Isabel Gamlin from St. Hilary, founder of Isabel Rose Bakes, has turned her childhood dream into a reality with her bakery at The Old Wool Barn in Cowbridge.

For Isabel, baking cakes has been a passion from a young age. From her Cowbridge base, she offers cakes made with organic, seasonal and local produce. These can be made to order or purchased directly from her studio. In the future, she strives to offer employment for the local community with her bakery.

Isabel started her career studying Hospitality Management at university, gaining experience at the front of house and in the kitchen. She went on to work at Soho Farmhouse, an exclusive members' club and hotel based in Chipping Norton, as well as in other restaurants and event management.

For Isabel, lockdown offered the opportunity to set up her own artisan cake business with which she experimented with incorporating garden produce into her bakes.

Since then, Isabel has grown her business, launching her cake studio in Cowbridge's Old Wool Barn in May 2023.

Isabel says she likes to "bake with the seasons", letting them determine the flavours where possible. Her jams and curds are homemade, often using produce from her own garden. She makes the cakes' botanical designs with her garden's edible flowers and herbs. These are pressed fresh and grown without pesticides. Her cakes can be made gluten and dairy free, vegan and with no added refined sugar.

The bakery now serves speciality welsh coffee from the roasters at Welsh Coffee Co. who are based in Ogmore-by-Sea. Customers can enjoy the freshly brewed coffee as a takeaway option or paired with a slice of Isabel's daily cakes at one of the bakery's tables.

Establishing a local base in Cowbridge has been a rewarding experience for Isabel. "I love being part of the Cowbridge community," she shared, noting the pleasure of serving her "lovely" customers, who are increasingly travelling from farther afield to visit her bakery.

Isabel makes cupcakes, celebration cakes as well as wedding cakes in a range of constantly changing flavours. For special occasions and holidays, customers can purchase limited edition cakes, such as the heart-shaped rhubarb crumble cake Isabel recently offered for Mother's Day.

Isabel envisions expanding her business into a larger studio with an on-site café and kitchen. She also aims to deepen community involvement. "I would like to employ local people and create a happy, fun environment to work in," Isabel stated.

Open 9am- 4pm Tuesday to Saturday.

Pop in or get in touch. Email: [email protected]

Tel: 07427114664

@Isabelrosebakes

The Old Wool Barn, Cowbridge, CF71 7AJ.