Missy's Vegan Cupcakes
I want you to meet Emma Marshal-Nichols! She was keen on making the shift to a vegan diet, but was being held back by the lack of good vegan cakes! Guess what she did? She researched experimented and started making them herself, after which she made the shift!
It is also refreshing to hear that 'all' she wants to do, is promote veganism, make people happy, be creatively fulfilled, have enough time to spend with her two beautiful girls, and live in the present moment. Isn't that refreshingly different? Find out more about Missy's Cupcakes below.
Outside of cupcakes what does Missy's Vegan Cupcakes specialise in selling? Are there variations of the cupcakes or do you make other things too?
We sell lots of different flavours of cupcakes, tray bakes, refrigerator cakes, cookies, gateaux style cakes, doughnuts, petit fours, tortes, cake-pops, personalised celebration cakes, and iced fruit cakes. Actually, we'll try our hand at most things cake!
Aside from cakes, we occasionally import organic German products - faux cheeses, sausages, burgers, fish and other novelty fun stuff that we happen to fancy and think others might too.
We will soon launch Missy's Vegan Catering, through which we will provide savoury home-made food for vegan parties and events.
Where is Missy's Vegan Cupcakes based?
We work from our home kitchen-lab in East Lothian, which is about 20 minutes drive from Edinburgh. Our market stall is on Edinburgh Grassmarkets, right in the heart of Edinburgh and we deliver around the local area.
Does Missy's Vegan Cupcakes exclusively serve those who are local to you or can others who are further away access your products too? If so, how?
We are fairly local, because cupcakes don't travel well in the post. I have posted German products and traybakes before, and that seemed to work, but I'm always concerned with the freshness, so I don't like to do it.
This year we're travelling as far down as Newcastle to participate in a few vegan festivals there, and we go to Glasgow fairly regularly to do a vegan fete at The Flying Duck.
What inspired you to create a business that solely focuses on vegan cup cakes?
I love cupcakes because they are fun, a good portion size and portable in their own little wrapper. They can be made as fancy as you like, you can combine crazy flavours, and also hide extra tasty fillings inside! Most importantly, I like to eat them - so I know that other people will like them too! Happiness all round, really!
How easy is it for you to source cruelty free ingredients for your products?
It's surprisingly easy to find vegan ingredients! We just readily available products from the supermarket. We're lucky to live near a multicultural city where we can pop to the Asian supermarkets too, if we need anything a little more obscure.
The only thing we're struggling with at the moment is sugar. We always buy British or fairly traded sugar, but the availabilty changes like the price of petrol, and supermarkets/ wholesalers will change what they stock depending on the price.
Ultimately, there is a belief that there is no such thing as a cruelty free product, because big industries are profit driven, so their focus isn't on the environment, workers or animals. If you're a conscious and compassionate person, it can be hard to navigate.
Do these ingredients effect the outcome in comparison with non plant-based cup cakes?
9 out of 10 cats can't tell the difference!
For someone who hasn't tasted your goodies before & is indecisive about what to buy; is there a particularly popular one you can name?
We try to do something for everyone but if we did a customer survey of who bought what, I think that Oreo flavour would come out on top. Everybody is mad about Oreos! Vegans and non-vegans alike! If you're feeling more adventurous you might try something like a peanut butter and marmalade cupcake.
Is Missy's Vegan Cupcakes owned by, or in partnership with, another company that tests on animals or sells non-vegan products?
Missy's is not owned by or in partnership with any company that tests on animals or sells non vegan products.
Tell me a bit about yourself before you launched Missy's Vegan Cupcakes?
I was a stay at home mum with a toddler and I was a vegetarian but transitioning to veganism. I told myself and everyone around me that if I could crack cake making, that would be it for me. I felt that there was a secret world of food that I didn't know anything about, and I was keen to explore it! I set up Missy's and I became fully vegan. That was about 2 years ago and I've learned most of what I know about vegan food and more about what it means to be vegan since.
What is your vision for the future of Missy's Vegan Cupcakes?
We're all about promoting veganism and making people happy. We're also keen on being happy ourselves, so as long as we are creatively fulfilled, we have enough time to spend with our two beautiful girls, and we're helping others, then we're happy with living in the present moment and not worrying about the future.
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Fancy buying some vegan treats from Missy's Vegan Cupcakes? If you mention this article or the name of this site; you will be able to buy one and get another free! This will be valid until 31st August 2015 and is limited to 1 offer per person.