Sisters behind bakery that has queues down the street and 'unbelievable' cakes open Manchester cafe
When Millie Walter was first starting her business there was a little red book full of recipes that she swore by.
Pages dog-eared and slightly stained, this baking bible housed the key steps for creating her now best-selling treats. From Oreo & Nutella Brookies - an indulgent combination of brownie and cookie - to Cadbury Caramel Blondie and Cookie Dough Brownies, you name it, and Millie has probably baked it.
In the five years since she first started developing her recipes and selling her home-baked goods at local artisan markets in the North West, the recipe book has gone on to be replaced by a slick, laminated folder, one she still uses religiously at her and sister Lydia’s flagship bakery, Buzzy Bee, in Wilmslow.
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Situated on Hawthorn Lane in the leafy Cheshire town, it opened in 2021 to great acclaim, in part due to the development of Millie’s brookie recipe. Spanning an impressive variety of 20 flavours such as Milky bar, Galaxy Caramel, Chocolate Orange and Raspberry White Chocolate - to name just a few - they became an instant hit with queues meandering down the street becoming a regular fixture outside the shop.
Millie’s love of baking stemmed from childhood when she would often be found with a whisk in hand and eggs ready to crack - all in the name of creating “amazing edible treats”. Pursuing her passion for baking further she later went on to train as a professional chef at the Leiths Cookery School in London, before honing her skills as a pastry chef in London, Australia and Cheshire.
But it was during this trip away to Australia with her sister that she decided she really wanted to make a go of it. “We travelled all around and worked in this sort of cafe and cake shop and I loved it, so I’ve been manifesting all of this,” she laughs.
Now, having established themselves in Wilmslow and built a loyal customer base, they’ve set up a second shop in Manchester city centre. Situated on Church Street in the heart of the Northern Quarter, it counts Bird & Blend Tea Co and Afflecks as neighbours and, with its very on-brand Manchester name, feels right at home in the buzzing district.
“We found the site about a year ago but due to all the paperwork it’s taken a while to finally open. Funnily enough, the name does tie in with Manchester but it’s actually a bumble bee rather than worker bee so wasn’t intentional as such.
“I always wanted to name it something linked to nature and my mum is obsessed with bees, so she’ll only plant things in the garden that attract them. That said, it was almost called something linked to butterflies and then Lydia came up with Buzzy Bee when we opened the first shop.”
After making her mark at artisan markets in the region with her brookies, cookies, brownies and donuts, pictures of Millie’s bakes went viral online with hundreds of thousands of views on social media. Lydia came on board in 2019, bringing with her a background in sales and marketing, and Buzzy Bee as it’s known now was born.
While the pandemic brought its challenges, online postal orders boomed for the pair, as they worked tirelessly to meet nationwide demand for their sweet treats. The success of the online business meant the sisters could also save up to open their first bakery, which came to fruition in 2021 - a dream Millie says she has had since she was eight-years-old.
“It’s crazy how many people from the start of Buzzy Bee have become regulars,” she adds, reflecting on the last five years.
“That’s also a reason I was excited for us to open a second bakery in Manchester. Many will be people passing through town or tourists experiencing our bakery and our bakes for the first time.
“Rent is cheaper here than other places in Manchester too and, with this second shop, I’ve been allowed to create a different vibe to Wilmslow. There's more neutrals and calming elements to the design, and I also didn’t want it to be bright pink like lots of places you see online now.”
Illuminated by a neon yellow bee as you pass the threshold, the Manchester site has a completely different feel to the flagship. Boasting a light and airy aesthetic, white tiles dotted with illustrations of bees line one wall, while rattan-style lamp shades and verdant foliage cascade from the ceiling above.
The focal point though is the soft brown and cream-hued countertop showcasing Buzzy Bee’s bakes encased by a clear glass top. From within, customers can choose from rows of cake slices, blondie and brownie bars and brookies bursting with chocolate and cookie dough.
Next to the counter sits a sunken ice cream counter too, so customers looking for an added level of indulgence can top their baked treats with flavours including birthday cake and white chocolate and raspberry.
Meanwhile, upstairs work is underway to finalise their glass-fronted bakery, which, in the coming weeks, will give visitors the chance to pull up a stool and watch Buzzy Bee’s bakers in action as they prepare all the bakes.
While the range available at the new store is very similar to that of Wilmslow, Millie says this is to ensure they keep the quality and “make sure the classics are done just right”.
As well as the option to take out a variety of the bakes from the counter, Buzzy Bee also sells a small selection of desserts for customers to pick up, ranging from tiramisu in flavours spanning Biscoff, Nutella and Kinder Bueno, and pistachio-flavoured and Jammy Dodger cheesecakes from £6.50.
Price wise, brookies are £4, while brownies and banana bread are £4.50, cookies £3.75 and cupcakes are £2.75. There’s also a selection of hot drinks to enjoy in the shop or take away.
“I’m keen to not charge more than £5 for our bakes, because I just think that’s too much for people. And I also think it’s about getting the classics right.
“As we bed in, I’ll experiment a bit more and I want to have little cakes that people can come and collect and more desserts, something like banoffee pie. For autumn, we’re looking at toffee apple brookies and sticky toffee flavours for our bakes.”