Baker for a Prince

Wednesday, May 2, 2018



A Victoria Sponge Cake from Violet Bakery 

In 2016, I interviewed Claire Ptak of Violet Bakery in East London as part of my Cooks in the Kitchen series. Her recipes intrigued me, and I spent many hours in the kitchen working my way through her acclaimed cookbook, The Violet Bakery Cookbook, where I tried my hand on anything from Victoria sponges and  Cardamom Buns to quiche and scones. The story of her bakery's early years at the Broadway Market in Hackney and the eventual opening of her tiny brick and mortar, Violet, remained an inspiration.

Encouraged by the story of Claire, I started my own bakery in 2017, Lavender and Honey Kitchen, where my daughter and I now work as seasonal bakers partnering with local farms and small businesses to bring heirloom recipes to dinner tables. Violet Bakery has remained a strong source of inspiration and a model for our business.

So it was with great joy I read the news of Claire Ptak being chosen to bake the cake for the Royal Wedding of HRH Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19!  I decided to run this post again in honor of this joyous event.  Read on below for the original interview with Claire...