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Keep up to date with all things sweet at Squires Kitchen
Now you can get the latest news and exclusive course updates with the new Squires Kitchen International School newsletter.
You may already subscribe to Squires Kitchen’s newsletter, which features a school section as well as great product information and recipe ideas. The new school newsletter will announce the launch of new courses with your favourite tutor or will notify you about the last few places on that coveted course so email the School Coordinator at school@squires-school.co.uk to sign up today.
Due to high demand, we’ve just added some extra dates for our popular Foundation courses in June with Foundation Sugarpaste on the 11th, Foundation Royal Icing on the 12th and 13th and Foundation Modelling on the 17th. Click on the links to book your place and work towards achieving your Squires Kitchen Master Certificate this summer.
Interested in getting your cakes into shape? Why not try our new Introduction to Cake Carving Essentials with Helen Penman on 19th September? Helen will take you through all of the essential tools, equipment and methods that you need to carve perfect celebration cakes. Discover how to transform a cake from simple sponge to a stunning 3D design with Helen’s expert guidance on covering, filling and decorating unusual shapes.
If you’d like to improve on your existing sugar flower skills with guidance from a highly-respected sugarcrafter, Naomi Yamamoto has recently added a second date with Squires Kitchen to meet popular demand. In her Masterclass in Sugar Flowers on 6th and 7th August, Naomi will show you how to decorate a cake with beautiful frills and an impressive dahlia, inspired by her newly-released book, Wedding Cakes: The Couture Collection. This advanced course will count towards your Skill Master certificate in Flower and Foliage Skills.
To find out more about any of these courses or to sign up to the new and exclusive school newsletter, email the School Coordinator at school@squires-school.co.uk. We have some exciting news about Carlos Lischetti coming up so make sure you don’t miss out!
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Start your Cake Decorating Business from Home this Spring
Would you like to turn your sugarcraft hobby into a profitable and enjoyable career? Starting a cake decorating business can be scary, but with the right knowledge and professional guidance it can be an exciting opportunity to take a beloved pastime and convert it into a successful business.
There are numerous elements to consider when first setting up a business for the first time and it can all be a bit confusing without the right help. Here are some top tips from Squires Kitchen’s professional cake consultant, decorator and expert tutor, Kathy Moore.
What are the top three things you need for turning baking and decorating into a business?
Being realistic, having appropriate knowledge and skill levels in all areas, and professionalism. Know your target market, know your prices, know your customers – without this knowledge a business is unlikely to reach its potential or even succeed. When running a business from home, the legislation and regulations that apply have increased dramatically over the years and compliance is vital. Training and awareness of all that is involved is the best foundation for any business.
Has running a cake decorating business at home changed over the years?
Legislation and regulations have changed over the years: food hygiene now incorporates compulsory maintenance programmes; labelling directives now affect home businesses; allergens need to be declared. Newer market opportunities such as smartphone apps have also become freely available and with this additional regulations; revised marketing strategies, brochure and website planning and additional knowledge are now needed to be certain of compliance and seizing business opportunities.
What are your predictions for business trends over the next few months?
Business trends for those running a cake business from home appear optimistic despite the economy. There seems to be a continuing attraction towards ‘real’ cakes and natural ingredients, not packet mixes. There’s also a higher degree of interest in cake ingredients to suit allergy sufferers.
This is just a hint at the wealth of information Kathy has acquired over her years of professional cake decorating and teaching and she has complied all of her advice and guidance – from naming your business to pricing for profit – into a two-day course packed with all of the essential knowledge you need to make your business a resounding success.
Starting a Cake Decorating Business from Home: Modules 1 and 2 on 27th March 2013.
On the first day of this course, Kathy will help you organise and implement your own ideas, offer guidance on avoiding the pitfalls of new business ventures and provide you with a collection of templates and documentation for you to take home. Module 1 is mandatory to complete any further training with Kathy, as it reveals the business secrets and is essential for your new company to flourish.
As an added bonus, on completion of Day 1 of this course you will receive a complimentary copy of Kathy Moore’s bestselling book ‘Starting a Cake Decorating Business from Home’ (B. Dutton Publishing) to take away with you and help get your business up and running.
For any further enquiries please email the School Coordinator at school@squires-school.co.uk.
Interview extracts taken from Squires Kitchen Bake School issue 2, available to purchase here.
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Spring Sugarcraft Skills
With the Squires Kitchen 27th Annual Exhibition and spring just around the corner, it’s a great time of year to consider some of the skills that you’d like to learn, develop and perfect. The SK Exhibition is Europe’s longest-running annual exhibition dedicated to cake decorating and sugarcraft. One of the most anticipated events in the cake lover’s calendar, it’s sure to inspire you to get creating with live demonstrations, new products and the latest trends.
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New Year, New Tutors
The New Year is well underway at Squires Kitchen International School, with our first week of courses already over! We’ve got more courses than ever before packed into our calendar for the year ahead, including many covering new themes and ideas and featuring new tutors.
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Get ready for Christmas with our Week of Festive Demonstrations,
Each day this week we will be hosting seasonal demonstrations with our world-class tutors.
