Thank you for your interest in this story
To continue reading this article, sign up today to unlock exclusive content and be part of our community discussions
- Exclusive discounts
- Enjoy commenting on local issues
Already a subscriber? Log in here.
23
Sept 2022
Pop-up shop marks launch of new venture for popular Harrogate baker
A baker from Harrogate is turning her life-long passion into a career after years of preparation and planning.
Lizzie Warburton began baking at home as a child, but never considered it as a potential job despite her obvious talent.
She said:
Taking the plunge, Lizzie enrolled on a course at Leeds City College to give her the professional understanding she needed to back up her experience. Once finished, she and mum Sue opened The Kitchen, a coffee shop on Otley Road, in autumn 2016.
Starting with a small menu of light lunches and cakes, they soon became popular with locals and Lizzie's cakes had a particularly strong reputation.
When events took place, such as the UCI Road World Championships which passed in front of the door in 2019, The Kitchen was packed with cycling enthusiasts and the cake bench laden with special creations which all disappeared by the end of the day.
Read more:
- Scandinavian-inspired coffee shop opens on Harlow Hill
- Knaresborough WI celebrates 10th Birthday with cake and tributes to The Queen
However, it was not Lizzie's most ambitious bakes which proved the biggest hit during the five years the coffee shop was operating. She said:
When her parents decided not to renew the lease on The Kitchen last autumn and to move away, Lizzie knew her future was in baking.
She wanted to focus on her true passion and, before the coffee shop closed its doors for the final time, she began building up cake orders for birthdays and other celebrations. In many ways, the covid pandemic had actually helped her.
Though she knew what she wanted to do, Lizzie realised it would be some time before she would earn enough from her own baking to make a living. Over the last year, she has indulged her other passion: she has been working for a dog charity and a kennels, caring for animals and enjoying time outside.
An array of Lizzie's Baked creations
Meanwhile, she has tested the water by offering pre-ordered boxes of cakes on selected weekends, which have always proved a big hit with customers old and new. She has also been building up contacts for wholesale business, baking treats for other cafes and shops to sell to customers.
Now ready to launch her new venture, Baked, Lizzie is holding a pop-up shop this weekend at Oatlands Community Centre - just around the corner from her home.
She'll spend this week creating a huge stash of goodies to sell on Saturday between 9am and noon, as well as taking pre-orders to be collected on the day.
A selection of favourites from The Kitchen will be on offer alongside new recipes she has been perfecting. However, Lizzie knows she'll need to stock up on the famous Mars bar crispies:
0