At Forces Family Finance we wanted to feature all the winners of the 2020 Milspo Awards and this year’s Ad Astra Award Winner is Emma from Scrumptious Bakes!
In the beginning
“I started my business in June 2018, 16 months into recovery from a life-changing injury.
In January 2017, I damaged both sacroiliac joints, my pelvis, my lumbar spine (L1-L5), my sacrum and my coccyx. I had little to no feeling from waist down, and severe nerve, soft tissue and muscle damage.
I was lucky enough to be supported by some brilliant people during my recovery, including Chris, who won an award for his work with me, helping me to run again.
After 15 months learning to walk and load my body again with a flotation belt in a pool (half a width to start with, progressing gradually to full lengths, and then the same with swimming), those first few steps in a hospital corridor felt like flying!”
Dreaming it
“As I became stronger and could stand again, baking became a way for me to reconnect with my body, mind and soul. I have always found baking very mindful and easily lose myself in kneading soft dough or gently scooping and folding macaron batter.
Baking for family and friends initially gave me a sense of purpose; a clear, achievable goal and focus, which helped to relieve the trials of chronic pain and rehabilitation. It helped me to re-discover a sense of identity, to feel pride, to feel empowered. It rebuilt my self- confidence.
I found the concept of beginning my own business simultaneously exhilarating and challenging. Stimulating my mind was equally as important to my recovery as each physical step, and dreaming about my business, and how it would look and feel gave me hope and strength.
Four generations of my family have been professional bakers and confectioners, and my mum is a former Michelin-starred chef. I have always loved baking and was fortunate to learn so much from them growing up.
One of my favourite bits about Scrumptious Bakes is using my grandad’s perfectly balanced palette knives, knowing their gently worn wooden handles have put the finishing touches to countless wedding cakes designs before. I just love bringing dreams to life.”
Emma’s journey so far
“I am so proud of my business and all it has achieved so far. I believe in the power of kindness and the importance of connection, especially since my recovery. These values, along with integrity and passion, underpin all that we do at Scrumptious Bakes, from the ingredients we select to our clients’ experiences, and the charities we support.
In our first year, we won the award for the Best Newcomer across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in the 2019 Muddy Stilettos Awards, and in our second year, we won the award for the Best Wedding Cake Artist at the 2019 Hampshire Wedding Supplier Awards.
We began our third year with an invitation from British Vogue to feature in their 2020 luxury ‘Match Made In Vogue’ wedding campaign, and, in November, we were thrilled to win the Wedding Cake Designer / Maker of the Year award for the South Central region in The Wedding Industry Awards (TWIA). TWIA are the most coveted awards in the industry, judged by industry experts and client feedback, and we are very proud to be national finalists ahead of the awards ceremony in January 2021.
In early December, I was honoured to receive the 2020 Milspo Ad Astra award, for striving for excellence through adversity. It means a huge amount to be recognised in this way, and being part of this network is so special, connecting with strong, resilient and inspiring military spouses and partners in business from all over the world. I am so grateful to be part of such a supportive group of talented entrepreneurs, many of whom will be friends for life, and have helped shape and grow Scrumptious Bakes.
To name just a few:
- Liz Hart of Moneybee Accounting, whose kind explanations and guidance helped me from the very beginning;
- Hannah Hubbleday, whose intuitive graphic design talents captured our rebrand perfectly; and
- Chloë Holwill-Hunter, whose beautiful line drawing illustrations bring our creations to life across our social media platforms. ?
Thank you so much to Jess, founder of the Milspo Business Network, and Nadine of Forces Family Finance, for sponsoring the awards. It truly brought burst of light and sunshine at the end of a very challenging year, and I am so grateful!”
Links
If you want to learn some more about Emma and her bakes, check out her Facebook and Instagram pages.
Photographer – wearetheclarkes
Florist – eden blooms
