Midlands takes the cake as 'bakery capital of the UK'
The Midlands has taken the cake and been named the bakery capital of the UK, according to new research.
Small business insurance provider Simply Business has made the claim after analysing active bakery insurance policies from 2020 to 2024.
The study to find the UK’s baking hotspots has revealed The Midlands is home to one in seven of the UK’s active bakeries in 2024 (14 per cent), while East Anglia (with 13 per cent) and North East England (also with 13 per cent) round out the top three locations with the most independent bakers.
The research, highlighting the nation’s love of sweet treats, comes with the new season of The Great British Bake Off now underway and just weeks after much-loved bakery brand Firkins returned to the high street with the opening of a new store in the new West Bromwich Indoor Market.
Shoppers with a sweet tooth queued for hours to enjoy a blast from the past taste of Firkins’ famous lemon iced buns and pineapple tarts - showcasing just how much people in the Midlands love a cake or pastry.
Owner Rob Green told the Express & Star he’d been blown away by the success of the West Bromwich-founded bakery’s first physical store following a 10-year absence from the high street.
He said people in the Black Country and West Midlands appreciate being able to buy fresh, artisan products from a "proper bakery" and he added: "I think that's why we've got a resurgence of good local businesses on the high street selling baked goods. There are a number of us out there doing it."
According to the research by Simply Business, the number of small business bakers has grown by 34 per cent in the last five years since home baking enjoyed a renaissance during the Covid pandemic lockdowns.
Paz Heer, Wolverhampton based celebrity cake baker and owner of AB Cakes, said: “Covid helped, everyone became a home baker.”
Baking experiences such as the Big Birmingham Bake Off have also created an interest and generated a buzz about baking that wasn’t there before, he said, and he has had calls to hold baking workshops.
He was, however, surprised to hear the Midlands has the most bakery businesses.
“I would have thought London,” he said.
Paz, who has baked cakes for an array of celebrities including Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger, told how he is currently on the lookout for a new unit in Wolverhampton - having had to close his shop in Snow Hill, Wolverhampton, during the pandemic in about 2021.
Serena Wesley, owner of Serena’s Sweet Treats, is loving running her Birmingham-based home bakery - having gone from part-time baker for family and friends to being a full-time business owner thanks to help from a grant from the King’s Trust - and she's hoping to expand her operation to bring her sweet treats to festivals and pop-up events and she also hopes to offer wedding cakes.
Kamila Adamczewska and Arif Kandanchira, owners of The Cravery Cakes in Birmingham, launched their online bakery delivering signature cakes across Birmingham after they started baking and selling treats to neighbours during the Covid pandemic. Today the business handles hundreds of orders each week.
They said: “We’ve come a long way from handing out cakes from our home to becoming one of the top-rated birthday cake delivery services in Birmingham.”
Julie Fisher, CEO at Simply Business, said: “The stoic spirit of small business owners is the backbone of the economy and the UK’s independent bakers are a shining example of how creativity and community spirit can fuel long-term success. It's truly encouraging to see their unwavering resilience, despite challenging trading conditions.
“As The Great British Bake Off continues to inspire thousands to start their own independent businesses, at Simply Business we’re proud to support thousands of bakers across the UK as they rise to the challenge and turn their passions into thriving enterprises.”
