Let the sheep eat cake
Wedding cake is a special occasion treat for most of us – but Annette Dudley’s eight pet sheep get to eat it almost every day.
Ever since she started her wedding cake business, Annette has been making an average of four or five creations every week at her Stratford home.
Husband Brent and their three children used to enjoy eating the offcuts, but after 15 years they ‘‘can’t stomach it any more’’, she said.
‘‘If there is a cake, it tends to sit in the cupboard and not get eaten. So the sheep can have the cake instead.’’
Snowy, Rosie, Princess Elsa, Fluffy, Cotton, Floppy, Rainbow and Rodger were hand-reared and have been part of the family since Annette and Brent lived on a dairy farm.
Annette has been in the kitchen all her life, putting on her apron when she was younger to bake with her grandma and mum.
That’s what inspired her to start her business, A Love of Cakes by Annette.
‘‘This was not something I thought I’d do. I left work and thought, ‘I’ll see if I can make it doing cakes’, and I’ve been doing them ever since.’’
Annette has sold countless cakes for all sorts of different events, but specialises in weddings.
She has won the Taranaki Wedding Awards every year since 2017.
The awards are voted on by couples married in the past year, and nominated businesses including cake makers, photographers, florists and event planners.
Last week, Annette secured a big win at another competition, the New Zealand Wedding Industry Awards, when she took out the Outstanding Cake Artist Wedding category after being nominated a year ago.
‘‘It was postponed last year because of Covid, so they put two years together.’’
Annette was judged alongside two other businesses on how she runs her business, her social media sites and her website.
Now she plans to ‘‘take it out again’’ next year and continue to grow her business.
‘‘I love what I’m doing. I really enjoy the challenge and I have to admit I have a lightbulb moment when I see how other bakers do things too.’’
‘‘If there is a cake, it tends to sit in the cupboard and not get eaten. So the sheep [Snowy, Rosie, Princess Elsa, Fluffy, Cotton, Floppy, Rainbow and Rodger] can have the cake instead.’’
Annette Dudley