The first novelty cake I ever made was a large pink pig for my daughter Charlotte’s second birthday, it didn’t exactly turn out as I’d hoped, at that stage I still had a lot to learn, but she was thrilled. My children like many others are fascinated by the natural world so over the years I’ve had requests to make all kinds of animals from sharks and sailfishes to squirrels and butterflies. I really enjoy creating these cakes, as they almost seem to come alive and develop characters of their own whilst being made. Also, like us, animals are not 100% symmetrical so it doesn’t therefore matter if say one ear is larger than another or if an eye is slightly lopsided, in fact it can add to the appeal of the cake!"