If you’ve ever wandered through the well-tended grounds of Trinity College Dublin, you may have seen the sculpture ‘Reclining Connected Forms’ (1969) by the late Yorkshire-born sculptor, Sir Henry Moore. Located on Library Square behind the Campanile, it features three of Moore’s lifelong obsessions: a mother with child, a reclining figure, and a large form protecting a smaller one. Moore, one of the most famous sculptors in of the 20th-century, said of his profession that “a sculptor is a person who is interested in the shape of things, a poet in words, a musician by sounds.”

The shape of things

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The Book of Mum

Another group that is obsessive about the shape of things are bakers, such as Susan Robbins of Wildberry Bakery, which she set up with her husband Tom Fehily in his home place, the twin villages of Ballineen and Enniskean, West Cork. In this charming corner of the world, Wildberry creates delicious, handmade, gluten-free cakes. It is unsurprising to learn that Susan takes a keen interest in design and that she went to art college. “My background is in ceramic design. I studied in the Crawford Art School and from there I went into teaching,” she says, adding that the two disciplines — ceramics and baking — bear remarkable similarities. “My day in Crawford would start with rolling out clay; I suppose I eventually swapped clay for rolling out shortbread. The production method is pretty much the same. It’s very tactile, whether you are making a cake or a pot.” Just as in pottery, which calls for the maker to knead, prod and cajole a malleable substance into an appealing shape, the same principle applies in baking. There can be no impurities in the base material you use in either craft. You need to be discriminating about ingredients and meticulous in preparation. Glazing a ceramic sculpture is not unlike drizzling lemon over a sponge slice, and what is a kiln if not a big oven, after all?

“I think when you have that creative gene, you have to do something with it,” she says. That creative itch needed soothing, and the opportunity arose when Tom took over running the family shop, which had been in the family since 1922. At first the couple ran a café behind it and then, thinking about how to develop the premises, they decided to expand into producing high-end gluten-free cakes for distribution, based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback from café customers. “West Cork being West Cork, you bump into people, and one lovely girl came into us and said, ‘Oh my goodness, I wish we could get stuff like this in Dublin.’ She happened to be part of what is now our distribution company. They picked us up straight away.” Awards followed, putting them on the radar of Dunnes Stores. They went on to win Small Producer of the Year at the Irish Quality Food Awards in 2018, a category sponsored by the Dunnes Stores Simply Better brand. “We always had a massive interest in food. My mother’s background was in food. Good food and how to create it would have been instilled in me growing up. So it made sense that this is how we would reimagine the family business. ”

From award-winning Simply Better artisanal treats to Neven Maguire’s luxury cookware, there’s something for everyone on your nice list this year

tastebuds on a trip to Italy this Christmas with the Muzzi range of authentic festive treats. Perfect for cosy winter evenings or lively family gatherings, these beautifully boxed sweet breads evoke the spirit of the season. For dessert lovers, panettone is a classic choice. While enjoyed year-round, its strong association with Christmas makes it a timeless gift for families to share. Whether eaten fresh, toasted or served with mascarpone, panettone is a versatile indulgence that everyone can enjoy. Dunnes Stores offers two versions: a decadent chocolate panettone (€22.99) and a traditional option (€16.99), both elegantly wrapped and ready for gifting. If you’re looking for something simpler but just as festive, opt for pandoro. This golden Italian cake, with its delicate butter, sugar and vanilla flavours, offers a more subtle sweetness than panettone, making it ideal for those who prefer an unfussy treat. Pick up the Muzzi pandoro (€18.99) to add a touch of Italian flair to Christmas dessert tables and dust it with powdered sugar for a snow-topped look.

If there’s one thing every holiday gathering needs, it’s an impressive cheese board. For the cheese connoisseurs in your life, the COOK with Neven Maguire range provides the perfect tools for creating gourmet cheese boards that are both delicious and visually stunning. Gift a cheese lover the Neven Maguire cheese board (€20), comprising cheese knives and a marble effect board designed to keep cheese at the perfect temperature. It’s not just a serving platter; it’s a canvas for culinary creativity. Whether pairing Gouda with grapes or Gruyère with honey, this board will help cheese fans and superhosts to serve with style and sophistication all season long.

