03/10/2026
A moment close to my heart
The other morning I was in the shed, whipping, tinning and getting another batch of Tallow Shed goodness ready when I had an unexpected little helper.
One of my daughters had woken unusually early, wandered into the shed to find me and before I knew it, she was helping.
And she was brilliant.
Tinning, putting lids on, adding labels — completely engrossed in what she was doing and so proud to be helping Mummy, and I suddenly had one of those moments where you look at your child and think, this is really quite special.
The Tallow Shed is a business built by women…. by mums.
Women who are juggling children, families, other jobs, school runs, washing, dinners, endless life admin, while also trying to build something we’re incredibly proud of.
It isn’t always easy, in fact, sometimes the balance feels almost impossible, but this morning reminded me of something else.
Our daughters are watching us.
They’re watching us work hard. They’re watching us create something from nothing. They’re seeing women make decisions, solve problems, take risks, get things wrong, try again and build businesses — all while still being their mums.
I hope that, in some tiny way, I’m showing my girls just how capable and powerful women can be. That they can have ideas and turn them into something real. That they can be ambitious and nurturing. That they can work incredibly hard for something they believe in and still stop everything for a cuddle. Perhaps most importantly, that there isn’t one version of what being a woman or a mum has to look like.
So yes, I did initially think the morning’s production would take me slightly longer with my new apprentice, but it didn’t, it took less time and it gave me a moment to reflect and appreciate. I wouldn’t have changed it for the world.
I was one proud mummy, and a Tallow Shed founder… who knows… perhaps we’re training the next generation of The Tallow Shed already.
