A BUDDING cake expert from Firsdown wowed the judges at a competition in London with a special cake she designed, made and decorated herself.

Seven-year-old Evelyn Lush designed her cake around the theme of popular children’s virtual pets Moshi Monsters, and came away from the Cake International competition with a silver prize in the Birthday Cake Under 12 section.

Her mother Samantha, who accompanied her to the show along with her husband Robert and three-year-old son John-Jacob, said: “She is really pleased, and we are really, really proud of her. She started baking when she was about five and she has just got better and better at it.”

And Evelyn, a pupil at Pitton Primary School, might have done even better and brought home gold had she not been struck down by chicken pox before she could put the finishing touch – an iced rainbow – on her cake.

However, she did manage to get her recipe booked signed by author Debbie Brown and to get a glimpse of two of her heroes, TV’s Great British Bake-Off judges Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood, who were guests at the show.

“She was a bit star-struck,” said Mrs Lush, “but very excited.”