My family lives on a smallholding near Brecon in Wales, where we care for a number of rescued and disabled animals (including a flock of ex-battery chickens who now enjoy a true free-range lifestyle). A friend’s ewe gave birth to a little black lamb and I decided to call him Bert. Bert didn’t grow properly and appeared to be away with the fairies so he was gifted to us where he will never be harmed.
We are all vegetarian. I’ve been vegetarian – and mostly vegan – since I was at junior school, ie almost my whole life. I have a very sweet tooth and have often been disappointed by the variety and quality of baked goods available to those who don’t eat eggs and/or dairy products, ie vegetarians, vegans and those with an intolerance or allergy to these ingredients. I’ve baked vegan cakes, muffins and cookies for years and they’ve always gone down a treat with friends and colleagues. Everyone is surprised when I say my goodies have no eggs or dairy products and say they actually taste better than the “real thing” so this got me thinking about whether I could take my baking further.
In 2012 I was made redundant and I decided it was time for a change of life. I sold my house, moved to Mid Glamorgan and started to think about how to combine my passion for baking with my veggie beliefs. I decided to set up an online bakery and little Bert was the inspiration behind the name.