Celebrate National Tea Day with some tasty cakes dropped straight to your door.

East Anglian Daily Times: A selection of cakes from The Cake Shop Bakery Picture: Nick IllotA selection of cakes from The Cake Shop Bakery Picture: Nick Illot (Image: Nick Ilott Photography)

With Tuesday 21 April marking the 5th anniversary of National Tea Day, it’s the perfect excuse to sit down with a piping hot brew and a slice of cake.

While we may not be able to go out with our loved ones and enjoy an afternoon tea due to lockdown restrictions, we speak to a handful bakeries and cake shops in Suffolk who are going the extra mile and bringing the cakes to you by offering delivery across the county.

From scones and cookies to savoury treats and freshly baked loaves of bread, there’s plenty on offer to satisfy all tastes.

So whether your drink of choice is a chai tea, a green tea or a time-honoured classic English breakfast, it’s time to pop the kettle on, put your feet up and get your orders in.

East Anglian Daily Times: David Wright from The Cake Shop Bakery Picture: Nick IllotDavid Wright from The Cake Shop Bakery Picture: Nick Illot (Image: Nick Ilott Photography)

The Cake Shop Bakery

Woodbridge’s The Cake Shop Bakery has also been pulling together to ensure the local community can still enjoy their baked goods, with the family-run business creating an online shop in just a few days to meet demand.

The Cake Shop Bakery’s David Wright said: “We’ve had to be extremely flexible during this time, with the situation changing on a daily basis. The way we do business has had to adapt accordingly – we have cut our range down to concentrate on the essentials, with a few treats thrown in.”

“We’ve seen a massive rise in people ordering flour. Our millers, Marriage’s, have been excellent in keeping us well stocked,” he added.

Goods for sale on their online shop include triple chocolate brownies, gingerbread men, and lemon cake. To celebrate National Tea Day, The Cake Shop Bakery will also be making a tea loaf cake.

If you fancy trying to bake something yourself on National Tea Day, The Cake Shop Bakery is also selling ingredients and basics such as yeast, eggs, milk, butter and sourdough starter.

“All customers are served from the door and our home delivery service has been well used by locals in the IP12, IP13 and IP5 postcodes”, David said. “We managed to set up an online shop in three days thanks to Kyson East who is a digital producer usually tasked with making content for the likes of Honda, BT and Barclays. He himself has changed tack to offer local businesses help so they can in turn help the local community. Our delivery drivers have been incredible too, delivering much needed supplies.”

Click here to place an order. All orders placed before midday will be ready for the next working day (Monday – Saturday, between 8am and 3pm). A delivery charge of £5 will be added, but delivery is free for orders over £15.

East Anglian Daily Times: A mixed cake box from Susi's Kitchen Picture: Susi's KitchenA mixed cake box from Susi's Kitchen Picture: Susi's Kitchen (Image: Archant)

Susi’s Kitchen

Susi’s Kitchen in Woodbridge has been supplying her local pubs with cakes and desserts for nearly a decade, but due to lockdown shutting down her biggest clients for the time being, she’s decided to take her treats out on the road.

“I started the business eight years ago to supply pubs and cafes with cakes and desserts, such as The White Hart in Otley and Deben Cafe on HMS Vale in Melton, as well as to sell at some of the farmers’ markets in the area. But obviously with the start of the lockdown, all of these outlets were wiped off my order book,” Susi said.

“I had been thinking about cake box deliveries for some time – mostly as a possible service for elderly local residents who love homemade cake but don’t want to eat a whole cake of the same flavour, or aren’t able to bake for themselves. So the Coronavirus brought the idea to fruition – a small box of mixed cake slices for £5, or a large box of mixed cake slices for £10 which contains 13 – a Baker’s Dozen – dropped to your doorstep once a week.”

Susi added: “The most popular order is a mixed box of six cakes. This always includes a fresh scone – I get up early to make them on the day so they’re still warm when they go into the boxes – and five other different flavours. This could be a slice of Bakewell tart, a coffee sponge or a cookie. There is always at least one gluten-free option too.”