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Squires Kitchen Bake School issue 2
The launch issue of Squires Kitchen Bake School was a huge hit and issue 2 follows up with brilliant ideas for biscuits, cakes, tarts, desserts and bread including how to make them like the professionals, top tips, classic recipes and much more. The talented Squires Kitchen International School tutors are joined by guest experts including Mary Berry, Paul A Young and Edd Kimber to share the trade secrets of how to bake and decorate like a professional in your own kitchen.
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Bread making with George
With the new school term round the corner, why not learn about the art of baking and cake decorating? If you’ve always wanted to learn how to make your own fresh bread then we highly recommend George’s Bread Making Essentials class on 13th–14th September which is great for beginners and really fun, too.
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How to become the complete skilled sugarcrafter
So you know how to cover a cake, handle a piping bag and make basic figures and flowers – what next? Our new course, ‘Professional Intensive: Extended Techniques’ has been created for talented sugarcrafters who want to learn more about the amazing things that can be achieved with their new-found skills.
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New class with Carlos Lischetti
Can’t wait for the release of Carlos Lischetti’s first book, Animation in Sugar in September?
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Street Party Style
Bring out the bunting, china teacups, doilies and cake stands for a summer of street parties!
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New course just added!
Professional Intensive Extended Skills Development with Paddi Clark, 22nd–27th Oct
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Carlos Lischetti’s first book
The publishing team here is hard at work on Carlos Lischetti’s new book and we have to say that it’s looking amazing!
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SK launches new magazine, Squires Kitchen Bake School
Now you can discover how easy it is to bake and decorate your own cakes to a professional standard with Squires Kitchen School tutors in the comfort of your own home. Available from 8th March, Squires Kitchen Bake School presents a whole host of baking inspiration from expert tutors at the esteemed International School in Farnham, Surrey as well as other top names in the industry. This unique, new magazine for budding bakers and cake decorators is the latest addition to Squires Kitchen Magazine Publishing’s collection of titles, which includes Cakes & Sugarcraft, Wedding Cakes – A Design Source, and Inspired by Food.
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Smeg 50’s style fridges make repeat TV performance on The Great British Bake Off
Four Smeg FAB30 50's Style Retro Fridges in Pastel Blue and Pastel Green recently appeared on the new series of Great British Bake Off in January following on from a hugely successful series in the autumn of 2011.
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New classes with Carlos Lischetti
Carlos’ much-anticipated classes are back! If you missed out last time and you’re a big fan then make sure you book today. On 1st–2nd March, Carlos will be teaching all the techniques he uses to create an amazing sugar baby, which would be ideal for a baby shower, christening or any baby’s celebration cake. You’ll learn how to build the figure from sugar step-by-step including how to mix colours, achieve correct proportions, use modelling tools and ensure your work is crack-free and flawless. Discover the secrets of successful figure modelling with expert Carlos on 3rd–4th March and learn how to capture his unique style on your own cakes and models. Once you know how, you can adapt the figures to suit any celebration cake. Join Carlos on 19th–20th March as he shows you how to make a rabbit in a flower pot out of sugar, which would be a great decoration for an Easter cake and could be adapted for any occasion. The proportions you will learn to make for the rabbits can be applied to many other different small animals.
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Sky One is looking for cake decorators!
Do you eat, sleep and breathe cake and enjoy taking part in competitions? Sky One is looking for competitive cake decorators to take part in a new documentary so, if that sounds like you, contact them on cakes@superherotv.co.uk. The deadline is Friday 20th January 2012.
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New Year, new hobby
The New Year is a perfect time to start that new hobby or even your own cake business, and where better to start than Squires Kitchen’s International School where you will learn from the very best tutors? Because we know you need the latest information for starting your own business, Starting a Cake Business from Home now takes place regularly at Squires Kitchen’s International School. The one-day course will run every three months on both a Friday and a Saturday so you can choose the best day for you.
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Free demonstrations every day at Squires House
There’s a lot going on at Squires House this winter so pop in and see us! As well as cake decorations and accessories for all your festive baking, you can also watch free demonstrations from our experts who are here every day teaching a different subject. Pick up great tips for making sugar models, icing cakes, making sugar flowers and much more.
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Baking Mad
Are you a great cook? Have you got some impressive recipes up your sleeve that could wow even a top baker? Infinite Media is looking for people from all walks of life to appear in a television show called Baking Mad, which will air on Channel 4. They want to hear from everybody who loves cooking and would like to take their baking skills to the next level! Successful candidates will take part in a mini bake-off to compete for the chance to win a one-to-one lesson on camera with master pâtissier and baker to the stars, Eric Lanlard.
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It’s all in the detail
As well as beginners and home cake makers, Squires Kitchen’s International School also teaches the art of baking, cake decorating, chocolate and sugarcraft to pastry chefs and caterers.
Latest news
- Keep up to date with all things sweet at Squires Kitchen
- Start your Cake Decorating Business from Home this Spring
- Spring Sugarcraft Skills
- New Year, New Tutors
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