A Derry bakery has truly made its mark in the sweet-tooth scene as it was crowned the County Winner in the National Bakery Awards 2023.
YumCakes never fails to draw in a crowd with it's pink and vibrant city centre shop.
The independent business has been a welcome addition to Derry's Waterloo Street, and has proven its capability with this astonishing achievement.
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Owners Katie and Sean spoke to MyDerry about how it feels to be awarded best bakery in Derry.
They said: "We found out about the award the evening before they announced it. The most exciting part was that we couldn’t tell anyone until after 10am the next morning when they announced it.
"It was amazing, we didn’t even know we had been nominated. It just feels so amazing that all of the hard work we have put in and the long hours and sacrifices have been worth it. It just proves that we are something right!"
The team at YumCakes received a great reaction from the local community and other local businesses when they announced their win.
Katie and Sean said: "The local reaction has blown us away. Our customers never fail to surprise us. Everyone is so full of congratulations and hundreds of people have messaged and commented to say ‘I’m not surprised ’ and ‘so well deserved’.
"We also won a Great Taste Award in London during the Summer for our brownies which was a huge highlight for us!
"Announcing that we have won best bakery in Derry seems to have just brought everyone who loves Yum Cakes into a big community conversation and it is so amazing and lovely to see and read."
This home grown business has gone from strength to strength, especially after opening their city centre venue in 2021.
Katie and Sean said: "Since opening the shop our customers have just been amazing. We have so many regulars who come every week and they just make it so worth it all even in the challenging weeks.
"We are very excited for the next chapter of Yum Cakes as we are moving the bakery area to a bigger space a few buildings up from the shop and then we will be revamping the shop to have a sit in seating area.
"Our customers and our team are VERY excited about this! Imagine sitting in for a coffee & yum cakes?! Cannot wait!!"
"We would like to say a special thank you to every single person who has supported us on this journey so far. Our family, customers and our amazing team, Andrea, Naomi, Kaitlyn & Abby who make Yum Cakes possible."
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