Meet Our Wedding Experience Day Suppliers - The Orchid Kitchen

Get to know The Orchid Kitchen, joining us at our Wedding Experience Day this May. The Orchid Kitchen is a contemporary wedding cake designer specialising in high-end, elegant wedding cakes in Bristol and beyond. With The Orchid Kitchen wedding cake you can enjoy… A truly personalised approach & enjoyable design process. Locally sourced, high quality ingredients. Jams, sauces & fillings homemade with love. A one-of-a-kind, luxury wedding cake that feels true to you.

Flashback Images UK

Flashback Images UK

Flashback Images UK

Tell us a little bit about you

The Orchid Kitchen is a small and relatively new 'kid on the block'. I opened its doors in January 2021. We are based in Bristol, however we offer our services in the South West and beyond (Avon, Somerset, Gloucestershire, South Wales). 

It's a one man band where I'm responsible for logistics, marketing, deliveries, and the entire creative process and customer service. I'm trying to push my business forward so I can realise the biggest dream of mine- leaving my 9-5 and becoming a full time Cake Baker/ Designer!

Preparing and making food has always been an essential part of my life. I have many wonderful memories growing up in beautiful Poland, where food is made with love, from scratch. It’s rooted in the culture, and meal preparation is also a social time for many households, where stories are shared with close ones while making dumplings, stirring a great pot of Hunters Stew or making compotes, jams and other preserves for the winter season. To this day I miss it dearly. So food is part of my soul, and sweet food is where I find comfort.

In my early twenties I moved to Wales to study criminology and languages, but I soon realised I was climbing a ladder to nowhere, and my passion for the food of my childhood is stronger than ever, so I lost myself in cooking.  I was determined to polish my skills and work hard on new techniques. I have applied for many chef roles, starting from the very bottom. After one or two massive steps in my career I found myself running a pastry section in one of the most amazing restaurants in Wales- Ynyshir run by a truly amazing Head Chef.

After moving to Bristol, I started making cakes for friends and family. It took me a while to realise what I want in life, and trust me it didn’t come easily to me. I had an opportunity to make a wedding cake for a friend and it was an undescribed joy that it delivered, not just for me but also the bride and the groom that got me thinking. It’s not a job, it’s a passion, a vocation. It’s an opportunity for me to finally be who I am; someone who delights in creating beautiful things inspired by all the splendour and diversity of nature and being certain it will be an integral part of a very special day.

What three words would you use to describe your business?

I would describe my business as unique, artistic, and delicious. 

What’s your biggest business highlight to date?

The biggest business highlight to date is each time I see facial expressions on my couples’ faces when they see their cake for the first time. 

What top tips would you give someone organising their event or wedding?

In my opinion, the most important tips you can get is to plan ahead, do the research and find suppliers that will put your mind at ease. Wedding planning is stressful and can be draining, if you can find people that understand your vision and you can trust, it takes the stress and anxiety away from your BIG DAY.

Where do you get your inspiration from for your cake designs?

I take my inspiration mainly from nature and beauty that surrounds me. My work can be very varied in styles as I do love simple, timeless and elegant, very minimalistic cakes as well as wild and very modern designs. Each time I design a cake I take into account the character of the couple and I try to capture their spirit in my work. My cakes are full of texture and movement! Inspiration can come very unexpectedly, even by looking at the building or piece of pottery, as well as blooming trees or waves on the sea.

On the lead up to a wedding, what is your typical schedule?

I don't take more than 4 wedding cakes a month, so I can have a full week on preparing everything with extreme attention to detail. Whole process of making a cake takes me around a week. From preparing all elements like curds, marshmallows, caramels etc one day to baking on another day, to trimming, filling and ganaching my cake on the third day, I usually work on the design for a few days and deliver and assemble the cakes myself on the day of the wedding to ensure every little detail is as it should be!

What cake trends are currently big right now?

It's extremely hard to speak about Wedding Cake trends as it's very personal - certain styles you love and they are timeless, not every style will fit in with clients' vision for the day, so it is extremely important to get to know my clients and their style. To my content, modern cakes with lots of movement are becoming more and more popular. 

If you were given free rein to design a custom wedding cake, what sort of design and flavours would you choose?

If I would have free rein in designing the cake, the first thing I would do is to research the venue and its style, use that as an inspiration & incorporate it into the cake. In terms of flavours I would go for more unusual 'crazy flavours' like Passionfruit Coconut or Strawberry, Pistachio and Rose. As a chef, flavour and texture of different elements within the cake is extremely important. Well balanced flavours transform a cake into a sensation of flavours and shouldn't feel sickly or heavy on your stomach. 

Flashback Images UK

Flashback Images UK

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