Delivering to Woodbridge, Martlesham, Rendlesham, Otley and all places in between, business for Susi has been booming. She said: “The idea has taken off really well. From nine boxes ordered in the first week, it’s grown to nearly 60 last weekend – though obviously the Easter bank holidays has had an effect there. The feedback has been lovely, lots of people are sending boxes as gifts to loved ones they are not able to be with, or as thank yous to key workers and carers.”

Susi added: “My husband’s parents are isolating near Otley and we have lots of friends there, so he drops off shopping and checks in on them once a week, and delivers to Otley while he’s there. I’m actually thinking of trying to borrow a bicycle with a large enough delivery basket so that I can deliver and get my daily exercise at the same time. Perhaps if any of EADT readers have one they would be willing to lend, I could pay them in cake.”

Email here to place an order, or ring 07979818049. All payments are made online or via pre-arranged cash left in a secure place. Appropriate social distancing applies to all deliveries.

East Anglian Daily Times: Freshly baked bread and Eccles cakes Picture: Pump Street BakeryFreshly baked bread and Eccles cakes Picture: Pump Street Bakery (Image: Archant)

Pump Street Bakery

Based in Orford is Pump Street Bakery, a family-owned bakery and café that is now offering locals an array of sweet treats and freshly baked goods by ordering online.

Co-founder Joanna Brennan said: “We have made significant changes to what we do to stay safe, protect our staff and customers, and continue to serve the community.

“This has meant focusing on bread as an essential service, reducing our shop operation to takeaway, and increasing our local and national delivery of bread,” she added.

Pump Street Bakery’s most popular order during lockdown has been the doorstep-friendly box packages, which includes freshly baked breads and eccles cakes.

Pastries and cakes on offer from the bakery include croissants, bear claws, jam doughnuts, chocolate chip cookies and coconut macaroons. Prices start from £1.25.

To place an order for next day delivery, ring 01394 459829 or email here by 11am.

Deliveries will be taking place on Fridays for Iken, Snape, Aldeburgh, Saxmundham and Leiston, and on Saturdays for Grundisburgh, Little Bealing, Great Bealings, Bredfield, Wickham Market, Chillesford, Butley, Hollesley, Bawdsey, Melton and Woodbridge.

East Anglian Daily Times: Freshly frosted cupcakes Picture: The Outrageous Cake CompanyFreshly frosted cupcakes Picture: The Outrageous Cake Company (Image: Archant)

The Outrageous Cake Company

On the outskirts of Ipswich is The Outrageous Cake Company, with owners Graham and Tina Weare hoping to still bring some sweetness into people’s lives during this uncertain time.

Graham said: “Tina and I self-isolated for a while, working out how we should go forward with the current lockdown situation we all find ourselves in. We thought that although all of our workshops, wedding cakes and cakes generally have been put on hold, people are still having birthdays, anniversaries and celebrations.

“We appreciate this would be on a much smaller scale, so we are still baking our bespoke cakes, but have introduced a five-inch and six-inch cake, which is more simply decorated, and at a much-reduced cost.”

As well as cakes, The Outrageous Cake Company has introduced a new selection of tray bakes, including brownies, millionaire shortbread and Bakewells. “These come in a small tray big enough for four to six slices, and can be decorated to include a message. Companies have found these useful to wish their workers who are working from home a ‘stay safe’ message, for instance,” Graham added. Cookies, decorated cupcakes and Belgian chocolate cake pops are also available for delivery.

Offering both a collection and delivery service, orders can be paid for over the phone or through BACS payment. Alternatively, all of the traybakes and cake pops can be posted.

“We are delivering locally and for those larger orders, such as care homes, a small charge will ensue depending on distance. Within five miles of us is free of charge however,” he added.

