Vicky Meets… Regan Rissik, Wedding Cake Designer, Wiggle Cakes, Midhurst

Where does your love of baking stem from?

I’ve always loved playing around in the kitchen and have really special memories of baking with my nanny. My mum wasn’t much of a baker, so I experimented a lot with Betty Crocker mixes as a teenager and made some very fluorescent green peppermint creams!

When my first son was born, he had a terrible dairy allergy. I spent a lot of time making things from scratch and adapting recipes that he could eat, but that were also nice enough for my husband and I to enjoy too. I still use a lot of these recipes for wedding guests with food allergies.

How did you take the leap from amateur baker to opening your own wedding cake business?

After baking for my son, and inspired by The Great British Bake Off, I made a birthday cake for my dad in 2016. A friend saw it and asked if I would make her wedding cake. The very thought of it terrified me, but I said yes, and spent the next few months perfecting my techniques, practicing my recipes and buying lots of equipment.

I soon realised I had a natural talent for cake making, and word spread. I was soon fully booked with orders for celebration cakes.

Lockdown coincided with my maternity leave with my third child. Giving me a chance to re-evaluate my business, I decided to follow my passion for the wedding industry.

I’d previously worked in venues organising weddings and I just love the magic of weddings.

Are there trends in wedding cakes?

People are being bolder with colours and textures at the moment which I absolutely love! I like my cakes to have a natural feel with lots of beautiful textures and the feeling of movement. Hints of metallic are popular too, so edible gold and silver can add a gorgeous hint of glamour.

Couples seem to be really on-board with my vision that cakes should look like something you really want to eat. Gone are the days of thick fondant icing and formal decorations.

Cakes are there to be eaten so looking delicious is always my priority.

What has been the most challenging cake you have ever made?

A 5-tier fairy-tale castle cake. It was huge; over a metre tall with turrets, an edible carriage

and lots of intricate detail. I learnt a lot making that cake!

You are a Regional Finalist in The Wedding Industry Awards [TWIA]. How does that feel?

AMAZING! I put my heart and soul into my business and I do every single aspect of it myself.

To be a Regional Finalist makes me so proud because I know that I have got here through sheer hard work, long hours and determination.

It was nerve-wracking to turn my back on my loyal celebration cake customers, but becoming a Regional Finalist in TWIA shows me it was the right decision. I am really excited for the awards night!

Further details: www.wigglecakes.co.uk