Hawthorne Hill grew from a love of cake decorating and sugar flowers into an original range of moulds, cutters and veiners designed to make detailed sugarcraft easier to reproduce.
The retained Hawthorne Hill archive records that the business began when Sylvan became interested in cake decorating and sugar flowers. Watching her make leaves for a floral spray, Mike suggested there had to be an easier way.
The first products were cutter and veiner sets for leaves. From there the range expanded into butterflies, lilies, orchids, borders, figures and rubber moulds.
The archive states that Sylvan and Mike both had artistic backgrounds and were responsible for Hawthorne Hill's design and modelling.
The original site says the sets were intended for beginners and professionals alike, supported by free instructions and video demonstrations.
Hawthorne Hill's archived About Us page records that its customers included the kitchens of Buckingham Palace and the House of Commons, alongside teachers, cake decorators and enthusiasts around the world.
It even named Tuvalu, in the Pacific, as its most distant customer at the time. The company's reputation was built on its original mould designs and accessible teaching materials.
This is a historical company account preserved in its original About Us archive, not an endorsement by the Royal Family or Parliament.