Have you ever found yourself sitting at your desk and wondering what life would be like if you took a chance to pursue your real passion?

The answer could well be yes, but the reality is it takes a lot of guts to make such a huge leap of faith.

Take inspiration then, from master baker and refreshingly reluctant entrepreneur Gillian Ferguson who left her day job in 2019 in search of altogether sweeter horizons.

Glasgow Times:

Pictured: Gillian Ferguson, founder of Twisted Empire Bakes

She said: “I was working in an office job and hating it. It was a terrifying decision to quit but I wasn’t enjoying what I was doing and I’ve always loved to bake.  

“I’ll bake anything and everything, but personally I’ve always loved empire biscuits so the idea to combine my appreciation for the two is how Twisted Empire Bakes was born.

“I felt like the empire biscuit was this iconic Scottish bake that had been left behind a bit.

“When I was young, they were my absolute favourites, but things have started to become so Americanised.

“There’s a lot of emphasis on giant cookies or cupcakes these days, and I just thought ‘right maybe empire biscuit’s need to make a comeback.

“So, I set about trying different flavours to see if they would work, and it turns out they did.”

Taking a classic bake and adapting it for a modern market was a task that Gillian took to with both great enthusiasm and skill resulting in an exciting range of flavours that are hard to resist.

Her generously sized (as a good empire should be) biscuits come in decadent combinations like chocolate and peanut butter, rose and pistachio or lemon topped with a perfectly sweet and crunchy mini meringue in a nod to a favourite dessert.

It’s exactly the kind of sugar-fuelled fusion baking that we’re happy to get behind.

Glasgow Times:

The process, however, is not without trial and error. She said: “I’m not going to lie and say I haven’t tried another hundred and fifty billion flavours that haven’t worked because really, I have.

“There are a lot of times I’ll give something a go and think they’re rubbish. It can be difficult to master.

“The thing about Empire Biscuits is the biscuit itself is quite bland.

“It’s not very sweet so the flavours have to be quite strong to balance them out which doesn’t always work.

“Also, because they’re vegan things aren’t always as straightforward. Like vegan chocolate for example doesn’t taste different but it doesn’t act the same way when you’re baking with it.

“I’m vegan myself so the biscuits were always going to be, but it’s not something that I shout about.

“A lot of my customers aren’t vegan at all. I quite like it that way because it goes to show that they’re just as good as non-vegan versions.”

Glasgow Times:

Vegan or not, it’s easy to see the talent that goes into creating these artisanal biscuits which are as lovely to look at as they are to eat.

It’s no surprise then that they are now stocked in some of the city’s best cafes like Rose and Grants in Merchant City, Ocho at Spiers wharf or Papercup Coffee Company in the West End.

It’s an impressive line-up, but Gillian says that it was catching the eye of a heavyweight from the Glasgow food scene in particular early on that gave her a clear path to follow with the Twisted Empire Bakes.

Glasgow Times:

She explained: “It wasn’t my intention to go down the wholesale route, but I have one of the best cafes in Glasgow to thank for where I am today because it was Laurie who owns Café Strange Brew who was the first one to give me a chance.

“To be honest I’m so in awe of what she’s done with Strange Brew because they totally revolutionised brunch and café culture in the city.

“There was no one like them before and now there are loads of copycats which is always what happens when you do something well. They’re just brilliant.”

Despite experimenting with other avenues like ‘build your own’ biscuit boxes or vegan friendly fudge to survive as an independent business during the pandemic, Gillian says that (for now at least) she is happy to be back to doing what she loves by trading wholesale rather than chasing her own business empire.

Glasgow Times:

She said: “I wish I could be the kind of person who’s always looking ahead to plan things but I’m awful at that.

“I think a lot of the time when you start your own business there’s that expectation to always be thinking about the next stage or growth but to be honest right now, I’m happy where I am.

“I converted my garage over lockdown so now I have a better sized kitchen which is amazing. My husband thinks I’m crazy because I bake all the time even when it's not for the business.

“To be honest I just feel really lucky to have found my niche.

“I remember a conversation with a marketing guy to discuss strategy in the very early stages where I said ‘Who knew you could make money selling biscuits?’ to which he replied ‘Well you could as Mr Tunnocks.’”

“So, I guess folk really can, I just never thought I’d be one of them.”

For more information on Twisted Empire bakes click here.