I absolutely love the freedom and creativity
Emily Garland loves her job, despite being busy in the lead-up to Christmas.
Sum up your job in 3 words:
1 creative
2 fun
3 different
PEOPLE wonder how I managed to get into my line of work. I worked for many years as an administrator, just doing baking in my spare time for fun, and at some point started experimenting with building things out of gingerbread.
I then had to leave my job for health reasons, so decided it was as good a time as any to turn the baking into a business.
I’m totally self-taught. I grew up around lots of keen home cooks and bakers in my family and I’ve honed my craft over the years. I learn something new with every project I do.
My day usually begins around six a.m. when my cat wakens me.
I live on a small narrowboat out in the countryside surrounding London, so I enjoy the view from the window and watch the water birds before packing my bag for work.
Depending how far away from my kitchen I’m moored, I either get my folding bike out and cycle down the towpath, or head to the nearest station.
Once I’m in my kitchen in Hackney, East London, I make a coffee and have some breakfast, before catching up with my e-mails while planning the day.
Depending on what stage of a project I’m at, I’ll either spend the day making templates, baking biscuit components, assembling or decorating.
If I’m working on the Biscuit Academy (my biscuit building membership), I might be recipe testing or filming the video tutorials.
I absolutely love the freedom and creativity.
What I don’t enjoy is the admin, and I also have to be in the right mood for posting on social media!
As you may imagine, I’m ludicrously busy from early September to Christmas.
Some of my constructions can take an hour; others have taken three weeks!
But the process is always the same: design/plan; create paper or cardboard templates; cut around the templates to make biscuit components; assemble then decorate.
Often the design and template-making can take longer than the final baking and building stages, which surprises people, I think.
Although some are intricate and take many hours to create, I’ve never found it difficult to part with my work, as the whole reason I do my job is for others to enjoy it!
My favourite build so far was a replica of Dennis Severs’ House in Spitalfields, which included a miniature interior of one of the rooms. I love that building so much, it was a total joy to make.
I have had a few highlights in my career so far, such as making a baking display for Harrods, which was hugely exciting.
I also loved being the official gingerbread judge on Channel 4’s “Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas”, and creating my largest work yet, which was a six-feettall house for the Ideal Home Show.
I’m always looking to make bigger and better buildings!
I’d also love to travel more, to make display pieces abroad, especially America. And I have ideas for a book.
Despite being so busy, I do love Christmas.
I work long hours, so rarely join in festive drinks or see the Christmas lights, but I look forward to Christmas Day.
I spend it back at home with my family and we cook together, play games, watch films and catch up.
It’s relatively low-key and it’s always lovely to relax after working so intensely beforehand. ■
Advice I would give my twenty-year-old self:
Don’t settle for the first job you get after uni, as your CV will end up being stuck in that field. Take on lots of part-time jobs to find out what you enjoy, then properly go for it.