When Emily Tonge baked with her granny as a little girl she never dreamed she would start her own bakery business.
But, last year at the age of 13, she did just that by starting up Emily’s Baked Goods.
Emily has always loved to bake and share her sweet treats with everyone, so when she turned 10 – she decided she wanted to develop her passion further.
Now, the 14-year-old makes everything from cupcakes, traybakes, cookies and cake pops from her home in Tain.
She goes to some market stalls in the local area but mostly takes orders through her Facebook page.
Emily is home-schooled but still manages to fit her baking commitments around lessons and studying.
She has gone through food safety and hygiene courses necessary as well as registering her business – which she manages all on her own.
“I’ve baked my whole life,” she said. “I started taking it more seriously when I was like 10 and I started baking more and more often.
“My granny actually bakes a lot, so she’s given me tips and a lot of baking equipment that she doesn’t use anymore which I really appreciate.
“When I was younger I used to go up to her house, and we’d bake cakes together.
“She’s always very supportive.”
Emily plans to keep baking
The teen baker said her mum, Jo, has helped her through the process of starting up her own business and has also been very supportive.
Although she will be starting her exams next year, Emily is determined to keep her baking business going.
For now, the business will be home-based, but when she is older Emily hopes to run it full-time and have a kitchen dedicated to her sweet treats.
She said: “It just feels great to be honest because I’ve been baking and loving it for so long it’s very exciting being able to share with people and for them to be able to order from me.
“Everyone is very very supportive.”
Conversation