From banker to baker...Northern Ireland mum's business is a 'piece of cake'

Lisburn’s Rosie McNeill reveals more about how her fundraising hobby rose into a delicious cake business offering flavours such as G&T, apple crumble and Cookie Monster cupcakes...yum!

I am originally from Belfast, growing up in Finaghy but I moved to Lisburn in the early ‘90s when I bought my first house there.

I still live in Lisburn with my husband, Alan and our two grown up sons, all of whom I have roped in at some stage to help in my baking business, helping at the stalls, coming with me to deliver wedding cakes or approving the many different flavours.

I was in full time employment in a local bank when I started baking cupcakes with a friend, initially as a fundraiser but then as a hobby business. The business grew and it wasn’t long before, as well as cupcakes, we were making bespoke cakes for all occasions including weddings. In 2018 I was lucky to be given the opportunity to take voluntary severance from the bank and this enabled me to build on my existing business. It was at this time that I went solo and started Rosie McNeill Cakes.

I was a founding member of the North Down Craft Collective and really enjoyed our monthly markets in Holywood. The support that you get from fellow traders and customers is really important especially as most of my cake work was long hours spent on my own in the kitchen. I am now a regular trader at the monthly Inns Cross Farmers Market and I really look forward to this fabulous event every month.

Around five years ago I started selling my cupcakes at a number of different markets run by Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council and I am lucky to almost always sell out.

Over the years I have developed around 20 different flavours and I generally have a minimum of 12 different flavours at each market. Some of my most popular flavours include raspberry and white chocolate, lemon meringue and apple crumble.

As I sell my cupcakes at many of the Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council food fairs and markets, baking under pressure is something I'm well used to! In fact, my husband Alan laughs as I'm always so excited about a big baking day when I need to make hundreds of cupcakes. I just love turning a bunch of ingredients into the final cupcakes and then taking them for my customers to try, it brings me a lot of satisfaction!

Two years ago I stopped baking celebration cakes as my husband was retiring. However, whilst I no longer take cake orders, I am still busy with bespoke cupcake orders including for weddings and branded cupcakes for businesses and charities.

You can find me across the council area most weekends, having just sold out at the last Royal Hillsborough Farmers Market and big plans to attend the upcoming Moira Speciality Food Fair...I can’t see myself winding down anytime soon.

My next event is the upcoming Moira Speciality Food Fair - one of the biggest events for me within the calendar year which takes place on Saturday, August 17 in the beautiful Moira Demesne. The one-day food fair is free to attend and takes place from 10am-6pm. . It’s a great event - I hope to see you there!

So I guess I will keep baking for the foreseeable future. The day I get up in the morning and don’t want to put the oven on and create beautiful masterpieces is the day I hang up my apron!

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