Some of my earliest memories are of coming home from school to the smell of freshly baked bread and scones drifting through the house. Even as a child, I knew how lucky I was to have my mother's baking waiting for me. It was only later that I understood how many others never had the gift of fresh bread and sweet treats waiting when they came in from school!

Baking has always been how I express my love and appreciation for people. Friends and family would wonder what I'd baked to go with the tea and chats. Shellys grew from that same impulse. During COVID, when I couldn't be with a friend who had just lost her mum, I sent her a box instead. We can't be everywhere, for every birthday, new baby or thank you, or for the times when words aren't enough. But a box of caramel slices, brownies, lemon drizzle and more, with a handwritten note tucked inside, can say what we'd want to say in person. It's a hug in disguise.

A few messages have stayed with me. One came from a customer who had recently lost her dad. She told me that she and her mum had started sitting down together for elevenses with the brownies. Another came from a daughter who, after losing her dad and returning home to Australia, now sends her mum a Shellys box every few months. And then there was the girl in Canada who couldn't make it home for her best friend's 30th, so she sent a Shellys box to be there in her place. That's what Shellys is for.

By day I'm an architect, so I think carefully about how things are made, how they feel and what they mean. That instinct shapes everything at Shellys. Every treat is baked from scratch in small batches, with the finest ingredients and nothing unnecessary. After a career of projects that take years to finish, there's a special joy in making something that arrives the next day and brightens someone's afternoon.

My curiosity about food takes me further afield too. Last Christmas I travelled to Damascus and came home with a bag of Syrian cinnamon, which found its way into my cinnamon rolls. I'm always planning the next trip, and every one of them keeps my recipes evolving.

Sustainability isn't an add-on. It's simply how I work: compostable packaging, locally sourced ingredients wherever possible, composting kitchen waste and recycling everything I can. Small choices, made consistently.

Every box is packed by hand and delivered nationwide across Ireland by An Post, usually within 1-2 days. I often imagine those gold boxes zipping through the sorting depots and wonder who will open them, and what moment they'll arrive into.

More than 260 five-star reviews later, I still bake every order as if it's going to someone I know. In a way, it always is.

Sweet moments, shared together.

Shelly