Yummy Bakes targets growth in Afternoon Tea market

Yummy Bakes NI, the Northern Ireland specialist in biscuits, scones and cakes, has launched a special package of products aimed at the developing 'Afternoon Tea' market in food services.

The products comprise a range of smaller scones, shortbread and oatie biscuits and a vanilla butter that are ideal for hotels and restaurants increasingly offering Afternoon Tea menus.

Yummy Bakes, run by Anna Taggart and based at Newtownabbey in county Antrim, already supplies its bakery goods especially traditional Irish shortbread to foodservice operators including Sodexo in Great Britain and in the Republic of Ireland.

The company's products have also recently been listed for the Causeway Business Lounge at Belfast International Airport.

Mrs Taggart says: "There's been a tremendous revival in Afternoon Tea throughout the UK involving many leading hotels in particular. It's great to see one of the great traditions being rejuvenated by initiatives such as the recent Afternoon Tea Week.
"My recently launched package of Afternoon Tea sized sandwiches and biscuits is both a response to approaches I've had from customers and to the opportunity that this revival presents.

"The development of a vanilla butter represents another significant project for the company. We provide the new butter in 500g containers for use by foodservice operators. If offers a different flavour particularly for scones," she adds.

Yummy Bake's products have featured at Ascot, the Open golf championships and the Chelsea Flower Show. It has UK Great Taste Awards over the past three years and gained gold stars for its Posh Scone and Lemon and Coconut Scone in this year's awards from the Guild of Fine Food.

Mrs Taggart established Yummy Bakes in 2012 to focus on traditional baking techniques using family recipes handed down over four generations. All products are mixed and shaped by hand, instantly blast frozen and then supplied to the customer.

One company told Anna her products had freed up over three hours of his chef's time.
"I blast freeze everything as soon as it is made to keep it as fresh as it can be. It also means that the hotels and restaurants who buy the products can get that home-baked taste but with added convenience," Anna said.

Yummy Bakes NI produces over 20,000 items a week with the help of one employee and uses many of her mother's recipes.