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The Magazine » 69
pink weddings magazi
cake design
‘In every cake I make,
I use what she taught me
through the cake making
process and believe that
only through patience,
attention to detail and a
love for the craft, can you
produce a masterpiece.’
Inspired by his grandmother’s
words of encouragement,
Douglas Cooper
began using
his artistic talents to create
spectacular cakes.
He tells us how it all started
‘Do it with love’
M
y grandmother, Lily Ireland, was born in
Egypt to French parents. She met my
Gloucestershire born grandfather, who was a
fighter pilot for the RAF, when he was
stationed in Cairo. In the early they moved to start a new
life in Southern Rhodesia.
Lily was a dressmaker by trade and thanks to word of
mouth she became very well known. By the mid-1960s she
was one of the best fashion designers in Bulawayo and
people from far and wide would have her create couture
fashion for them. Her unique style and attention to detail
were her trademark.
She was also the most gracious hostess; she
entertained effortlessly and had a real passion for life. She
is remembered for saying, ‘Darling... you have to do it with
LOVE!’ and that was the secret of her success. Lily moved to
South Africa in the 1980s and then finally settled in London
in the early 2000s.
*****
I am a 38-year-old gay man, born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
to English parents from Sunderland. I spent my early years
in Zimbabwe and was then educated in London before we
returned to Zimbabwe in 1991. There I studied fine art at
college and was very proud to be awarded second place in a
national art competition.
Leaving Art College, I pursued a career within the hotel
industry, as I felt this would be a great way to see the world.
When the economy collapsed in Zimbabwe in the mid
1990s, my family returned to the UK and I spent a few years
working with five-star hotels in London. I worked in all areas
of the hotels, including the pastry kitchen and helped in the
banqueting department with weddings. I moved to
Manchester in 2008 to make a fresh start and took on a job
as hotel inspector, travelling around the world.