Shwmae! Hi, I’m Katie!
Currently making & capturing my own beautiful, delicious life in the countryside of South Wales. I’m a self-taught baker & photographer who’s hard working & upgrading my baking tins & lenses as I go. I’ve always been creative, ever since I was a little girl with big dreams of being an artist one day. I haven’t quite realised that dream yet but I have a creative background in design, training & communications so, maybe one day.
Everything about food excites me! The colours, seasons, smells, tastes & growing. When my hands aren’t dusted with flour or clutching a camera, you’ll find them buried in the dirt of the garden or allotment. It’s important to me to know & understand where food comes from, how it’s grown, it’s culture, it’s history & traditions.
I started this blog way back in 2016, when blogging was still cool & people still read them. It started as a place to share my recipes as I learnt more & more about food & baking. Over the years it’s evolved somewhat as I’ve learned what truly brings me joy, namely the seasonal ingredients that I can gather or source from my own back door & uncomplicated recipes, the fuss free ones that use simple ingredients & techniques, that I keep coming back to year after year.
Photogpraphy has been in my life ever since my very first bright blue Fisher Price camera at the age of 6. Back then I took photographs of my teddy bears & dolls, these days I gravitate more towards cake! Mainly because I bake so often at home that I always have something new & exciting to point my camera at.
Even if it’s the same old loaf that I bake every week, there’s always a new beauty to capture in the process. But I do like to turn the lens onto portraits, landscapes, nature & my favourite of all, still life too. Wherever I am, I’m rarely without my trusty Canon.
After years of learning & honing my skills, my personal style would probably be best described as moody & natural. I’m most influenced by the high contrast of light & shadow of chiaroscuro alongside the nostalgia of good old 35mm analogue film.
Whether you’re simply looking for inspiration or a sweet or savoury recipe, I hope that you can enjoy the seasons & it’s wonderful ingredients with me.
A few facts about me:
I'm a leftie but for life of me cannot figure out left-handed scissors?! My favourite Welsh word is ‘sglodion’, meaning ‘chips’, read into that what you will. Ron Swanson is my hero. I despise avocado, sorry but I just don't get it. My middle name is 'Angharad', which means 'much loved' in Welsh. Freshly baked bread, lavender & sandalwood are the best scents, fact. I have a child-like love for Christmas that never fades. Aside from Wales, my favourite place in the world is Italy. If you don't bring cucumber sandwiches to a picnic then it's not a picnic.