Abbey sandberg

I'm a photographer and amateur baker, looking to combine my two passions into this creative endeavor.

Formerly known as The Great Eggless Baker, I've come to terms with the fact that I love meringue, baking with eggs is magical and a name change was necessary.  I'm too busy learning to properly bake original recipes in an effort to truly learn the art of baking vs attempting substitutions on recipes I have never tried. I have to master the basics before becoming a substitution expert. No?

My son, Finn remains my inspiration for my baking passion. Finn was diagnosed with various food allergies at 10 months old and an autoimmune disease called EoE at 3 years old. Now almost 6, he is currently on a top 8 elimination diet. Initially we were just avoiding nuts, eggs and sesame. We are now gluten free, dairy free, nut free, egg free, soy free, fun with food free...you get it. 

I have always been a big fan of The Great British Baking Show, that combined with the necessity to make food from scratch for Finn is what led me here. I learned that I love to bake, I love trying new recipes and when I do master something, I come up with ideas to make it allergy friendly so Finn can enjoy it too. I dream of the day I can confidently bake him tasty substitutions but more than that, I dream of the day that his list of substitutions isn't as lengthly. 

In the meantime, I plan to continue trying new bakes. New categories and techniques. Sweet, savory, bread, pastry, custards, tarts, cakes...all the bakes!

Informal is defined as “having a relaxed, friendly, or unofficial style, manner; or nature”. Those who know me best can confirm this sums me up pretty well. And, as it goes-it also describes my bakes. While I always attempt to make my bakes pretty, (especially from a photography standpoint) they’re sometimes a bit “informal” looking (as Mary Berry would say) & that suits me just fine!

At this point in my life, I can't think of a better way to learn and improve. As a working mother, I am constantly trying to find a work/life balance that suits me, while remaining inspired and whole. 

This blog will serve as a creative outlet for me to explore my baking passion. In documenting this journey, I'll also get to combine that passion with my love for photography.

I hope you enjoy following along.

Cheers!

all images copyright Oliveberry Creative