Meet the Preston mum behind Farmhouse Kakes - the popular cake shed in Goosnargh
“The shed’s creating its own community” says the baker behind the newest, smallest and most popualr cake shed in Preston.
A Preston mum has set up a cake shed during her maternity leave and has been blown away by its reception.
Mum of two Kate Dewhurst is the baker behind Farmhouse Kakes a popular cake shed in Goosnargh, selling a variety of freshly baked sweet treats.
Located at the Cake Shed on Whittingham Hall Farm and open Friday-Sunday, the business has only been operating for three months ago but is already popular with locals.
Whitewell born Kate, who has lived at Whittingham Hall Farm with her husband for seven years said: “I set it up in January to do something for myself and to try and build my own business up eventually, giving myself the flexibility to spend time with my children and my husband. It’s done better than I ever thought.
“The business has only been open three months but it's doing so well. I'm really proud of how well it's doing. It's great to meet all your lovely families, friends, all coming to celebrate the cakes together. Also I've had a lot of interest from other companies, businesses that want me to support them as well. So, yeah, thanks everyone for coming.”
30-year-old Kate set up the cake shed during her maternity leave from her job as a senior technician for the catering department at Blackburn College.
Although the business is new, Kate says she has been in the food industry all her life, first starting out in catering aged 13 then going on to study bakery and confectionery at Blackburn College, and working as a chef at Bashall Barn before returning to her former college in her current capacity.
Kate, a former pupil at Bowland High, said: “My love of baking first started from my grandma who used to show me all of her tips and tricks growing up.
“My mum also used to work as a baker for Latham’s Broughton.”
All the bakes are made by Kate on site, using produce from nearby Gornall's Dairy to help reduce food miles.
The grandson of Gornall’s Dairy also used to work at Whittingham Hall Farm too and keeping the business community focused is very important to Kate.
She said: “I've met so many great customers and we always say hello when we see each other and everything. The shed’s creating its own community in a sense. So many times, I’ll go to the shed to refill, check on it, update my socials, and there will be two, three sets of customers just chatting away. It's just nice to see.”
Her little cake shed has proven so popular that Kate will keep it up once she returns to work in September and Farmhouse Kakes will be moving to a bigger shed later in the year too.
With a bigger shed, Kate hopes to produce her own eggs, add fridges and a bread maker to extend the range she offers.
In the meantime, Farmhouse Kakes is still very much based at the cake shed and everyone is encouraged to try it out.
Kate said: “Everything is homemade, I don’t buy anything in. Supporting small businesses, I think, is important nowadays. It’s so easy just to go to a shop but my bakes are definitely better. I use proper butter, proper chocolate, proper everything. So, yeah, come on down to Farmhouse Kakes, I hope to see you all soon."
Farmhouse Kakes at the Cake Shed is located at PR3 2JJ and is open from 10:00am until 7:00pm on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
Heep an eye on its social media pages as Kate often has sellouts, restocks or new products going in.