Special wedding cake created by Luke Evans Bakery

Derbyshire bakery Luke Evans has designed and created its biggest wedding cake so far this year… for managing director David Yates and operations director Helen Waterfall.

The couple chose a five-tier cake as the centrepiece of their wedding reception after tying the knot at Shirland Church, near Alfreton.

The fruit cakes were decorated with a completely different intricate design on each tier by the team at Luke Evans Bakery, in Riddings, which has been baking bread and cakes for more than 200 years.

Real avalanche roses in white were placed in between the tiers.

“We were absolutely thrilled by the wedding cake,” said Helen. “Our team did a great job. They’d been feeding the cake brandy for the past four months and it was beautiful.”

The five-tier cake was the largest created by Luke Evans Bakery this year, which makes an average of four wedding cakes a month.

David and Helen, who live in Shirland, had their reception at Morley Hayes Hotel, near Derby, surrounded by family and friends after marrying on August 24th.

Luke Evans Bakery sells direct to the public from its shop in Greenhill Lane, Riddings, and also supplies around 300 trade and wholesale customers across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire, including shops, cafes, schools, delis and Pride Park - the home of Derby County Football Club.

Fully trained craft bakers operate 24 hours a day turning out breads, cakes and savoury products from farmhouse loaves and bread rolls to fresh cream éclairs and iced buns.

The bakery has been providing wedding cakes to happy couples across Derbyshire for decades.

For more information visit www.lukeevans.co.uk

Photo courtesy of Martyn Dudley Studio, Ripley.

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Derbyshire baker Luke Evans Bakery joins National Doughnut Week 2012

Derbyshire baker Luke Evans Bakery is giving customers the perfect excuse to dive into a doughnut by taking part in National Doughnut Week and raising cash for charity.

The baker will be donating 10p from the sale of each doughnut to charity during the week, which runs from Saturday May 12th to Saturday May 19th.

National Doughnut Week has raised more than £735,000 for the Children’s Trust since it was first launched – and this year organisers hope to collect a further £30,000 for the good cause.

This gives everyone the perfect excuse to treat themselves to a delicious doughnut or two, said Luke Evans Bakery managing director David Yates.

“Last year our customers really got behind National Doughnut Week and munched their way through 1,200, which meant we could hand over a decent donation to the Children’s Trust,” said David. “We hope customers will support this good cause again this year.”

Luke Evans Bakery, based at Riddings near Alfreton, will be adding two new doughnuts to its range during National Doughnut Week – chocolate filled and custard filled doughnuts. Alongside its jam and cream doughnuts, the products will be on sale at the firm’s shop in Greenhill Lane, Riddings.

Luke Evans Bakery is one of many participating bakers across the UK helping to raise money for the Children’s Trust, which is a national charity that provides care, education and therapy for children with multiple disabilities and complex health needs.

The firm supplies around 300 trade and wholesale customers across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Staffordshire, including shops, schools, delis and Pride Park - the home of Derby County Football Club.

Luke Evans Bakery was founded more than 200 years ago by Henry Evans, who named the business after his son. Today it is a modern company with a team of fully trained craft bakers operating 24 hours a day turning out breads, cakes and savoury products.

www.lukeevans.co.uk

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk

Christmas cake recipe riddle for Luke Evans Bakery

One of the country’s oldest family run bakers is appealing for information from Derbyshire’s older generation to see if it can pinpoint exactly how long it has been producing Christmas cakes using the same recipe.

Luke Evans Bakery has established that the recipe for its Christmas cakes has been used for at least 50 years – but the current managing director David Yates believes it’s almost certainly been used for much longer.

Bakery foreman David Bond, who has been with the business for more than 47 years, was taught the recipe by Joe Evans – the fifth member of the family to run the bakery at Riddings near Alfreton.

“The Christmas cake recipe was passed over to David Bond by Joe Evans, who told him that Luke Evans Bakery had used the recipe for many years previously,” said David Yates. “But we’d love to know if there was anyone who could give us a more precise timescale for how long the recipe has been used.

“I suppose it’s feasible that it could have been used for more than 100 years. We were just wondering if there was anyone who could give us any more information about the history of the Christmas cake recipe. Perhaps they remember their grandparents or parents buying a Christmas cake and trying a piece.”

Founded in 1804, Luke Evans Bakery, which is an eighth generation baking business after Sarah Yates – the great granddaughter of Joe Evans – joined the company last year, bakes around 1,000 Christmas cakes each year, ranging from large luxurious cakes to smaller round traditional cakes.

Some of its wholesale customers also have a long history associated with the Christmas cakes.

Both Rita Bowmer’s General Store, on Belper Lane End, Belper, and Costcutter at Newton, near Tibshelf, now run by Peter Smith and formerly trading as Smiths of Newton and run by his father Frank Smith, known as Chug, have stocked the Christmas cakes for more than 50 years.

“I am 58 and I can remember Luke Evans when I was a little lad and I know we have been with them for over 50 years,” said Peter Smith. “The quality of the cake is excellent and the decoration is excellent as well.”

Luke Evans employee Philip Tomlinson, known as Sam, used to deliver to Chug when he was a van driver. Sam too has a long history of working for Luke Evans Bakery - he joined the company on 1st July 1967 and now has 44 years service.

Luke Evans Bakery sells direct to the public from its shop in Green Hill Lane and supplies around 300 trade and wholesale customers across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, East Staffordshire and further afield, including shops, schools, delis and Pride Park - the home of Derby County Football Club.

Fully trained craft bakers operate 24 hours a day turning out breads, cakes and savoury products.

www.lukeevans.co.uk

Issued by Nottingham PR company Perfect 10 PR www.perfect10pr.co.uk