Gardners Bakery on Harborough Road, Kingsthorpe, recently celebrated its 115th birthday.
The family-run bakery has been in business since 1910—an incredible 115 years in the same spot and under the care of the same family. Today, it is run by the fourth and fifth generations.
“We’ve kept photos of the shop with horse and carts outside. There’s even a horse and cart with our name on it.”
The bakery is very much a family affair.
Today, it’s Helen Gardner and her daughters Amber and Leila who run the business day-to-day. Helen has been part of the bakery since her teenage years, studying wedding cake design at college before taking over from her parents around 15 years ago. Amber, the fifth generation, joined 15 years ago.
The bakery has seen many changes since its inception including shifting cake fashions.
“Years ago, it would have been traditional iced cakes, and all the wedding cakes in the 50s and 60s would have been fruit cakes. Now we bake mostly sponge cakes.”
Takeaway Treats
Known for their fantastic celebration and wedding cakes, the bakery also sells a range of takeaway treats including flapjacks, Viennese whirls, and their traditional traffic light biscuit, which has been a customer favourite for decades.
“It’s a shortbread biscuit base with cream in the middle, topped with red, green, and yellow jam. We’ve been selling them for years, along with our shortbread bunnies and ducks. We also sell a classic marmite loaf which is popular, and filled rolls.”
Gardners’ Signature Bake – Angel Cake
Gardners’ signature bake is the Angel Cake—a light Genoise sponge layered with jam and cream. It’s so popular that even the offcuts, sold in the shop, sell out within days.
Many of the recipes have been handed down through the generations.
“We have books of handwritten recipes which have been passed down through the family and which we still use today,” says Amber.
In May this year, the bakery celebrated its 115th birthday by baking a range of ‘old school’ treats and bakes including frangipane nests and boats, shortbread ducks and teddies, pineapple tarts and vanilla slices.
A Cake for Every Occasion
The bakery produces bespoke themed cakes for every milestone, from birthdays and baby showers to weddings and even proposals. Customers can choose from Gardners’ own designs or bring in their own ideas.
“Our Angel Cake is our most popular cake—it’s what we’re known for. At the moment frosting-style cakes are also very popular, as are photocakes featuring either a picture of the customer or a favourite character. We’ve even made a Friends-themed wedding cake,” Amber explains.
Fondant fancies and gender-reveal cakes are also favourites—when you cut into them, the colour of the cream reveals the surprise.”
Freshly Baked In-Store
“We have a bakery at the back of the shop where two bakers make all the cakes. Then they’re taken upstairs, where a team of four ladies decorate them. One will ice them, one will decorate them, and it’s Sue’s job to make all the figurines.”
Sue’s handcrafted models bring many of the cakes to life, adding a personal and creative touch.
Tradition Meets Today
Even after 115 years, Gardners remains true to its roots. Recipes have been carefully passed down, and many of the classics are still made the same way today. At the same time, the bakery has embraced modern trends, offering online cookie orders that can be shipped nationwide.
The team has also noticed changes in customer habits. “Since Covid, people are being more cautious with their spending,” Amber notes.
Helen, Amber, and Leila are proud that Gardners is still very much a family business. “We’ve kept it going through four generations, and now the fifth,” says Amber.
A Local Institution
With 115 years of tradition behind it, Gardners Bakery has more than earned its place as our Shop of the Month.
“We’d love to say a huge thank you to our customers and love to see them in store for our takeaway treats, iced cookies, filled rolls made to order or bespoke celebration cakes.”
Gardners Bakery is located at 85 Harborough Road, Northampton NN2 7SL
http://www.gardnersbakery.co.uk
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