Regional & Seasonal: Honeywell Biscuit Co., Northamptonshire
The seasonally shaped and skilfully iced biscuits at a Northamptonshire bakery look as good as they taste
AS SPRING MAKES its presence felt, trees burst with verdure, and meadows ripple with tender wild flowers; their delicate scents become fresh and new with every suggestion of a breeze. Flashes of yellow dance among the blooms as Brimstone butterflies flutter from flower to flower, while young hares play in the undergrowth; their ears pricked to the slightest movements.
As nature’s fervour gathers energy, so too does a bakery nestled in the heart of the Northamptonshire countryside, its commitment aligned to the fresh vigours of the season. Light pools into a high-ceilinged room, where trays of golden biscuits, in a variety of seasonal shapes, are laid out to cool. Easter is on the horizon for the team at Honeywell Biscuit Co., and the bakery is humming with a renewed purpose. At the individual workstations, some biscuit artists intricately pipe iced flowers onto fresh bakes, while others use colourful fondant icing to create biscuits that resemble speckled eggs, newborn chicks and bunnies. The atmosphere is as vibrant as the fields outside, with a season of promise encapsulated in every iced design.
“Spring is my favourite time of year,” says founder Rebecca Honeywell-Ward. “At Easter, the bakery is full of lovely-shaped biscuits, baked just like you would at home, using our tried and tested recipe. Each is then individually cut using one of our ever-expanding collection of 3,000 cookie cutters.”
The small team make fresh biscuits every day, adorned with beautifully hand-iced decorations, which are then packaged into eco-friendly gift boxes, ready to be sent to customers up and down the country. “We use local and British suppliers wherever possible. The flour is milled in Northamptonshire, while the eggs are free range and delivered by a local shop,” explains Rebecca. The same principle is applied to their baking kits, which include a recipe card and pre-weighed dry ingredients that have been sourced locally. These can be ordered on their own or as part of a subscription to receive each month.
In addition to their seasonal gifts, the bakery also offers biscuits for every occasion, including weddings, birthdays and anniversaries, as well as more whimsical designs, such as biscuits shaped like vegetables, cheese and even houseplants. “We have two wonderful designers, who think up lots of new ideas, sketch them out and then turn them into beautiful biscuits.”
This extensive range is a testament to the company’s growing success. “We began as a hobby in 2012, since we wanted to bake
some pretty things. My sister and I both started the business, and a few years later, she left and moved to Scotland. I was a wedding photographer at the time. We’d bake and ice during the week, and I’d photograph weddings at the weekend. After approximately three years, I gave up the photography to focus on the business full time.”
From an idea formed over a cup of tea and a biscuit, the company has grown with a clear mission: to bring creative baking to everyone.
As fresh greenery bursts from the bud outside, and pastel blooms come to the fore, Rebecca and the team continue to draw inspiration from the beauty around them. “It all seems very hopeful,” she says.