The Frostery

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What makes a cake from The Frostery special? - it's the focus on the detail, the passion and enthusiasm put into every cake by Suzanne Thorp and the team.
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Suzanne is an accomplished craftswoman who uses the traditional techniques of sugar craft in contemporary cake design - connecting the old and the new in a unique way that delights her clients and inspires her students. Described as one of the UK's most exciting and creative cake designers, Suzanne's work is intuitive, often using a freehand process to build up layers with depth and texture. Suzan

ne has appeared in four series of the award winning Channel 4 series 'Extreme Cake Makers', and on hit ITVBe reality series 'The Real Housewives of Cheshire'. Suzanne is one of Cake Masters Magazine UK Top Ten Cake Artists of 2018 and a finalist for the global Cake Masters Awards for Best Wedding Cake Designer in 2017 and 2019. A seasoned award winner, she's also now an experienced competition judge for Cake International, The Baking Industry Awards, The Cake Professionals and an ambassador for Kenwood. Suzanne owns the multi-award winning creative cake studio The Frostery. Founded in 2010, The Frostery name has become synonymous with luxurious detail achieved using traditional cake decorating techniques combined with original, contemporary design. Work by The Frostery has appeared in Brides magazine, Grace Ormonde, Strictly Weddings, Martha Stewart Weddings and Five Star Weddings. Heavily in demand for her knowledge and expertise, Suzanne is a competition judge for Cake International, the world's largest cake competition, she is The Cake Professionals head judge for it's wedding & celebration cake of the year awards and was a guest judge at the 2019 Baking Industry Awards. Suzanne has been making cakes for over twenty years. She studied the technical aspects of cake decoration and has a certificate of education. She has taught cake decorating professionally to both children and adults at a college of further education as well as running her own masterclasses at The Frostery. Suzanne currently teaches private classes at her studio outside Manchester.

10/03/2026

Louise & Jason

09/03/2026

Louise and Jason - Colshaw Hall.
There is a lot going on in this cake. Look closely and you will see pearls, scrolls, line work and lace, all hand piped, an abundance of sugar flowers, and the addition of small personal details woven in the design for the people who knew to find them. A small flying bird, a single red rose, a nod to travel, to food and a beloved football team.

But ivory has a way of holding it all together, what could feel busy becomes architectural and interesting. The details are there, they just don’t shout.

I find that’s often the way with royal icing used like this, lots and lots of it but always considered. It’s a discipline that takes years to understand properly. Not just the technique but the judgement. Knowing when to stop is as important as knowing where to start.

My favourite kind of cake to make, not the showiest. The most personal.

23/02/2026

Hannah and Scott wanted the cake their grandparents would recognise. And love.
Three tiers of rich fruit cake, marzipan, then fine sugarpaste. The one that smells like Christmas morning when you cut into it.
And yet — look at it. That colour palette keeps it feeling light as air. Complex in craft, effortless in feel.

16/02/2026

I’ve been thinking a lot about texture lately. How to incorporate interest in a cake design beautifully, so it looks bespoke without being shouty.
Royal icing doesn’t always need to be bold and structural. Sometimes it’s about the quieter details – the soft scalloped edges, the delicate tone-on-tone piping that catches the light just so.
The bride wore her grandmother’s wedding dress – made from the most beautiful lace. We wanted the cake design to echo that feeling without trying to compete with it. The broderie anglaise work here is subtle, almost like vintage lace that’s been handed down through generations. Which, in this case, it literally had been.
And those sugar flowers? They’ll be as perfect today as they were on the wedding day. That’s the thing about proper sugarcraft – it lasts.
I suppose after 30 years of doing this, I’ve learned that the most skilled work isn’t always the loudest. Sometimes it’s what makes you stop and look a little closer.

14/02/2026

Hand-painted marbling inspired by the Turkish art of Ebru – where pigments float on water before being transferred to paper. I’ve always loved how the patterns form naturally, no two ever quite the same.
The gilded elephants were chosen by the couple for blessing, prosperity and good fortune. That single red rose speaks for itself.
Happy Valentine’s Day. x

09/02/2026

It’s interesting how things come full circle.
A few years ago, I designed this chinoiserie piece as a display cake for the studio - combining a hand-painted floral panel with over-piping in royal icing and 24-carat gold leaf. It was purely a creative exercise, really. Exploring how those beautiful painted panels you see in stately homes might translate into cake form.
Then one day, a father-of-the-bride saw it and asked if we could create it for his daughter’s wedding. So we did but changed the colours to suit the theme of his daughter’s special day.
It’s a curious thing, creating something as artistic expression and then being asked to recreate it as someone’s wedding centerpiece. The sugar flowers alone - each petal built up in layers - take days. The painting and over-piping, another couple of days. But knowing it meant enough to commission makes every hour worth it.
This is what I love about this work. Not just making beautiful cakes, but creating designs that people connect with enough to want them at their most important moments.
This design is available to commission from me with your choice of colours - details via link in bio, or DM chinoiserie for information.
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01/02/2026

