A Conversation with… Jasmine Bird (NPD technologist)

We sat down for a catch-up with Jasmine, our brilliant NPD technologist, to chat about her journey into baking, where she finds inspiration and what a day in her kitchen really looks like. From making cakes with her dad as a toddler to creating stand-out bakes for big-name restaurants and five-star hotels, Jasmine’s career has been anything but boring. Grab a cuppa and enjoy the read!

Hey! So, I actually started baking as a toddler with my dad – it was our bonding time. He used it to teach me little life lessons too, like patience. When I got older, baking became how I made my Oyster card money as a teenager!

Fast forward a few years, I found myself in a job that didn’t feel like the right fit, and someone suggested I try something I was passionate about. So I signed up for an intensive culinary course at Westminster Kingsway College – and haven’t looked back since.

Since then, I’ve worked at Dominique Ansel (where everything was made in-house), luxury spots like Harrods and the Shangri-La hotel, and restaurants like Lucky Cat by Gordon Ramsay. Each place taught me something new, and I’ve made it my mission to keep learning as much as I can.

Harrods really encouraged creativity – if you wanted to stick around and work on something personal or enter a competition, they had your back. But it was Lucky Cat that really opened my eyes. Up until then I’d been focused on perfecting techniques over big volumes. Restaurants are a totally different vibe – you’ve got to be fast, flexible and creative. Menus change all the time, and you’re thinking about seasons, trends, different kinds of guests and how it all fits with the brand and experience. That constant innovation is what got me hooked on NPD.

Tough one! There’s so much to love, but I think it’s the challenge – and the feeling when it all finally works.

When I create something, it’s often designed to be part of a gifting moment. Knowing that it might make someone smile, or make the person receiving it feel seen – that’s what keeps me going. My love language is food. I love gifting it, sharing it, and bringing it to parties… so being able to do that for work is pretty special.

It really depends on the day – and the time! I usually start with some admin, then head down to the production kitchen to check in, say good morning, and catch up on any updates. If we’ve got a trial or test to run, we’ll slot that in – that’s when the big sprinkles come in!

Otherwise, I’m in the test kitchen working on new recipes or solving little quality control puzzles with tiny sprinkles. There’s more admin too – writing up recipes, checking costings with our Range Manager, Lara. Some days we’ve got tastings, photoshoot prep, production training… it’s always changing, which I love.

Ahaha – great question.

Step 1: We’ve got an idea or product to make.

Step 2: I get super excited about the concept.

Step 3: I check if we can actually get the ingredients (or already have them) – we only use all natural ingredients.

Step 4: I figure out how to make it work on a bigger scale, without losing the original excitement.

Step 5: I make it, fix any issues, remake it until it’s right.

Step 6: We do a tasting, get feedback, tweak it, and repeat if needed.

All the time! When it hits, I usually just go for a walk. Get some air, clear my head, let the ideas come back naturally. Sometimes you need to step away to make space for something new.

I’ve had some really lovely feedback (not to toot my own horn!), but I try not to let it go to my head.

The best moments are when we pull off something that sounds a bit wild on paper – like the cookie egg or the giant fortune cookie. One of my proudest was getting my favourite cake (lemon blueberry cheesecake) onto the range and doing it justice. Classic flavours can be the hardest, because people already know how they should taste!

It’s a wholesome team effort between me, the Range Manager, Head of Marketing, and Annabel. We like to keep things familiar and comforting, but still fun – very Cutter & Squidge, really.

We stick to natural, clean ingredients, and play around with textures a lot. We definitely keep an eye on trends, but also try to be a bit of a trendsetter ourselves when it comes to innovation.

Yes! I made a pineapple tart blondie for Chinese New Year – I baked the pineapple jam straight into the blondie base. It was SO good, and looked amazing.

But it wasn’t scalable, so we ended up going with a ganache version instead. Still delicious, but not quite the same!

I’m quite active and love cooking as well as baking. I’m big on eating out and trying new food – it’s a big part of my life. Oh, and not many people know this… but I’m also a Hula and Ori dancer!

James Corden, 100%. He’d bring the vibes. Imagine a bake-off meets carpool karaoke – how fun would that be?!

All three please! Japan is still top of my list – it’s got amazing food, culture, nature, everything I love in one place.

Jasmine brings heart, creativity, and a serious amount of skill to everything she does – and the results speak for themselves. Whether she’s creating a brand new treat or putting a clever spin on a classic, you can always count on her bakes to surprise and delight. We’re so lucky to have her – and we can’t wait to see (and taste) what’s next!