How did Fatherson Bakery begin?
Back in 2007 the bakery was set up by two fathers and two sons, hence the name 'Fatherson'. The ambition was to create premium handmade and hand decorated cakes to be enjoyed across the nation. Today we still provide premium quality handmade and hand decorated cakes nationally just with more bakers.
How do you maintain that much-enjoyed “taste of homemade” when baking on a large scale?
At the heart of Fatherson is our passion to create products as those they're made at home. We have slightly larger mixer and ovens but our bakers and decorators replicate the same way of baking as at home. We hand dose and hand decorate every single cake that leaves the bakery and no one looks the same.
What does a 'day in the life' look like behind the scenes at Fatherson Bakery?
What a question. Each day is never the same. As we bake today for delivery to customer tomorrow our bakers could be baking sponges one minute and the next a traybake or cupcake. At any one time we usually have over 25 different products being lovingly baked and decorated by our dedicated and skilled bakers. Once baked our dedicated team of drivers ensure every cake is carefully delivered from our bakery to your local store across the country. Come snow, rain or any other challenge they make it through!
Caption: Fatherson Bakery cupcakes
Tell us more about being an award-winning company…
We’re so proud of our awards from the Great Taste award for a number of the products including our bestselling Lemon Drizzle Loaf to the ever-popular seasonal Mince Pies. Not only have we been recognised for the products but in 2020 the National Bakery Award by Food Manufacturer recognised us as the best bakery in the UK due to our product quality, service to customers, environmental and social responsibility along with our ambition to be the best at what we do with handmade and hand decorated cakes.
Caption: Fatherson Bakery's Lemon Drizzle Loaf
How do you go about choosing ingredients?
Provenance is at the heart of our sourcing ethos. Where possible we support local partners so our flour comes from local mills just down the road and eggs from a local egg supplier. Where possible we only use British ingredients and where we can’t we find alternatives that minimize the CO2 impact. As the products are made in the UK we like to use UK produce and use over 90% of all ingredients from the UK.
Caption: Fatherson Bakery's Rocky Road
Where do you find inspiration for your products?
Everywhere. With the explosion of bakery TV programmes there are some great ideas and fusion products created in competitions but our master bakers spend many hours playing, creating and obviously tasting until we get a product that we believe is best in the market. Every product improved or new goes though rigorous tasting to ensure it meets our sign off of the taste of homemade.
What are your most popular baked goods?
Our best sellers are our loaf cakes and sponges and the top four are Lemon Drizzle Loaf, Rich Fruit Loaf, Victoria Sponge and Chocolate Sponge. In the last few years our pies, in particular our Bramley Apple Pie, has seen terrific growth.
Caption: Fatherson Bakery's Victoria Sponge
Why not treat yourself? Buy directly from Fatherson’s home delivery service.
Any top baking tips?
Our biggest tip is that the quality of the ingredients you use determines the quality of the finished cake. At Fatherson our flour has high protein which enhances the overall taste of our products and ensures a great rise. That’s why we launched the Fatherson signature flour 12 months ago so customers can enjoy baking quality cakes at home with it.
What’s ahead for Fatherson Bakery?
Fatherson over the past 14 years has grown from a small acorn into an ever-growing beautiful oak. We’re now becoming recognised and enjoyed by many households across the UK. We’re looking forward to baking our current range and gradually adding new lines which meet consumer demands for vegan, gluten free and plant based while ensuring we also continue to provide new and different quality sweet treats.
