Michelle explains that her recipe was originally given to her by friend, Karen: “It was originally made with only golden syrup but for the bakery I decided it ought to follow tradition. That first year when the planning and baking for pretty much all festivals and events happened a matter of days before, there was little time to rest the cakes. A trial with spelt flour made a tender cake that could be eaten on the day of baking or kept for several weeks; ageing honey cakes is fairly traditional and some can only be enjoyed after maturing for at least a week. Marta and I worked on this recipe until it took its current form and it hasn’t changed since.”

Recipes from Modern Sourdough, White Lion Publishing, £22