A Keswick guest house owner has branched out during the latest lockdown and is set to make doggy celebration cakes for the town’s pampered pooches.
Christine Marsden, of the Ferndene Guest house in St John’s Street, has been a dog owner most of her life and has passed on her love to her children.
Her eldest daughter Jessica, who is an engineering officer in the RAF and normally lives away, has a working cocker spaniel – Heidi.
Jessica and Heidi have been staying in Keswick during lockdown and when Christine realised it would be the puppy’s first birthday she decided to make a fuss.
Christine said: “Heidi is my grandoggy and I wanted to do something silly the whole family could enjoy. I decided to bake a celebration cake which has all of the things Heidi loves inside and host a little birthday party.”
All of Christine’s family dogs have loved gravy bone dog biscuits, carrots and mashed potato, and Heidi loves liver, so that is just what she had.
And Heidi’s cake was Keswick-based with the biscuits from Podgy Paws in Tithe Barn Street, the liver from Thomason’s in Station Street and the vegetables courtesy of Chinty’s Veg Boxes, from St John’s Street.
Christine came up with the recipe herself but it can be adapted according to the dog’s favourite ingredient, such as chicken or beef.
“It is all healthy for dogs, no salt or sugar and can be flavoured with a favourite treat,” said Christine. “Once I had finished the basic cake I kept back some of the mashed potato and carrot to decorate the top and piped it just like icing.”
Christine put the pictures of Heidi and her cake on her Facebook page and was quite surprised and delighted with the positive response she got from family and friend
“People showed an interest so I am quite happy to make people their own individual cakes at whatever size they want, and of course with fillings to suit their dogs.”
Each cake would contain a crunchy base, meaty middle, mash and carrot icing with doggy biscuits for decoration.