While that’s long been the case, the particularly visual nature of social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok have created the perfect environment for aesthetic creations to shine, with bakers and pastry chefs able to build their followings and showcase the skill required. Chefs like Calum Franklin, who has attracted a reputation for his masterful pastry designs, have been able to bring their recipes to a wider audience than just those who might typically visit their restaurants or bakeries. Julie, meanwhile, has over 180,000 Instagram followers thanks to her carefully crafted pies, which include a King's Coronation-inspired lid complete with flowers and a crown.

She discovered her love of pastry at least partly by accident. At thirty, she decided to retrain to become a chef, studying at her local college and staging at top restaurants, including The Fat Duck. But as she prepared to leap into her new career, she discovered she was pregnant and her mum was diagnosed with dementia, diverting her focus and making a restaurant job unrealistic. Instead, she started supper clubs at home and, as her mum's condition worsened, she looked for something they could do together. 'It was a desperate day, and I said 'let's bake a cake', to try and help,' she says. 'When I did that and she followed along, I noticed such a difference in her. I kept baking the pies and pastries and it became more of a mindful way to process what was going on. The more creative I got, the longer I spent doing it – I'd put the kids to bed and be up for hours.'

Over time, both Julie's confidence and profile blossomed, thanks in no small part to her Instagram audience, who had initially followed her mum's journey, but also loved the results of her deft handy work. In 2017, a publisher got in touch asking her to write her first cookbook Soulful Baker (she now has three – The Pastry School was published in 2020 and Expressions – Art in Pastry in 2022) and she now teaches courses around the country. But at its heart, Julie still finds the same peace in pastry-making as she did when she first began, and is still inspired by patterns and sights from everyday life. Ultimately, she is keen to show that when you strip it back, pastry shouldn't be daunting. 'I just love to work with it – there's so much variety,' she says. 'While it's important that it all tastes good, I love the creative side. Pastry doesn't need to be scary – it's a bit of a misconception.' 

Over at Rosewood London, senior chef Nokx Majozi can usually be found in The Pie Room, gently putting the finishing touches on a design or figuring out how to make a new one work structurally. Having learnt under the tutorship of Calum there before he left at the end of 2022, she, now its head pie maker, has continued to take it from strength to strength, developing its reputation as a shrine to beautiful, glossy pies, alongside her own understanding of the craft. ‘Pastry needs more attention to detail,’ she nods. ‘It’s very specific in terms of measurements for example; with bread, you can make it without following the instructions exactly, but you can’t with pastry. You can’t even fix it. There’s no way around it. If I’m making pastry and there’s something missing or not enough water, it will show.’

Though the end results are certainly worth celebrating, so too is the journey, as far as Nokx is concerned. Though we’re used to seeing the rush of a noisy, chaotic professional kitchen, pastry demands time, patience and a steady hand. It means that, sometimes, the quietest, most relaxed culinary environments are filled with pastry chefs. At The Pie Room, once they have finished serving, there is often time to work on new ideas. ‘There’s quite a lot of quiet time,’ she says. ‘Those moments are always so beautiful – sometimes we’ll put music on in the background and you can only hear the music, all of us are paying attention to the pastry.’ Calum, too, has previously spoken about the process of sketching out intricate designs, and shutting himself away to focus on making it a reality.

When Nokx talks about where her inspiration comes from for patterns and shapes, the answer, really, is simple; everywhere. She’s spoken in the past about how she was inspired by the windows of Westminster Abbey for one, but sometimes inspiration isn’t that grand – it can come in all shapes and sizes. ‘When I’m walking sometimes I’ll see something even on the floor and think ‘wow, that is a beautiful design’. I saw a mosaic on the floor recently and took a photo, which I’ll use.’

All home cooks understand the work that goes into perfecting even the most humble of dishes, and fashioning such impressive designs, and ensuring they look at stunning after being baked, is another level entirely.