Cake maker to Queen who rose to the occasion for 70 YEARS
Scot, 85, finally hangs up his piping bag
HE is the master cake decorator whose stunning work has graced every major royal occasion since the 1940s.
But now Scots-born Eddie Spence – who created opulent designs for such landmark events as the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and Charles and Diana’s wedding – has decided to retire at the age of 85.
During his 71-year career, one highlight was the creation of a cake for the Queen and Prince Philip’s Golden Wedding anniversary – half a century after he beat the eggs for one of their wedding cakes in 1947.
Originally from Edinburgh, at the age of 14 Mr Spence began a six-year apprenticeship at the city’s JW Mackie bakery.
His skills burgeoned and at one point he was making around 50 wedding cakes a week.
Mr Spence said: ‘I was very lucky at Mackie’s because it was the place where people were sent to learn to bake. I started there at 14 because my parents couldn’t afford to keep me in school and straight away I loved it.
‘Most people started their apprenticeships at 16 but I got a two-year head start, which put me at an advantage.
‘The apprentices worked downstairs and not long after I started I went upstairs to deliver some ingredients and the man in charge asked what I was doing.
‘It turned out they were working on a cake for the Queen’s wedding and I was given the job of hand-beating eggs for the job. It took all day but it was definitely worth it.
‘That was my first experience of making cakes for the Royal Family but after that I went on and ended up making cakes for the likes of Prince Andrew, Prince Charles and Princess Margaret – whose wedding cake was my favourite.’
Mr Spence added: ‘I received a letter telling me she wanted it to be traditional, so that’s what we did. The detail was amazing, it took a lot of hard work.’
He also produced a stunning golden carriage design for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, which ranks among his favourites.
Weighing a whopping 56lb and standing 21in tall, the cake featured lashings of gold icing and was created in stunning detail.
Mr Spence was also behind the iconic Charles and Diana wedding
‘The Queen knew all about me’
cake, a piece of which sold for £920 in 2015.
After more than seven decades in the trade, Mr Spence has been dubbed ‘the king of royal icing’ by colleagues.
Around 30 years ago, the Scot decided to move to Bournemouth, Dorset, where he continued to teach the art of royal icing as well as baking in general.
In March 2010, Mr Spence released a book, The Art Of Royal Icing, and he has even made TV appearances in shows including Loose Women. His proudest moment, however, came in 2000 when he was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours list for services to sugar craft.
It was an emotional time for Mr Spence as he was notified of the accolade just a day after the death of his first wife.
He said: ‘When the letter offering me an MBE first arrived in 1999 I wasn’t going to accept it because I was obviously feeling very down after my wife had sadly passed away just the day before.
‘Eventually my son talked me round and we went up to accept it in the year 2000. It was really amazing because the Queen knew all about me and we actually had quite a long chat.
‘She was aware I had done her sister’s wedding cake but I had to let her down when she thought I had made hers.
‘Sadly, in recent years royal icing has become something of a dying art but hopefully I’ve taught enough for it to carry on now I’ve retired.’
Mr Spence first began teaching others his remarkable skills at the age of 22. In recent years he has been working at Penningtons School of Cake Artistry in Bournemouth.