By Kathie Griffiths

Farsley cake makers and decorators Jackie and Paul Kendall are rising stars in the world of baking.

The creative couple, who took over their Town Street shop just over two years ago, have got the mix right with a local and global following of cake-consuming customers and cake artists.

Orders for celebration and wedding cakes are already booked for 2019 while The Delicious Cake Company also hosts sell-out masterclasses with world famous sugarcraft and modelling paste sculptors that are so popular that one student recently travelled 9,000 miles from South Africa to be there.

Lake Como-based Barbara Luraschi, best known for her sugar dolls, is just one of the great masters who visits the Farsley business and will return next March. Other big names include author of 14 how-to books and sculptor Debbie Brown and sugar florist Christine Craig.

The company also runs beginner and intermediate classes for the community, children's birthday sessions and cupcake classes.

"People would not believe what we've been achieving from sleepy, little Farsley. It's a wonderful place to be growing our business very quickly," said 53-year-old home-baker Jackie who turned to cakes as a career after going back to college and giving up work as a trouble-shooter in the staff training industry.

"This industry is a bit like Harry Potter and Platform 9 and 3/4, it's a whole new world that you wouldn't know about until you get into it. It's incredible! Baking and decorating are two different aspects totally."

Husband Paul, 55, was a coach driver before he was bitten by the baking bug.

Now the duo, who go through about 500 eggs a week and have also renovated the whole building since taking it over from Farsley woman Jemma Leckenby who still helps out behind the scenes, have commissioned a brand new website which features an online shop.

"Running and building up a business has been hard work but so worth it. We are really proud of what we've done so far in such a short time," said Jackie, who is also one of only 14 people in the UK to be trained as a certified method instructor for American company Wilton, making Farsley its first certified class location in the north of England. The shop is also a UK seller of Italian company Saracino's modelling paste. "It's gone berserk in the UK. It specially stands up to heat well which is great for hot, stressed out hands!" said Jackie.

The Delicious Cake Company, who recently took on 16-year-old Lizzie Cruddace as a Saturday girl and trainee cake decorator after she impressed them so much on work experience, is also in demand from other businesses, making celebration cakes for the launch of TV advert campaigns for two big brands of tissue-makers. Their creations are also on the packaging of a certain supermarket chain's own brand of cookie cutters.

"We are loving putting Farsley on the cake world map!" said Jackie, who will soon be extending shop hours open to the public by popular demand.