very enthusiastic about my work and shared my passion for cake decorating. Emma asked me, there and then, if I would be happy for her to interview me, and of course, I said yes. Below is a short extract from my interview – thrilled to be referred to as ‘the queen of Cake decorating’!

Achica queen of cake decorating Interview:

Lindy Smith is a world-renowned cake decorator with a tonne of books under her belt and her latest one ‘Creative Colour for Cake Decorating’ won her the prestigious International Gourmand Cookbook Award. Here we delve into the world of sugarcraft and talk cake, coffee and discover what she can’t live without…

How did you get into baking and cake decorating?

I’ve baked since I was old enough to hold a wooden spoon. I was lucky that both my mother and grandmother were keen bakers so learning to bake cakes was all part of growing up. It was my own wedding cake, however, that inspired me to take evening classes in cake decorating. I fell in love with it from my very first lesson and since then I’ve tried many other crafts but sugarcraft is the one that I love the most – it combines my love of baking, art, design and colour.

Who or what inspires you?

I’ve met many talented sugarcrafters from Brazil to Australia whose work is amazing. However, when it comes to inspiration for my own cakes I look to the world of art and design. I like to be different and take influences from what I love whether it’s a flower in my garden, a piece of wrought ironwork or an elaborate wallpaper design.”

How long did ‘Creative colour for cake decorating’ take to write?

About 16 months but I created the cakes and wrote the text over an eight-month period 

Did you have any major disasters while working on the book?

No major disasters but I did have to start again with the peacock cake. Originally I was using stronger colours and larger cakes. However, the overall effect wasn’t elegant enough so I scaled down the size of the cakes and brought a fresh look to the colours – I’m thrilled with the result. 

What’s your favourite cake design from the book?

That’s a tough one…but my favourite has to be my carved owl cake – it has so much character.

Tell us a little about the International Gourmand Cookbook Award you received?

The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards were started in 1995 by founder and President Edouard Cointreau, whose family have owned vineyards since 1270 and are probably best known for Cointreau liqueur and the Frapin and Remy Martin cognac brands. The awards are seen by many to be the Oscars of the food industry, so I am really thrilled to have won the Pastry Sweets category for the UK, especially as it’s such a large category and cake decorating only constitutes a small part

How do you like to relax?

I like to spend time outside in my garden, cultivating colourful and scented flowers and tasty organic vegetables. My garden is where I can forget about everything and just concentrate on picking out delicate seedlings or attacking an overgrown bush!

Your favourite place for dinner?

I have recently moved house so I’m in the process of finding new places to eat. But a place we discovered whilst house hunting and one we’ve been back to on numerous occasions for lunch is the Ludlow Kitchen. It serves tasty, local fresh food.

Emma Morton Turner’s blog

My interviewer Emma has her own blog called ‘Cakes, Bakes and Cookies’. If you pay her a visit you can also read Emma’s version of our meeting and also see her cute version of my whale cake from ‘Party Animal Cakes’ which she created for her daughter’s 7th birthday!

Happy reading

Lindy Smith