STORY: The Vegan Cakery's aiming for a SEVENTH win!

Pioneering self-taught vegan baker Michelle Orme has today been announced as a nominee in the ‘Favourite Vegan Cakes and Baked Goods’ category at the national Vegfest UK Awards – the seventh straight year her Leicestershire business, The Vegan Cakery, has been nominated in the annual celebration of all things vegan.

In the running to win an unprecedented magnificent seventh successive accolade in the baking category at the Vegfest UK Awards, Michelle is elated to have been put forward once again and hopes her fantastic customer base both locally and nationally will lend The Vegan Cakery their votes.

Since establishing her cottage industry at her home in the Leicestershire village of Fleckney in 2012, Michelle – now based in nearby Oadby – has led the way at the forefront of vegan baking, helping to drive vegan food mainstream by creating products which, until then, simply weren’t available.

Offering well over 200 products, all made by hand by Michelle herself, The Vegan Cakery has gained an incredible following over the past nine and a half years with all recipes created from scratch.

Some of the most popular The Vegan Cakery products continue to be ‘cream’ cakes, such as the signature Mille-Feuille, Apple Turnovers, Jam and ‘Cream’ Doughnuts, and also things like Lemon Meringues, Custard Slices and Battenbergs.

In recent years, Michelle has expanded her range of savoury products which have proven massively popular. From her long-standing ‘Sausage’ Rolls, based on an old family recipe she veganised, she also makes several incredible Quiches and amazing Pork-less Pies, the latter featuring Hot Water Crust pastry, meat substitute filling and vegan jelly – the closest possible match to a ‘regular’ one.

As last year, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the winners of the various categories in this year’s Vegfest UK Awards will be announced as part of an online ceremony at Global Vegfest Online on Saturday, 18th December. 

Voting is open NOW and will close on Tuesday, 14th December. To vote for The Vegan Cakery in the ‘Favourite Vegan Cakes and Baked Goods’ category, visit the following link: https://www.vegfest.co.uk/awards-2021/vote-here 

Commenting on her 2021 nomination, Michelle said: “Each year I don’t expect to be nominated, as I never put myself forward for any kind of award ceremonies, so it’s always a thrill to know there is so much support out there for The Vegan Cakery. To have won the cakes and baking category for the past six years running is very special, making it a magnificent seven would be truly incredible!

“All of my pastries and cakes are as popular as ever with customers right across the country, but the savouries I’ve started to expand have been every bit as popular as the sweet treats. All of the quiches, which are definitely the closest thing you’ll find to a ‘regular’ quiche, and also the Pork-less Pies, easily the nearest vegan product to a ‘regular’ pork pie, have been massively successful.”

She added: “I can’t thank my customers enough for the amazing support they’ve shown me over the years but especially over the past couple through the pandemic. Having to cancel my Afternoon Tea events was very hard, but diversifying to offer hand deliveries across the country worked so well and has meant so many more people can enjoy the more delicate treats which can’t be sent by courier.

“The way I run The Vegan Cakery hasn’t changed since day one, I make absolutely everything by hand myself and all recipes are my own, made from scratch. My husband helps with the deliveries and front of house at the Afternoon Teas, but other than that I look after all aspects of the business. From day one I’ve always strived to support animal charities too, that’s so important for me.”

Ethically vegan for almost 18 years, Michelle had been a vegetarian since her teenage years but adopted a vegan lifestyle after becoming increasingly concerned about animal welfare. Since that time, she has been an incredible advocate for the vegan way of life and continues to support a wide range of animal charities, sanctuaries and animal welfare causes.

To vote for The Vegan Cakery in this year’s Vegfest UK Awards, please visit https://www.vegfest.co.uk/awards-2021/vote-here and scroll to the ‘Favourite Vegan Cakes and Baked Goods’ category. 

For more information visit vegancakery.com