A talented North East baker is turning her passion for crafting puddings into her own business thanks to a funding boost.
Leanne Cummings first set up Elsie’s Kitchen 18 months ago. The business is a dessert delivery service specialising in everything from traditional traybakes and cheesecakes, all made in the kitchen of her South Shields home.
Since launching, she has also expanded her range to include savoury treats and dinners.
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The business has proved so popular that Ms Cummings has now decided she will give up her housing officer job in March of next year, to give all her time to developing her catering business.
After working with Newcastle-based regional fund management firm NEL Fund Managers, she has secured a £25,000 investment from the North East Small Loan Fund Supported By The European Regional Development Fund, which she will use to kit out and open a new shop on Westoe Road in South Shields in the spring, as well as to take on new staff to help meet customer demand.
And she is already planning on opening a second store elsewhere in the region within the next couple of years.
Elsie’s Kitchen - a play on Ms Cumming’s initials to suit the traditional-style cakes she makes – is now also providing catering for a growing number of events across South Tyneside, North Tyneside and Gateshead after receiving great feedback for the food she made for her own engagement party.
She said: “Baking and cookery were always just a hobby, but the response I’ve had over the last 18 months has given me the confidence to turn this passion for food into a full-time business.
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“Old school cakes like rainbow sponge, jam and coconut and Angel Delight crispy cake have tended to be my bestsellers so far, but I’m open to whatever customers want me to make and the new shop will give us the space we need to expand our menu.
“Event catering wasn’t something I’d really considered until I got such great comments about the food I’d prepared for my own party, and since then, that side of the business has really taken off.
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“I want to get the South Shields shop up and running next year, but think there’s a great deal more potential in the business that I can realise and establishing a physical presence in a second location in the near future is high on my To Do list.
“The NEL team were really helpful in guiding me through the application process and answering the questions I had about how everything worked, and it’s exciting to now be ready to start getting everything going.”
Part of the £120m North East Fund and aimed predominantly at smaller SMEs, the £9m North East Small Loan Fund offers loans of between £10,000 and £50,000 to businesses in Tyne and Wear, Durham and Northumberland.
Mike Guellard, investment executive at NEL Fund Managers, added: “Turning your hobby into a successful business is a dream for a lot of people, and Leanne has the skills, ideas and resources to make Elsie’s Kitchen an even greater success.”