June 2022

Backing for students and local businesses as new Cakes & Bakes opens its doors

By Darren Campbell

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Trainee bakers and local businesses are both set to be boosted by the opening of a brand new café at University College Birmingham.

Last week saw the public opening of the relaunched Cakes & Bakes, operating in a new street-facing location at the forefront of the University's Summer Row campus.

The outlet, which proudly sells cakes and baked products made by our very own students training at our Birmingham College of Food, now serves as both a shop and an eat-in café which is open to students, staff and the public alike.

"It was very important to all involved in the new shop that we took this new and exciting business opportunity to be inclusive of local suppliers"

Anna Hughes Head of Commercial Sales

Among the tasty treats on offer are a wide selection of freshly-baked cakes, biscuits, pastries and bread as well as hot soup, hot drinks and a range of sandwiches and snacks.

And the University has also teamed up with a variety of local suppliers and producers to provide a post-Covid boost to the Midlands economy.

Alongside products made by students, the café will stock produce provided by regional firms including Midland Chilled Foods, Island Delight and Direct Food Solutions.

The shop sells a variety of products made by our bakery students

Anna Hughes, Head of Commercial Sales at University College Birmingham, said: "From the very start, it was very important to all involved in the new shop that we took this new and exciting business opportunity to be inclusive of local suppliers too.

"Seeing and hearing the damage that has been done to so many local businesses by the Covid pandemic, it was only right that we supported where we could. As a result, we now have three local external suppliers who are receiving fantastic feedback from our customers on their mouth-watering offerings."

In pictures: The new Cakes & Bakes, Summer Row

Kali Davidson, Head of the Birmingham College of Food, said: "We are really proud and fortunate to have a new shop right at the front of our building.

"This will enable staff, students and customers passing by to sample and take home the fantastic fresh bread, bespoke chocolates and confectionery products our bakery students and staff produce.

"The shop will showcase the innovative products that the highly-skilled team are forever producing and show how current our curriculum has become."

In addition to its new location and product range, Cakes & Bakes will also now operate outside of term time, remaining open for 50 weeks of the year.

For more details including current opening hours, please visit our new Cakes & Bakes website.

Top training for bakery's rising talents

University College Birmingham is a renowned provider of career-focused training for the bakery industry, with specialist courses at college and undergraduate level as well as apprenticeships.

In addition to showcasing their products in our Cakes & Bakes shop, students gain a wealth of practical experience and skills studying in our industry-standard bakery labs and facilities such as our Food Science and Innovation Suite.

Students also have the opportunity to put their skills into practice on placement during their course as well as taking part in industry competitions, such as the Alliance for Bakery Students and Trainees (ABST) annual competition.

Find out more about our range of bakery courses within our Birmingham College of Food.

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