Sugarcrafting - where do I start please help!!

[PipIsOutNow]

Hi there!!

I have always been very crafty and have decided to try my hand at sugarcrafting for a few birthdays coming up in the hope that I may be able to make some money from it in the future.

What I need to know is where do I start with equipment etc? Can anyone recommend any places to get cutters, tins, fondant, colouring etc from?

Also if you make money from it how do you work out the pricing ie. by how many tiers the cake is? how detailed it is? how much work it takes? I am totally clueless but very excited about my new project!!

Hope to hear from lots of you!! And thanks in advance xx

I've picked up quite a few bits in TK Max,

I got my piping nozzles from John Lewis many years back & they still serve me well...... & www.purple-heart.com/baking-cooking.irc?cName=baking-cooking&pg=1 I like this company, but if you look around the net you can probably find some stuff cheaper, but they do generally have a good selection here

As for pricing - have a look at websites of companies local to you & undercut them a bit for like far like designs as far as the amount of work goes -

Though bear in mind though that if you are really going to do it professionally, not just word of mouth to people looking for a bargain, you will need some sort of food hygiene certificate -

& get your cake recipes right first, not much point in having a beautifully decorated cake if it tastes like shite - you'll soon get a bad reputation that way & won't get repeat or word of mouth business

good luck

Have you had a look at short courses offered by your local colleges? We have a beginners sugarcraft that runs at the local college and it's a reasonable cost to get to grips with the hobby. I went with my mum, It's a craft I am rubbish at as it's very delicate, and I'm not. My mum loved it and has gone off on her own to advance her skills. There is a local sugarcraft shop as well and they were really good for advice, ideas and supplies. I've got to travel miles for a decent yarn shop, yet sugarcraft shop within a mile or two :) The course was £25 for 5 weeks and included all materials.

I don;t want to rain on your parade, but unless you live somewhere pretty affluent, it's very hard to make any money with birthday cakes. The problem is it's such a easy thing to cut costs on - the supermarkets do OK cakes - and if you're looking to save money, 10 quid from Tesco is a much better bet than 75 from the bespoke cake maker. Wedding cakes os a better bet, but you need to get a reputation first. Perhaps do one for mate's rates for a friend and hope word of mouth wors for you?

I have had very few orders this year, and I've had to cut porices for those I've had.

Sorry to be depressing. It is such fun to do , though, so you can keep your hand in doing them for family and friends.