Meet The Team

I’m Judy, and I started working for the NHS as a nurse in 1997 and have always loved the excitement and drama of the Accident and Emergency department and I have over 15 years experience of working there. In 2017 however, I decided to further my career and began my Masters in Advanced Clinical Practice . I have now been working as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner (ACP) in Acute Medicine for the last 2 years. I work mainly in Ambulatory Care, where I clerk a variety of patients but I have a particular interest in Venous Thromboembolism (blood clots), and in simulation teaching.

I have always loved baking and regularly bring cakes into the medical handover for breakfast... I think cake always makes the day better! Last year, I was asked to make my brother's wedding cake; a rather daunting task, but one that I jumped at.

I really enjoyed it and learned so much, that when someone asked me at the wedding ‘why don’t you bake for a living?’  it got me thinking... A couple of weeks later, I took the plunge, and started my own business.

I live in Bovingdon in Hertfordshire with my very supportive husband, 2 boys (who are very happy to try new cake recipes) and a crazy Jack Russell called India.

Currently, I balance working full-time at the hospital with my baking business ‘Cake-Actually’. I love making bespoke cakes for people, as well as cupcakes and I have recently completed a Rosalind Miller cake course.

I am gluten intolerant, so enjoy finding really good recipes that I can make gluten free and I have also started making egg-free cakes after a recent wedding order. I enjoy exploring new avenues and so was delighted when Naz (who I worked with a few years ago) asked if I would like to come on board to create low/ no refined sugar bakes for Cafelias alongside regular cakes.

My website:

www.cake-actually.co.uk

I am a qualified teacher with a passion for child centred early years teaching. I have three children, teenage boys aged 19 and 16 years old and a 10 year old daughter.

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When my daughter was born with a neuromuscular disorder and various other medical issues, I discovered that life as a parent-carer could be very lonely.

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Last year I launched the Discovery Den. Toddler and pre-school classes that allow knowledge of the world through experiential play.

Some people call me a foodie. I guess it's because I grew up in a gourmet family.  My father owned a tiny little tapas-style Japanese bar in my town in the 1970s. He loved to try new food and recipes. Avocados and Mexican salsa were on our dinner table regularly in the early 1980s. Even after he had to shut the bar and started to work as an engineer, he still carried on cooking something interesting on weekends. That was my earliest foodie experience. After graduating Japanese high school, I went to study at a university in the USA. I encountered many different types of food over there, which was so wonderful. I enjoyed living with my Korean, Laotian and Thai roommates with their authentic foods. There were so many immigrants from different countries that established their own restaurants and their food is awesome. I even dreamed of owning a restaurant someday! So, after I finished my BA degree and I returned to Japan, I decided to work in restaurant kitchens with different types of cuisine. I have worked at Thai, and Italian restaurants, a Chinese bakery and a Japanese tapas bars. My kitchen is full of tools and seasonings from different cuisines.

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In 2007 I moved to Oxford from Japan with my British husband to start a family. One of my children's mum's friends asked me if I could run a Japanese cooking class for a school fundraiser and that was the start of my cooking career in the UK. I am learning, exploring and enjoying new recipes from everywhere. I love to learn local recipes and am always open-minded to try new food. 

I support with copy editing and proofreading Cafélias’ written content. I am an Education Adviser with over ten years’ experience in International Development. My day job involves drafting written briefings on complex topics, and I bring this useful experience to my volunteer work with Cafélias. I love languages, being overly competitive at board games, and salsa dancing. I am excited to watch Cafélias develop into a resource for parents, children, young people and their friends. I can’t wait to edit Cafélias blogs over a coffee in the new pop-up when we open!