Flowers in boots, a beautiful ballerina, wilting lilies and something resembling RT-D2 are among the pieces that line the centre table of Miriam Pearson’s workshop in Baltinglass, Co Wicklow.

Porcelain, silicone and papier mâché are not the materials used to create these masterpieces, it’s sugar.

Irish sugarcrafters won over 60 awards at Cake International, the world’s largest cake competition, held in Birmingham last November.

Among these winners are Deirdre Cruite, Gina McDonagh and Miriam Pearson, who met through other competitions and all of whom have one thing in common: an addiction to the manipulation of sugar paste.

“Ireland is such a small country and we really made a mark over there,” Miriam, who entered four separate pieces, enthuses.

Both her celebration cake and the flowers in the boot achieved the standard of bronze at the Cake International competition – and this was only the second time Miriam entered.

“I started with these back in May,” she explains. “They are very slow to make so you do a little bit for a couple of hours, leave it and then return later,” she says.

Brain Candy

The other ladies agree about the slow nature of the work, with Gina, who made the ballerina, saying her piece took three to four weeks to make.

“If something is particularly tricky and doing your head in, you have to walk away and do something else, have a little think about it and see how you can approach from a different angle or think outside the box,” Gina says.

Gina’s ballerina achieved the standard of silver in her class, which was Decorative Exhibit. “I actually got my daughter to sit on the ground and I photographed her back to see how it looks,” Gina says, tracing her finger along the ballerina’s spine.

The detail that goes into each piece is exceptional, with Deirdre explaining how she heated wire and burnt holes along the petals of her lilies to give them a withered look. Her piece earned her gold in her class of the Floral Display, placing third overall, which is a major achievement, according to her peers.

Through Sugar-Coated Glasses

The three ladies say they look at the world differently since beginning the craft – constantly trying to come up with ideas and think of new ways to achieve their end products.

“I came up with the idea of the water lily because I visited Lismore Castle in Waterford during the summer. I had lots of different photographs of them and I thought I would just love to replicate one,” Deirdre divulges.

“You get a little bit obsessed – and you look at everything very differently,” Miriam says. “The judges are really looking at all sides of your piece. They will turn it around inch by inch and look at every single corner of it. It’s actually mad.”

The judges are experts in their own right: fully accredited, having achieved gold in their class and taken training courses in order to judge.

“Flowers have to be botanically correct and you see them take out their iPads to check exactly how that flower should look,” Deirdre explains.

The standard is very high within the competition itself. With 10 classes to enter into and each coming with its own set of specific directions, one breach of the guidelines can lead to immediate disqualification.

Gina’s class had to have their pieces laid out on a 30cm by 30cm square board – and after that the sky was pretty much the limit. Meanwhile, Miriam and Deirdre had to ensure their floral display contained a minimum of 12 flowers and showed the different stage of the life of a flower – budding, closed, open and dying –among other stipulations.

Miriam says: “I saw one time where a feather came out over the base and the cake was immediately disqualified.”

Sugary Secrets

On top of this, the main rule of thumb is that of anonymity. “You can’t tell anyone which piece is yours until after the results are out,” Miriam explains. “You can’t even tell those competing, what you are working on.

“Sometimes I’ve heard that people might say: ‘Those are such a person’s flowers over there,’ and the judges overhear it and can no longer judge the piece.”

Deirdre, Gina and Miriam all agree that they are obsessed by the craft, – so much so that their careers centre around it.

Deirdre trained as a chef and took up sugarcraft as a hobby, but now has her own business, Sugar Blossoms, and works freelance doing workshops and teaching classes.

Likewise, Gina has a background in the catering industry and began sugarcraft as a hobby: “When I had my first child, I said I wanted to make her christening cake. I went down to the local cake shop and bought some basic cake supplies. My daughter is now 17.”

Now Gina runs night classes in Bray and Dún Laoghaire, as well as competing in the Dublin and Cork Guild Sugarcraft Fair, each of which takes place every consecutive year.

Miriam trained as a baker in Kevin Street and worked in different bakeries and hotels before deciding on setting up her own business, Sweet Creations, in 2003.

What started off as a cake-baking and decorating business has evolved into Miriam solely making sugarcraft decorations for cakes, which are shipped all around the world.

Since the three ladies began sugarcraft as a hobby, it has really changed. “When I started sugarcraft, it was a much quieter craft. Since then it has really expanded,” says Gina. “You see lots of fantasy cakes. With sugarcraft, your potential is only limited by your imagination.”

Apparently so when you look at their beautiful creations. CL