Sustainable cake design
Finding new ways to make my business sustainable and work in an eco conscious way has been a goal of mine now since 2021.
The wedding and celebration world can be a very throw away industry and I love I am trying to make small changes to lower my environmental impact. Its something I have adopted in my every day so feel its only right it should be mirrored in my business.
To have a read about why I chose to head down the sustainability route, have a little peep at my about me page.
What am I doing to be more sustainable?
Do you know what, I love learning new ways to up my sustainability goals.
Here are some of the switches I have already put in place!
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We use Ovo as our energy suppliers
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For every order over £150, I plant a tree in your name with More trees - It offsets an estimated 0.3 tonne of carbon!
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I have significantly cut down on my plastic use and no longer buy single use plastic for the kitchen.
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I use local Dorset flower growers for my cake designs.
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Buying local seasonal fruit and freezing/ preserving
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Turning cake scraps into delicious treats for the community - Have a little read of my blog post for my fridge cake recipe
"We need to work with nature, not against it"
David Attenborough
Fresh/dried
I feel pretty blooming passionate about the flowers I use.
Pesticides don’t belong on flowers and especially when they are destined to be near food.
I love to use local, Dorset based flower suppliers including Brothers farm for my cut and dried seasonal flowers, Polly's petals for my edibles and growing and foraging my own array of pressed edible flowers during the growing season.
Handmade
There are a few instances where it’s not possible to use seasonal (during the winter months) or when certain varieties are not suitable due to being toxic.
This is where my hand made flowers come in.
Perfect as a keepsake with no colour or variety limitations.
I love trying to make them as realistic as possible (its the ex Modelmaker in me )
Painted
I also adore painting and flowers are my favourite thing to paint. For a completely custom cake, why not have me paint the flowers being used in your arrangements and let me make a handmade replica of your bouquet.
It's also a lovely way to add in stylised painting styles.
I also love to paint details as a way to incorporate a nod to loved ones and pets.
Reducing single use plastic
One of the first big changes I made to make my business more sustainable was to ditch the single use plastic.
And boy was it everywhere when you really looked at the bigger picture.
. I scrapped using plastic dowels. I now use food grade wooden dowels.
. No more cling film, I use a great silicone alternative.
. Reusable plastic travel boxes for cake deliveries.
I bought the first eco cool box from igloo. Your cakes are coming to you in style!
. My cake taster boxes are both eco friendly and beautiful
Take a peep at them here - Eco cake taster boxes
. I use reusable piping bags and food storage boats/containers.
. I also buy as many of my ingredients in bulk to minimise plastic and recycle any plastic which is able to be.The ingredients that go into my cakes.
"We were also highly impressed with the sustainability focus of her work"
"Tasha, the Diamond Baker, was an absolute joy to work with. We had a specific vision for what we wanted from our wedding cake, and Tasha completely exceeded these! Tasha was so personable in her approach, from sketching mock-ups of the cake, to hand delivering our samples. We also considered that with a beautifully designed cake, you might sacrifice taste of the final product. However we were amazed that Tasha nailed both. We were also highly impressed with the sustainability focus of her work"
Plans for the future
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Find a better alternative to the boards being used for cakes.
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Switching to re usable cake liners instead of parchment paper.
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Using only organic dairy and eggs.
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Sourcing as much produce within my region as possible.
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Growing a selection of cut flowers for cakes.
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Purchase a dehydrator for edible flowers.