Moate woman among top cake artists in Ireland and UK

A Moate woman has been recognised among the top ten cake artists in Ireland and the UK.

Tanya Ross, who owns and runs Novel-T Cakes, was named in the Cake Master’s top ten last week in a virtual announcement to replace Cake International in Birmingham, the largest cake show in the world which is normally the highlight of the industry’s calendar.

ABOVE: Tanya Ross and one of her cake art creations.

“They do an Oscars-style night. It’s international, which is really nice,” Tanya explains. “And the judges have been in the industry for ages so when you do get awarded something, it’s really nice. It’s not a popularity contest.

“They have classes and demonstrations, and you don’t have to enter. It’s a lovely show, and for people who have just started or just have an interest, there is always something for them there. They have over 10,000 people going through every day for three days. Last year there were 4,500 entries, so it’s pretty impressive to see and to experience.”

In the past, Tanya has made cakes for the Late Late Show, the Ray D’Arcy Show and for celebrities such as Conor McGregor, Shane McGowan and Ray Sheehan of the Dubliners. She also teaches sugarcraft classes in her studio in Moate, and has been hosted in cake schools in both Ireland and abroad.

This year, however, has been very different for her business, Tanya explained.

“All weddings are getting postponed and some people have been moving the dates a few times so that side of the business has changed. The same with Communions and Confirmations, a lot of them didn’t get to go ahead at all or they were last minute bookings because of short notice.

“My diary was a bit messy. The first lockdown cakes died a death, but this time novelty cakes and birthday cakes are still coming in. Not as much as a normal year, but definitely better than the first lockdown.”

Tanya has been running her business fulltime for six years, having previously made cakes as a hobby.

“I used to just make my own kids’ birthday cakes, and people would be at those parties and ask me to make cakes for them.

“During the recession the office that I was working in was closed and I was unemployed for the first time ever in my life and I was terrified. But in hindsight, it’s the best thing that ever happened.

“I would never have given up a fulltime job to make cakes. It would have been too risky, but that was taken out of my hands and it was the best thing that ever happened because I’m happier now than I ever was then.”

Tanya can be contacted through Novel-T Cakes’ Facebook page for bookings.