Introducing The Baking Buns

From left to right, Nihaal (2), Harpreet, Yash (5) and Ish

Nihaal: Loves strawberries, Peter Rabbit, Hey Duggee and long walks.

Harpreet: Lives for strong tea, dark chocolate, True Crime shows and Antiques markets.

Yash: Obsessed with Batman, Dinosaur Crazy Golf, Chocolate Digestives and Scooby Doo.

Ish: Crazy about Man Utd, Buffalo Wings, Appletiser (and Harpreet, of course)

I am Harpreet. A mum, a baker and a Sikh. I grew up in a suburb of North West London in a semi-detached house on a steep hill. Many assume my mum taught me to cook indian food at a young age, but this could not be further from the truth. As a busy GP who went back to work 6 weeks after I was born, my mum has yet to teach me how to make round chapatis.

My love for baking began when I was 7 years old. "I'm bored!" I whinged. My exasperated mum grabbed her handbag pulled out her diary from behind the stethoscope and prescription pad. Earlier that week she had gone for a house call to an older lady's house (yes they really did used to happen) , where she was offered a cup of tea and a slice of cake. When she commented on how delicious the cake was, the lady offered her the recipe. "Here, make this cake." mum said to me. 3 hours later I had produced my first marble cake.

After reading Economics with Geography at university, I went on to Law school and then became a solicitor in the city. Feeling that my creative side had been stifled a little, I left the law to set up a cake company called Crumbs Couture. We were lucky enough to supply cakes for weddings and events as well as to prestigious stores such as Fortnum & Mason, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols. My favourite orders, however, were the ones for children's parties! Soon after setting up Crumbs Couture I met Ish and we got married in 2010 and it was during my time running Crumbs Couture that Yash and Nihaal came along. In December 2019 I made the decision to sell my business so that I can be more present with my children. This was when the idea for the Baking Buns Blog was born.

Now let me tell you a little about Yash and Nihaal, the mini buns. Yash came into our lives when we needed him the most, a ray of sunshine in a tough year. As sikhs we have decided to keep his hair long, and as he grows, so does his relationship with his hair. Yash is the only Sikh boy in his year at the prep school he attends in Richmond, and is one of 2 Sikh boys in his school. Yash is fairly resilient when it comes to comments made about his hair, and believe me there have been many. I, on the other hand, have had a tougher time reconciling our choice to keep his hair long with my desire to keep him happy and have him fit in at school.

Nihaal is still at nursery but is often mistaken for a girl. He loves his hair, mainly because his hero in life, Yash, has the same hairdo. Will Nihaal’s journey be a little easier after Yash has blazed the trail? I hope so. My hope is that they support each other through any adversity or prejudice that either faces.

As Sikhs we are constantly evolving and striving to improve our conduct and way of life. As parents we are forever trying our best to keep our children happy and secure. In years to come I hope we can strike the right balance as we navigate through life as a busy Sikh family in London.