Local Heroes: Sprinkle Happiness

Real fires, cosiness. and comfort. The lovely interior of John Cowane's Coffee House.

Real fires, good cake and comfort. The cosy interior of John Cowane’s Coffee House.

In Stirling’s old town, within the historic building of Cowane’s Hospital, local entrepreneur Sara MacMillan runs John Cowane’s Coffee Shop as part of her award-winning baking business Sprinkle Happiness – another one of our Stirling ‘local heroes’. We spoke to Sara to find out more about her passion for baking, and discovered a heart-warming story that’s all about happiness too.

“One day in May 2008 I was sitting at my desk at Prudential when a gift pack arrived from someone for whom I’d done a tiny favour. To say thank you they’d sent me a pack of postcards – vintage Prudential ads, quirky and fun; a bit of light in a run of dark days. I’d happened to read about Ernest Hemingway’s six word story earlier that day. I took one of the postcards, picked up a pen and wrote my own story: I’ve had enough, so I’m leaving. I handed it to my boss and 32 days later I didn’t have a job.”

A busy mum juggling a demanding career with Prudential and the needs of two very different young sons Joshua and Matthew, Sara had felt increasingly out of control of her life, her home, and her family’s wellbeing. “We needed to find happiness again and the one place that I found that was with my boys. So that was it, Sprinkle Happiness was borne out of a need to pick us up, sort us out, and do what needed to be done; it was literal.”

One of Sara's many commissioned occasion cakes, made with care and a little chunk of happines

One of Sara’s many commissioned occasion cakes, made with care and a little chunk of happiness.

And why baking? “I’ve always baked cakes. I come from a family slightly obsessed with good food. I baked with my mum, my gran baked too, we were serious about it. It was a bond, a common interest, and while we ate cake we talked, and talk about good things, things that made us smile. Baking, sharing and taking the time to sit together was a huge part of my childhood, perhaps the best part. So I started to bake and, within a year of leaving Prudential, was working full time again, this time with hours that suited me, doing something I loved.”

Sara’s business success not only reflects, but supports, her work life balance: “What we do must work for all of us, which is why John Cowane’s Coffee House works so perfectly. We live on the other side of the graveyard, so our daily commute is a wander through the tombstones of the men and women who built this town that we love. Then we spend our day in one of Stirling’s most beautiful buildings serving tea, coffee and cakes to visitors awed by the space we work in. Matthew is home schooled, so is with me after his studies, introducing himself to visitors from all over the world and proudly telling them everything he knows about the historic old town of Stirling.”

Sara's tablet has recently won two gold stars in the Great Taste Awards

Sara’s tablet has recently won two gold stars in the Great Taste Awards – known as ‘the Oscars of the food and drink industry’.

Plans for the future?: “We’d like to expand our tablet sales: we currently supply The Riverhouse in Stirling, Jam Jar in Bridge of Allan, and Lumia in Bridge of Allan. This year we entered our Traditional Tablet into The Great Taste Awards and were awarded two Gold Stars – an amazing boost. There were 10,000 entries of every food imaginable and we finished in the top 850, which, we reckon, is very respectable for our first entry!”

But despite her increasing success, Sara is generous with her baking secrets: “I find people so eager and happy to share ideas and thoughts, I email my recipes to anyone who asks and I’m amazed by the number of people who have emailed me back their favourite recipe as a thank you. Most of my inspiration comes from customers.”

So, if you want some excellent cake, and a little bite of happiness, it may be time to visit John Cowane’s Coffee shop, in Cowane’s Hospital, John Street, Stirling. And make sure you pick up some of that tablet too.