When in 1 980 I wrote the foreword to The Art of Roya//cing I wished my friend Audrey Holding every success for her book; I was convinced that its appearance would fill a real gap in the literature then available by providing a comprehensive but simple and practicable guide to the techniques used in royal icing. Now. six years later. with The Art of Roya//cing sold widely throughout the world. I know that Audrey's second book on this subject is assured of success. In it she has developed many of the ideas presented in her first book. and she takes the cake-decorator through the stages of intricate techniques which would normally be regarded as beyond the competence of the amateur. With Audrey's guidance (and lots of patient practice!) we can all become experts. JUNE ELWOOD M. lnst. B. B. , M. e. FA(e. G) Cake Artistry Studio. Swinton, Manchester, UK v Preface My first book. The Art of Royal Icing * set out to explain the craft to those who had no previous knowledge of the subject. In this book. I hope to go one stage further and expand the ideas and techniques formulated in The Art of Royal Icing. especially in relation to runout figure piping. In order to avoid repetition. some basics have been omitted. enabling other areas to be dealt with in greater detail.