Cookie Queen takes throne
PEOPLE lined the street as a brand new bakery opened in Portsmouth.
The Cookie Queen in High Street, Cosham, made its highly anticipated opening on Saturday.
Customers queued out the door and along the street to sample New York style stuffed cookies, and cookie pie slices.
Owner Gemma Daysh, of Paulsgrove, said it was ‘an extra special moment’ to open the shop in her hometown – describing it as a ‘momentous’ occasion. She said: ‘I think it was a huge success, and an absolutely brilliant day. My feet didn’t touch the floor from the minute I snipped the ribbon and started serving until the doors closed.
‘The queue was halfway down the road. It was so overwhelming, but I was really pleased with how successful the day was, and I had a really good team behind me.’
Ms Daysh has followed her family legacy of baking.
Her great great grandfather, Frank Daysh, ran a bakery called Frank W Daysh Baker and Grocer on Cosham High Street in the early 1900s.
Now, the business owner has followed in his footsteps, leaving the bakery at midnight on Friday, and returned at 5am the following morning to make sure everything ran smoothly.
She said her social media has ‘blown up’ since the launch, and the buzz has been contagious.
Ms Daysh added: ‘The queues didn’t stop, and they just kept coming all day long.
‘They completely cleared me out of stock.
‘Stuffed cookies were the first to sell out, then the Cookie pies, and the new cookie cupcakes went down a storm.’
Family members, including Ms Daysh’s mum, Sarah Hardham, sister, Charlotte Daysh-Barbour, and step mum, Claire Daysh, all chipped in on the day.
Hope Colley, an intern from Southdowns College, also support the team.
Ms Daysh estimates from her sales that hundreds of people visited the bakery.
She added other businesses on the high street reported increased footfall because of the opening, and now feels The Cookie Queen is fully established.
Ms Daysh added: ‘I had a shadow of doubt about how popular of a day it would be, but it was incredible.
‘I feel like The Cookie Queen will be an integral part of the high street, and hopefully many more high streets to come.’