After successfully raising over £15,000 through crowdfunding last year, a local St Neots-based cafe and restaurant has today (21 January) opened the doors to its brand new artisan bakery and baking school in the town.
Elsie May’s Electric Lounge Café, Bar & Bakery, located in St Neots’ Market Square has begun to welcome customers to the newly-established bakery after it collected over £17,000 in donations from 300-plus different backers to make the transformation happen. The event, which marked an exciting new milestone for the local business, was opened by St Neots Town Mayor, Cllr Stephen Ferguson, in front of a number of local patrons.
The funds that were generously pledged and donated helped Naomi Rose, owner of Elsie May’s Electric Lounge, to purchase essential equipment such as mixers, sinks, ovens and extraction units and cover installation and contracting work to make the building’s annexe fit for purpose.
The new bakery features a wide range of homemade sourdoughs, focaccia, granary breads and pastries, alongside homemade cakes and scones, providing the local community with access to local, fresh and tasty products.
Speaking at the bakery’s launch event, Naomi said: “Our local community is so important to us and we’re so grateful for the generosity that has been shown to us throughout this process, and we really want to make this bakery a place that people can be proud of, right on their doorstep.
“The past 18 months have been difficult for everyone locally, both for businesses and individuals, and we are really hopeful that the new bakery at the start of a new year is a fresh start and lift for everyone.
“It’s certainly been a labour of love, albeit a little stressful at times, to get the bakery up and running and we are just delighted to welcome all our friends, families and the wonderful people of St Neots down to try some of our new bakes. We’ve been testing, trialing, and perfecting our recipes during the past few months so I’m sure people will love it!”
The café’s crowdfunding campaign was supported by Instagram influencer Sourdough Sophia to her 112,000 followers as well The Real Bread Campaign and The National Caterers Association.
Media contact
Roshini Bains
Editor, International Bakery
Tel: +44 (0) 1622 823 922
Email: editor@in-bakery.com
