When Jenny Kirschmann decorates cakes for her sister Lilly’s catering business, she lets her imagination run riot.
But her fondant flights of fancy are in stark contrast to her previous, very real career as a loadmaster on huge C17 cargo planes, ferrying supplies and troops to and from Afghanistan.
During six years in the RAF, Jenny, of Stockton, was a real high flyer, passing out from RAF Halton as top cadet before her selection as the first female C17 loadmaster.
But her time on C17s ferrying tanks, supplies and soldiers to and from the Afghanistan war zone - including many seriously injured service personnel - was about as far away from catering and cake decorating as it gets. And for 18 brave servicemen, including five in one journey, the planes she helped crew were bringing them home for the final time.
Jenny, 34, of Hartburn, said: “When we flew repatriation missions to RAF Brize Norton, it was up to us to make sure everything was coordinated to the last second. The biggest honour was to make sure I got the lads backs to their families.
“What was shown on the news, and even what I saw, was nothing compared to what the lads I brought back went through. There is nowhere near enough accolades and respect for what they achieved, and what they’ll put up with for the rest of their lives.”
But by 2012, Jenny, who like sister Lilly, 30, is a former Ian Ramsey School pupil, knew the time was right to leave the RAF, with one incident sticking in her mind.
“I was sat at the back of the C17 next to an 18-year-old army lad. As we prepared for landing, he was shaking from head to toe - towards the end, they knew there was a chance they might not come back from what they were going in to.
“I felt like I’d done what I needed to do - and I missed my sister.”
Sine returning to Stockton, Jenny has joined Lilly in catering firm Tasty Tarts, on Stockton’s Yarm Lane. And for sisters who have always been close, the business, which opened last July, is proving the perfect recipe, with delicious celebration cakes baked by Lilly and amazingly decorated by self-taught Jenny their latest offshoot.
Not that it’s all been plain sailing for Lilly. When she was 14, she dislodged veterbrae in her back while jumping on a sleeping bag during a party, leaving her unable to bend ever since and in daily pain from inoperable back condition spondyloloptosis.
But after years honing her catering skills, including running Redcar’s Copper Kettle Tea Rooms with mum Elaine, it seemed the perfect time to team up with the girl she’s always been best friends with - her sister.
And the laughter that rings around the room when they talk is testament to their unbreakable bond.
Lilly said: “We’re a good team, we always have been. When she was in the RAF, I hated it - I couldn’t sleep when I knew she was flying to Afghanistan, just waiting to hear she was safe. So when she came back, it was like it was meant to be.”
Jenny laughed: “The only time we’ve had an argument in 30 years is when Lil was 14 and I told her her rabbit was overweight!
“I miss the camaraderie of the RAF and there is a certain glamorous aspect to the life. To be honest, this is a lot harder - it’s seven days a week, with no days off or gallavanting to exotic places.
“I saw the world, but home is where the heart is. And now I’ve found my calling working with my sister and edible Play-Doh!”
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