Three Chapters to Olgish Cakes
“What does Olga Ieromenko love most?”
It was a simple question asked by our English hosts when we arrived in the UK from Ukraine in May 2024.
My husband didn’t hesitate. – “She loves to bake.”
That answer changed everything. But to understand why, you need to go back to the beginning. My life feels like it has been divided into three very different chapters.
Chapter One: The life we lost
My family lived in Donbas in eastern Ukraine, close to our parents, relatives and friends. Life was ordinary – home, work, family dinners, plans for the future – until Russia occupied Donbas in 2014. Overnight, everything changed. We left our home, and a family once minutes apart was suddenly scattered. We moved to Bulgaria, then back to Ukraine, living in Odesa and later Kyiv. Slowly, I began again.
Chapter Two: Building a life – again
In Kyiv, I built a successful career as a sales manager. We bought a house and spent a huge amount of time and energy making it our home. In January 2022, we finally finished the renovation. I remember thinking: Now we can settle down. Now we can make plans. One month later, everything changed again. The full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Once again, we had to leave our home and search for safety.
This time, our journey brought us to Britain.
Chapter Three: A new beginning
In the UK, we were incredibly lucky to meet Rita and Alun, an English family who opened their home to us. They gave us more than somewhere safe to stay. They gave us the chance to start again.
And then came that question:
“What does Olga Ieromenko love most?”
My husband answered, “She loves to bake.”
The truth was, I had almost forgotten that myself.
For years, baking had been pushed aside by work, moving countries and everything happening around us. But that one sentence made me realise that perhaps there was a part of me waiting to come back. So, I started baking.
Then I decided to learn properly. I enrolled at Leeds City College and completed my Level 2 and Level 3 Patisserie and Confectionery qualifications. Friends and neighbours began asking me to make cakes. Then their friends asked. Then their friends.
In May 2024, I brought my cakes to the farmers’ market in Horsforth. I was nervous and had no idea what to expect. I certainly couldn’t have imagined that a small market stall would grow into my full-time career. Since February 2026, Olgish Cakes has been exactly that.
Today, I create bespoke cakes for weddings, birthdays and celebrations, as well as personalised gifts. But I’m also taking Olgish Cakes in a new direction – corporate gifting and events across the UK.
Imagine attending an exhibition and having your photograph printed onto a personalised cake gift while you wait. Or receiving a branded cake slice featuring a company logo and personal message. It might be a small gift, but it creates something incredibly valuable – a personal connection between a business and its customers. I now offer branded cake slices, personalised gifts and live printing for exhibitions, corporate events and celebrations across the UK.
And there is a little piece of Ukraine at the heart of what we do. Our Ukrainian-inspired honey cake slice is letterbox-friendly and can be posted across the UK, allowing people to enjoy a taste of something special wherever they are.
When a greeting card isn’t quite enough, my Cake Cards let you send a message and a slice of cake together.
When I look back at those three chapters of my life, I sometimes find it hard to believe how much has changed.
I lost one home, rebuilt another, and then found a new passion in a country that was not originally mine.
Today, I want to share the flavours I grew up with across the UK, while creating cakes inspired by the people, celebrations and community around me.
Because Olgish Cakes is not just about cake.
It is about starting again.
It is about bringing people together.
It is Ukrainian heart with a Yorkshire soul.
