Baker Spotlight: A Freckly Fan Favourite

It’s difficult to imagine how an Honours degree in Mathematics, a Masters in Computational Methods for Aeronautics and a career in auditing would have led Billie Armstrong to train as a Pastry Chef at Le Cordon Bleu.

It is even more difficult to imagine how Billie could be making her incredible desserts - one of which was a replica for the Queen and Prince Philip’s 70th wedding anniversary for a show on ITV- after only baking professionally since 2016 (pictured right). What’s more impressive, Billie would go on to open up her very own successful baking business while also working part-time as a freelance accountant.

Billie actually cites her background as one of her strengths that thrusted her in the world of dessert-making: there is an underlying link of precision and attention to detail that is necessary to be good in all these fields. She weighs things, as she told us, “to the microgram.”

Her love of food, as most of our bakers agree, was one that goes back into her childhood. Meal time was a social time, and one where everyone connected as a family. Her mother is from the Philippines and, as a child, their parties would always include a wonderfully light, buttercream covered Chiffon cake (which Billie now claims as her favourite!).

Billie remembers as far back as the age of 12, she would stare in wonderment at Mary Berry and Delia Smith on her TV, writing down their recipes and trying to recreate their treats. While most British people can claim awe of Mary Berry’s treats and her Great British Bake Off presenting skills, very few can say that the first thing they baked was her fork biscuits.

Following in the footsteps of one of her baking heroes, Billie applied to Le Cordon Bleu, one of the most prestigious culinary schools, where she thrived. During her time, she assisted in recreated the 9ft tall, ornately decorated cake that was created by Eddie Spence for the Royal Wedding. The months and months of hard work, long hours, and intense piping was worth it to see it finally unveiled at Chelsea Pensioners. How incredible is that?

Billie’s concentration, determination and precision are some of her most valued qualities: touchwood, Billie has never had any “baking disasters.” Planning ahead, organising, expecting the unexpected and working well under pressure, Billie is built for all the extravagant cakes that come her way and makes them perfect for the day of delivery. The secret? A stress-free kitchen.

Even when we sat down to ask her about a ‘day in the life’ of her life, Billie instantly said she’s always happiest when she knows she can “spend the rest of the day baking.” Even though baking can sometimes be stressful with deadlines and long hours, she has a supportive family that gives her the time and space to be as creative with her work as possible.

Even if she has no impending deadlines for the day, Billie uses this as an opportunity to experiment and do some research to develop her recipes. She even has little helpers and gets her kids involved! Baking, for Billie, is fulfilling from start to finish: the absolute best part, for her, is the thought of making someone happy and bringing a smile to their face from her bakes. She claims to be a “total feeder” and the joy brought to other people from all types of food is a huge motivation for her to bake.

If you want a smile on your face, order a cake with Billie now on www.mybaker.co and get your bespoke cake!