Double decadence Simply Better Handmade Gluten Free Double Chocolate Brownie

A bite of delight Simply Better Handmade Gluten Free Afternoon Tea Selection. Available in store from 09.12.24

Susan’s mother, Hannah O’Regan, looms large in the story and obviously had an instinctual love of cooking and preparing food, which she passed on to her daughter. She emigrated to the UK at a young age and ended up working for a family in the beautiful city of Bath. “It was fabulous. “My earliest memories were in the Royal Crescent, wandering through the kitchens… it was amazing.” The Royal Crescent is a stunning, curved row of Grade I-listed Georgian buildings designed by the architect John Wood the Younger, built between 1767 and 1774. Hannah lived there through rationing and the war years, so she was skilled in making the most of what was available at the time. Planning and preparation became even more important in such an environment.

“She really was very clever; she could make something lovely out of very little. She was astute. The family she worked with were terrific and backed her all the way. So, that’s her background and it was just passed on.” Susan still refers to Hannah’s old cookbooks when developing new recipes or cooking at home. That love of freshly baked food and wholesome ingredients has been passed down from generation to generation between the well-worn leaves of those beloved texts. Having previously gone on record as saying that the apple crumble Wildberry makes is her personal favourite, Susan admits that this is still the case, but that “it’s now a blackberry and apple crumble.” As a general rule for improving on perfection, adding blackberries seems like a good one. She adds that “we changed the crumble topping too. So it has a lot more flavour to it. We’ve added a toasted nut — it’s absolutely beautiful”. What was excellent before is now an absolute treat, sitting alongside the delicious Carrot Cake and Brownies produced in West Cork for the Simply Better Range.

A slice of life

Aided and abetted by head baker Catherine Crowley, the Wildberry team has designed a range of mouth-watering treats for Simply Better that make use of wholesome ingredients. Of Catherine, Susan says, “She has years of experience and she knows what works and what doesn’t, so I find that she’s a great sounding board for ideas. Ideas are developed in-house and also by taking customer feedback on board. The team is completed with locals from within a 16-km radius. “It’s my husband, myself and our staff and we’re all in it together. We have a common goal. And I don’t say that lightly; the staff are terrific.” Susan is at pains to point out that this small company of six are “an amazing bunch”. The gorgeous afternoon tea range includes a beautiful Berry Bakewell Tart made with Simply Better Mixed Berry Jam. ”You’ve got lovely handmade frangipane on top of that with mixed berries scattered on the top. That’s a lovely moist little cake slice, sitting on homemade shortbread that we make in the bakery.” Pressed to name her favourite type of cake, Susan says, “I love anything with lemon,” which explains Wildberry’s zingy Lemon Drizzle Square made with an all-butter shortbread base and a layer of lemon curd topped with lemon frangipane “that complements the lemon curd perfectly.” There is also a Salted Caramel Slice. “You have your shortbread, but it has cocoa added to it. So you have a nice chocolatey shortbread, a layer of in-house, handmade salted caramel” and as if that wasn’t enough, the whole thing is “topped off with a brownie.” And the last square available is an orange brownie which has very finely zested citrus mixed in. Both the lemon and orange zest are all naturally made using a Thermomix — no essences or flavourings are used; just the real thing, as is the case with all of Wildberry’s ingredients. “We use Irish creamery butter and Irish free range eggs, Wexford Preserves jam, local cheeses — anything that we can buy locally or source locally, we do.” As Susan says of the aforementioned delicacies, “They’re quite rich. They’re quite decadent, so they are a special little treat.” And you don’t need to have a degree in ceramics to enjoy them. All you need is a plate, a cup of tea or coffee and a few moments for a little indulgence.

Morish offerings Simply Better Handmade Gluten Free Apple Blackberry Crumble and Carrot & Walnut Cake

We use Irish creamery butter and Irish free range eggs, Wexford Preserves jam, local cheeses — anything that we can buy locally or source locally, we do

Shaping a passion Susan Robbins finds the craft in baking

The shape of things

The Book of Mum