A popular cake baker has announced they are closing up shop after seven years of creating bespoke delights for customers. 

Since opening Kelly’s Angel Cakes in 2016, Kelly Emm, 41, has become known around Amesbury as the 'Cake Lady', but she is leaving the business to focus on other endeavours.

Kelly told the Journal the cost-of-living crisis has led to significant increases in supplies and customers looking for the cheapest options.

She said: "The cost-of-living crisis has just been absolutely ridiculous, just massively eating into any profit that I had.”

With her cake business declining, Kelly decided she needed to find a new source of income, starting a cleaning company with a friend in January.

She said: “I just couldn’t keep doing both side by side and something had to give. Unfortunately, as much as I love cake—I love being the 'Cake Lady'—it just doesn't work anymore for me. Maybe one day I’ll go back to it.”

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Salisbury Journal: A lovely Toy Story wedding cake by Kelly A lovely Toy Story wedding cake by Kelly (Image: Kelly Emm)

Over the years, Kelly estimated that she has made thousands of cakes, including wedding cakes, birthday cakes and cakes for workplace leaving-dos.

Some of the most memorable and unique cakes have been a Toy Story-themed wedding cake, a cake covered in meringue roses and an office leaving-do cake that played on the employee’s motto.

Kelly explained: “The most bizarre definitely has to be [when] somebody was leaving at a business or a company, and they asked me to make a cake in the shape of a bottom, with like a house brick on the top, and they wanted me to put on the cake, ‘I’d rather rub my a*** with a brick.’

“Apparently it was something that the lady who was leaving the company used to say, so they thought they’d turn it into a cake. That one definitely stands out.”

Salisbury Journal: Quite the leaving cake! Quite the leaving cake! (Image: Kelly Emm)

Though Kelly and many customers will miss Kelly’s Angel Cakes, she remains very positive, given the success of her new business, KK’s Cleaning Service, which she is operating alongside her friend, Karen Andrews.

Kelly said: “I don’t really see it as a negative. For me, personally, it’s just a new chapter for me. I loved doing the cakes and it was great while it lasted, but it’s just not worth it anymore. It is really sad.

“The response from customers has been really overwhelming and very touching, but I think there’s a lesson here and it’s if you love a small business, keep supporting them because if you’re not buying from them, they can’t stay open, whether that’s cake or floristry or anything. Any small business that you love, keep supporting them. Even if you can’t afford to spend any money, just sharing their posts and interacting with their social media does a world of good.”