It starts with how you picture your day.
This particular day… A midsummer wedding in a countryside church, gloriously sunny, with the sound of Black D**e brass band filling the air. Pure joy, really.
When we talked through what Becky and Danny wanted, it wasn’t about trends or what everyone else was doing. It was about capturing that feeling - the warmth, the celebration, the golden light of a perfect summer day.
So I used hand-painting to echo the colours they’d chosen, the mood they were creating. Gold leaf to catch the light. Each element placed deliberately. The kind of work that takes those quiet early morning hours when your hands are steady and you can really see what you’re doing.
This is the bit people don’t always realise - that these things take time. Not just the hours on the day, but the years spent learning how gold leaf sits, how to make hand-painting look effortless and how to translate a feeling into something you can actually eat and share with the people who matter most.

24/01/2026

It all starts with how you picture your day.
When we talk, I’m listening for the feeling you’re after - how you imagine standing beside your cake with everyone gathered around you, that moment before you cut it together. What you want that to feel like.
For this wedding at Hawkstone Hall, I designed something that would sit naturally with the beautiful fresh flowers, the magnificent ballroom, the light that pours in through the tall Georgian windows. Delicate hand-piped lace and their monogram to match the wedding stationary, sugar flowers made to match the fresh blooms and then be kept as a special keepsake after the wedding day.
Your cake should feel like it was always meant to be part of your wedding. Not added to it.
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23/01/2026

Blush and ivory. Hand-piped detailing, sugar flowers positioned to sit just right in the light.
I’ve been making wedding cakes for thirty years and I still approach each one the same way - as something that belongs to that couple, that day, that room. Not following a trend. Not working from a template. Just considered, careful work that photographs beautifully and matters even more in person.
This one was for Samantha and Ryan for their beautiful wedding day at Hawkstone Hall, captured by Catherine Bradley. The kind of collaboration that reminds me why I love what I do.
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20/01/2026

A week of sculpting, researching, and bringing scientific legends to life 🧬
When I was commissioned to create this 21st birthday cake for a science-obsessed student, I knew it had to be special. Nine hand-sculpted figures of history’s greatest minds - Einstein, Hawking, Curie, Darwin, and more - gathered in a lecture hall scene that celebrates both the birthday boy’s passion and the incredible legacy these scientists left behind.
What started as a sculpting challenge became a fascinating history lesson. I’ll admit, I hadn’t heard of all of them before this project, but researching each scientist reminded me just how much we owe to their curiosity, determination, and brilliance. From the theory of relativity chalked on the board to the tiniest details in their clothing, every element tells part of their story.
This one took a full week of work and a bit of creative chaos on the workbench, but seeing Oliver’s dad’s reaction made every minute worth it. Happy 21st to a future scientist in the making! 🎂

16/01/2026

This wedding cake was for a beautiful marquee summer wedding last year, and looking at it now, it’s exactly what I want to be creating more of in 2026. Work that can’t be rushed. Details that have to be done properly or not at all.
Every sugar flower made by hand, every piece of lace work individually piped. The kind of work that takes as long as it takes.
Royal icing isn’t the easiest choice, but when you see it in person - the depth, the texture, the way it catches the light - there’s really nothing else quite like it.
I’m taking on a limited number of wedding cakes this year, so if you’re planning for late 2026 or 2027 and this feels like your kind of thing, do get in touch. Link in bio.

handcrafted weddingcakeartist

05/01/2026

Starting 2026 off by sharing this wedding cake. Four tiers, all soft white and ivory with lots of hand piping.
Hand piped lace work, intricate hand piped royal icing baskets filled with tiny sugar roses, hand crafted sugar swans nestled on the base and finished with clusters of sugar flowers. There’s a LOT of detail here but keeping the palette neutral means it never looks too much. That’s the thing with an all white design - it stays clean, crisp and luxurious. Timeless. This opulent, tonal approach just works so well.

Address

The Frostery, 23 Court St, Uppermill
Oldham
OL36HD

Telephone

+441457778111

Website

https://www.thefrostery.co.uk/, https://www.youtube.com/@Thefrosterystudio

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