RIVAL bakers are at loggerheads in a “Great British fake off” row as accusations fly that cake designs have been stolen and negative reviews posted online.
The “storm in a teacake” had divided the baking community in Bury, Greater , and even led to investigating claims of harassment.
Hayley Comiskey-Harwood, left, and pal Cherella White say they have been targeted and harassed by Louise Bowler Credit: SWNS
Rival baker Louise Bowler strongly denies the claims Credit: SWNS
Baking pals Cherella White, 43, and Hayley Comiskey-Harwood, 39, first whipped up the row when they accused rival Louise Bowler of nicking their designs.
They accused Louise of taking images of their £60-80 designer cakes, copying some content and style and posting them on her own social media.
Louise strongly denies the claims and says the rival pair are stirring up trouble to discredit her – Lou’s Cake Box.
The three-year-long spat has even involved Greater Manchester Police which investigated claims of harassment made by Hayley against Louise, before dropping the investigation due to a lack of evidence
An image of cup cakes Louise is said to have stolen from Cherella Credit: SWNS
Louise is also accused of stealing this picture of a cake Credit: SWNS
Cherella – who runs Delight Bites – claims that Louise has posted at least 50 images of her creations on her account, then called ‘Yum Delicious Catering’, since 2023.
One example shows a lemon sponge cake Cherella posted in January 2023, which she claims Louise then to posted days later with watermarks.
She said also accused Louise of copying an image of a vs cake she baked in April and posting an edited version on the socials of ‘Lou’s Cake Box’.
Cherella claims Louise later “acknowledged” she had posted the edited image and removed it after her complaint.
Cherella and Hayley claim they have been contacted by customers on multiple occasions to say that images of their cakes, social media captions, or content styles were being used by rival baker Louise Bowler Credit: SWNS
Even the police have been called in to deal with the long-running row Credit: SWNS
She said: “To have someone using my images claiming it as their own after all my hard work is very frustrating.
“This is basically nothing other than taking from hardworking owners.
“I’m self-taught and come up with all of the designs myself alongside the customer to make something special.
“The trust I’m building, I feel like, is being stripped as reviews and good customer experiences are extremely important.”
Cherella says four other bakers later contacted her saying their content had been copied, including Hayley – who runs Comiskey’s Creations.
Hayley claims that Louise had been copying her captions and ‘content style’ for her social media pages since June 2025.
A screenshot from June 14 shows a caption Hayley posted which she claims Louise later used, just changing a couple of the and the dates.
She said Louise has also posted a negative, one star review of her work after she had confronted her.
Hayley said: “I’m just lucky I have a strong base of customers who believe me that I’m not the things being written online.
“I just think it is jealousy.
“It has impacted my mental a lot.
“The job is stressful in itself, sometimes I have to make eight cakes in a day, so this extra stress just isn’t needed.”
Cherella and Hayley say they have now started to watermark their designs to protect them.
Hayley added: “I understand inspiration, but this is blatant copying, and it is just not on.”
Louise has said she had “made attempts to contact those involved in the issue to discuss any concerns directly,” however, saying she was “unable to do so”.
She had also said: “I would welcome the opportunity to resolve any genuine concerns privately and respectfully.”
In a social media post relating to the allegations, Louise previously said: “I want to be clear that I take my work, my business, and my reputation extremely seriously.
“My focus remains on continuing to run my business with honesty, transparency, and professionalism.”
Louise also previously accused Hayley in an email that she was trying to “ruin” her business.
When approached this week, Louise said she was unable to comment further due to the “serious and sensitive nature” of the situation and “police involvement”.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed they investigated Hayley’s harassment claim and that they have since closed the case due to “insufficient evidence”.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
I'm dedicated to creating high-quality content that informs, inspires, and delights. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to get in touch. Happy reading!
