Derry bakery, Yum Cakes, has been named the best in the County at The National Bakery Awards 2023 after just 20 months since opening their storefront in the city.
The baked goods hot spot, which opened on Derry's Waterloo Street in September 2021, will now compete for the Regional Title and overall National Bakery of the Year.
Speaking to Derry News about their recent win, Yum Cakes said their amazing customers and the award makes all the hard work worthwhile: "We received an email the evening before the winners were announced to let us know we had been named the best bakery in Derry 2023.
"It was super exciting because we were told we couldn’t share the news until they had announced all the county winners the next morning."
There was a list of nominations for each county which was shortlisted to two bakeries from each county before it went to the judges to choose the winner.
Yum Cakes continued: "We are absolutely delighted, we feel like all of our hard work and long hours over the last few years has been worth it and is being recognised within the industry.
"We have put everything into this so it just means the world to us. We didn’t even know we had been nominated so to win was a big surprise and the best kind of surprise.
"Ever since we opened, it has just been amazing. The support we have received from the local community is the best.
"We have so many regular customers who come every week and they are just as delighted as us with the news.
"We are constantly working on recipes and experimenting on ways to make Yum Cakes continue to develop and get better and better. We also won a great taste award in London last year for our brownies which was also a huge win for us.
"We are also expanding now and moving the bakery into a second unit a few doors up from the shop and revamping the shop at number 30 so that we have a seating area. We are so excited for this."
Yum Cakes currently has a store at 30 Waterloo Street in Derry
The business was founded by Sean Breslin who was a chef for six years prior to completing his training in pastry with the plan to become a pastry chef.
During lock down he began to bake and the bakery has gone from strength to strength ever since.
Sean continues to run the business with Katie who manages the shop and the social media.
Yum Cakes added: "We’d like to say a huge thankyou to every single person who has supported us since opening- our family, our customers, our suppliers and our amazing team - Andrea, Naomi, Kaitlyn and Abby. Without them, Yum Cakes would not be possible."
Yum Cakes and the other county winners will now attend The Grand Final on July 12 at Euston Square in London.
A spokesperson for The National Bakery Awards 2023 said: "We don’t host your usual sit-down dinner. Instead we hold a cinematic-style awards presentation, inviting all of our County Award winners along who are eager to find out who are crowned the Regional Awards winners and the overall title of National Bakery of the Year.
"Everyone in the room is already a winner giving a unique atmosphere. Alongside the awards ceremony we host a pre-awards drinks reception and canapés.
"This offers an exclusive face-to-face networking opportunity with a room full of the very best bakers from every corner of the UK, including independent, craft and artisan businesses, right up to plant bakers and wholesalers.
"As an addition, we have engaged the support of the key industry associations on a hunt for the country’s best new talent and as such will recognise these key young bakers - the very best of the industry’s future generation."
