The huge platters from BMC Cakery include mini brownies, blondies, cookies, profiteroles, cheesecakes and more.
If a table laden with candy, cookies, cakes, brownies and bars sounds like your idea of heaven, you just might like the newest product from Ipswich’s BMC Cakery.
The bakery, which has outlets on Woodbridge Road and at Clapgate Lane in the town, has just launched a series of stunning, Instagrammable, sweet grazing tables, which can be delivered to your meeting, get together or party, laid out and ready to serve.
Alongside afternoon tea grazing boxes and ready-to-eat fondue collections, the delectable platters (which are so big they have to be delivered by two members of staff) are part of a whole new world for owner Rachel Halls, who says her business has ‘flourished’ in lockdown.
While the hospitality industry was largely shutdown for the majority of the spring and summer, independent producers and makers such as BMC, found themselves inundated with orders.
At the height of lockdown Rachel and her team were making nearly 200 deliveries a day in Ipswich and surrounding towns and villages. In fact, BMC became so busy Rachel had to employ and train new staff.
“The week prior to when we were told to close, we’d started doing a few deliveries,” the baker reveals. “People would call the shop and place their order, and staff would go out every couple of hours. After a week and a half we realised it was difficult to maintain that, so we got a virtual shop made up for us so we could put everything online. Throughout lockdown we used that website and now we’re launching a new one so we can bring customers more products. We’ve invested a lot in this.”
In addition to homestyle American bakes, from chewy, oversized cookies, to outrageous brownies and blondies, overloaded cheesecakes and drip cakes, Rachel is proud of the new additions to the BMC range, which have already been getting lots of interest on social media.
The fondue boxes (£16.95) serve two, but the baker says she and her partner can hardly get through a box between them. “They come with a handmade dipping selection of brownies and blondies mini cookies and our own shortbread. And the sauces don’t have to be reheated. You can just tuck in and you can take them anywhere. I think those are really nice.”
Afternoon tea grazing boxes, originally launched for Mother’s Day, start at £10 and can be themed. They include buttermilk scones, fruit scones, clotted cream, jam, fruit, shortbread, cake slices and sandwiches.
“But what I’m really excited about,” says Rachel, “are our super-sized grazing tables. They’re like a giant ‘nibbles’ table and it takes two people to move them! The idea is they’re pre-made and arranged for the customer. We include mini brownies, blondies, cookies. There could be small profiteroles, macarons, meringues – all made from scratch to a customer’s requirements. We can offer gluten-free and dairy-free or vegan options too. There will be set prices but we’re aiming to have something for every budget.”
The new website www.bmccakery.co.uk is currently being built, where you can get your mitts on a grazing table or box, and BMC Cakery’s Facebook page details the towns and villages the team is visiting each week for deliveries, with Rachel hoping the new website will enable her to reach even more cake lovers.
“I never imagined we’d be as busy as this one day. It’s brilliant. Crazy, but brilliant.”
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