Alan Dunn

My interest in cake decorating and sugarcraft started about twenty years ago although I think the seeds were planted much earlier as my Grandfather was a baker by trade so had grown up watching him. I taught myself initially from books and then attended several sugar flower classes. It was through these early classes that I was introduced to The British Sugarcraft Guild by my tutor Margaret Morland who was the secretary of the Northumbria branch of the guild. I then went on to study the City and Guilds Bakery and Flour Confectionery Courses 120 and 121. It was during this period aged 17, that I gave my very first demonstration to the Gateshead Branch of The British Sugarcraft Guild. I soon realised that I enjoyed demonstrating and teaching as much as the craft itself - and it was not long before the word had spread around the country to other branches of the guild. It was also during this early stage that I trained to became an accredited demonstrator for the guild.  At around the same time I was lucky enough to attend a class by Tombi Peck, a founder member of the Guild and author of one of the books I had been teaching myself from. I attended several of Tombi's classes and gradually we became great friends. I have taught extensively throughout the Uk, and in also in America, Canada, Japan, Holland, Sweden, Denmark, The Channel Islands, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Italy, Spain, Russia, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Portugal. My work can often be seen on display on the Table of Honour at sugarcraft exhibitions. I have written 13 books on the art of flowermaking and cake decorating and co-authored another three books with Tombi Peck and Tony Warren. I have also had numerous articles over the years published in the The British Sugarcraft Guild newsletter, Cakes and Sugarcraft, Cake Decoration monthly and recently American cake decorating magazine. Most recently I contributed two projects to the Squires Kitchen School book (published March 2014). Great news too ..... I now have two online tutorials with Craftsy.com ..... Tropical Sugar Flowers and Sugar Flowers - Off the garden Path.