My dream

Hi, I am Clare, Fudge and James is my dream job.

For as long as I can remember I have loved baking. It’s my passion, there is something I cant quite put my finger on about the chemistry of mixing flour, eggs, sugar and butter to make something delicious, that i just love.

I love seeing the joy food brings to people (as you can see in the picture). There is nothing more satisfying than seeing people eat my food and seeing the look of delight as they taste my creations.

When I started F&J in late 2019, I planned it to be a traditional baking business using wheat flour as that is what i have always worked with. Unfortunately, I was diagnosed with Coeliac disease in early 2020. No more wheat for me. I had a choice to make. Should I continue to bake with wheat flour and risk my heath or should i diversify and undertake the huge challenge of learning how to bake without gluten. Obviously i chose the latter and Fudge & James #2 was born. Baking without traditional wheat flour is challenging but full of possibility and potential. I am learning and getting inspired every day and am so thrilled that coeliacs, gluten sensitives and people who have no issue with gluten at all are enjoying our products. I can’t wait to add more products to our range so watch this space.

MY MISSION

When you buy from us, you know you are getting a quality baked product that has been hand crafted in a gluten free kitchen using carefully sourced gluten free ingredients. It is so important to us that our customers have confidence that our products are safe for those with gluten intolerance or coeliac disease but i also wanted them to taste absolutely delicious for everyone. I was adamant there should be no compromise on flavour or texture with our gluten free products. I didn’t want gluten free goods that was ‘nice fir gluten free” or “OK but not as good as the real thing”. My mission is to make delicious gluten free baking that is safe and irresistible for everyone.

why FuDGE AND JAMES?

I get this question all the time. “What is Fudge and James?” “Who are Fudge and James?” “Why Fudge and James?” The “Who are Fudge and James” question is the right question but before I get into that… F&J has been a project I have dreamed about for over a decade. It started as the desire to run my own bakery, to spend my days baking, covered in flour. Over time the dream evolved and took shape and became reality. So, back to the question… who are Fudge and James? They are my childhood Teddy bears, who i still have now even though I’m 34. The represent comfort, love and happiness so what better way to name my business than after them.