Hobby Focus
Making new friends is the icing on the cake
When Fran Turner’s chronic pain kept her awake at night, little did she know it would open up a new world of friendships and a pastime to last a lifetime. Here,
she tells how she discovered a talent for making show-stopping cakes…
“It’s been a huge learning curve – I can’t describe how satisfying it is”, said Fran, whose sugary works of art look just too good to eat. But although they may take days, weeks or even months to complete, she says she doesn’t mind when someone takes a cake knife to her handiwork.
“I am thrilled when they are cut,” she says. “If you have spent four days decorating a cake, you have done your work and are delighted to see people enjoy it.”
Looking at the intricate flowers, leaves and tiny pearls that she loves to concoct from sugar paste, it’s amazing that Fran never thought of herself as artistic. “When I was at school, they all said I would never do anything creative,” she says.
But when the mum-of-
two began to suffer sleepless nights through severe arthritis in her back and neck, she found that cooking in the early hours gave her something else to concentrate on and helped to take her mind off the chronic pain.
After training as a nurse,
Fran–who lives in Willesborough, near Ashford, with husband Martin– became a medical rep, but had to give up work because of her illness.
and making fairy
and cakes for school fairs, but her love of all things icing really took off after she decided she could do better, and enrolled at the Annabelle Jane Cake School 18 months ago.
Her creations, which are always just for
family and friends, have included a Hot Wheels cake decorated with cars for grandson Finlay, aged five, and a baby shower cake for her daughter, Naomi.
Now she is working on her most ambitious project so far – a cake for her son Matthew’s
wedding next October. The exact details are a secret, “Having an arthritic
condition in my back, the pain gets worse when you lie down at night. I started getting up and going to the kitchen to find something to do to take my mind off it. In the middle of the night, I might get up and fiddle around with a bit of sugar paste. I am so tired by then that I can get to sleep.”
Fran had always enjoyed baking for children’s parties
but without giving too much away, there will be an equestrian theme to reflect the happy couple’s interests, and of course, lots of flowers. Each exquisite bloom is crafted individually by hand.
“Cakey people are lovely. I have made some fantastic friends.”
Fran, who has six grandchildren, aged five to 11, said: “I get a
bit obsessed with flowers. It’s a lovely hobby to have. It just makes me feel I can do something. I never thought you could cook and be artistic at the same time. Someone recommended Annabelle’s cake school, which is in Bearsted. It’s a big mix of people and I have loved it. Cakey people are lovely. I have made some fantastic friends.”
Interview by Diane Nicholls Mid Kent Living 31
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64