Opening times are irregular due to a reduced capacity, so please ring 07805808362, email them here, or find them on Facebook to see their full offering and to place your order.

East Anglian Daily Times: Blondie slices Picture: BMC CakeryBlondie slices Picture: BMC Cakery (Image: Archant)

BMC Cakery

Rachel Halls, managing director of BMC Cakery, tells us how they’ve made the switch to a delivery-only business – allowing them to make hundreds of deliveries a day.

“It has been pretty hectic, but each day gets easier to switch over to a delivery-based business. It’s a work in progress, but so far it’s been fairly straight forward. Although we were able to open our shops, we chose to go down the delivery-only route to minimise the risk overall,” she said.

In order to let customers place deliveries, BMC Cakery has set up an online shop via Shopify, delivering the next day, which Rachel said “has been working so far. We are continuing to take orders for celebrations including traybakes and giant cookies over the phone too, all of which can be delivered to customers’ doorsteps.”

“Deliveries can be difficult to manage as you never know how many you will get each day, but currently we average 160-180 drops per day which in itself is crazy for such a small business to accomplish within two weeks of the switch. But I have a really great team working to ensure the business survives.”

Seeing a mix of both new and returning customers, some of the goodies available at BMC Cakery include cookies, brownies, blondies, cakes and cupcakes. “We also have a selection of savoury goods, and we try to get free-from bakes available as much as possible throughout the week,” Rachel added.

She also said: “We have just introduced ‘Free basket Fridays’, where we are now giving away two customer baskets completely free.”

BMC Cakery is open Wednesdays to Saturdays. Delivery is available to Ipswich postcodes every day for a £1 delivery fee, and deliveries to areas including Woodbridge, Felixstowe, Stowmarket, Bramford and Claydon are done twice weekly for £2.50. To place an order, visit them on Facebook.

East Anglian Daily Times: Freshly baked hot crossed buns Picture: Stradbroke BakeryFreshly baked hot crossed buns Picture: Stradbroke Bakery (Image: Archant)

Stradbroke Bakery

Situated between Ipswich and Norwich is Stradbroke Bakery, a family-run bakery that has managed to swiftly adapt to social distancing in order to keep up with the demand for freshly baked goods. Baker and social media runner Sam Westrup said: “We are lucky that we are a smaller operation, as we run two baking shifts. Our two confectioners start an early morning shift, making all our delicious cakes. Then they move into a separate room to pack and wrap the products for delivery. The second shift then starts at midday, and runs through to the late hours of the evening. This makes social distancing easier than you may think in a workplace.”

“Being a largely wholesale based bakery, we have always delivered bread and cakes across Suffolk. We use our own delivery vans, run by the same drivers, who all have gloves and anti-bac sprays. Again, in line with existing health and safety, our bakery trays and vans have always been cleaned regularly,” he added.

Delivering as far west as Woolpit, north to Long Stratton, and the south east to Southwold and Saxmundham and Debenham, Stradbroke Bakery has been inundated with orders, with the demand for certain fan favourites at an all-time high.

Sam said: “Recently our sourdough loaves and baguettes have found a huge popularity, and we have extended hot cross buns for an extra week as demand has been so high. On the sweet side, the mini egg chocolate cakes are much loved, and there has been a big online reaction to the Devon Madeira cakes, which are filled with jam and buttercream.

“But we mustn’t forget the staples of white tin loaves, Farmhouse fruit cakes or Suffolk pasties, made with fresh beef from the village butcher. Those are here to stay.” Other goods on sale for delivery include coffee, chutneys, cereals, granola and free-range eggs.

“We have seen a rise in shops coming together to complete orders, making a one-stop pick up for all your groceries,” Sam added. “Special shout out to the wonderful staff at the Railway Farm Shop in Benhall near Saxmundham who are filling out delivery boxes with their own fruit, veg, eggs, and our bread, and The Apiary in Harleston doing the same.”

To place a delivery, visit their website or find them on Facebook here.