THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING!
Zoe brings secret recipe over the border after being forced to relocate business
A PUDDING maker who upped sticks and moved premises says she hasn’t looked back since.
Zoe Jeffrey took over Brockley’s Puddings in 2010 from the Brockley family who used to sell the steak puddings from a chippy in Thomas Street, Packmoor.
However, in September last year, Zoe was forced to move from Radway Green, in Cheshire, to Wolstanton High Street as the building she was using for her business was being demolished.
Zoe, from May Bank, says the upheaval turned out to be good for business. The Brockley’s original secret recipe has been serving customers in Stoke-on-trent for more than 60 years but the daughter and granddaughter of the original owner, Stevie, had to sell up. Zoe, aged 38, viewed the product and decided to give it a shot.
She said: “Moving premises has been better for me as I live just up the road and I’ve got two children who go to school and nursery near here.
“The new premises are a little bit bigger so we’ve got room to grow and there’s lots of potential. In the old place, if we did want to grow we probably would have had to move anyway. Another good thing about coming to Wolstanton is it’s a new area to sell the puddings so there are lots of new customers. “This was a printer’s shop before so it all had to be stripped out, gutted, cleaned down and painted. It was a big job but my family helped me.
“I baked loads and loads before the move so it was really busy in the run-up and we had to get special lifting equipment to transfer all the puddings properly. My stock was running thin on the ground towards the end but it just about saw me through.
“The puddings taste like good old fashioned food – just like what your nan used to make. Everything is handmade from scratch and I think you can tell. I’m glad the puddings are still going, I’m glad for the Brockley family as well.
“Sometimes I deliver to Stevie’s daughter Gene which is nice. I must be doing something right if a Brockley eats them!”