A BIG-TIME bakers, with more than 24,000 Instagram followers, is opening up a new shop in Colchester.

Kiersten Donohue, head baker and owner of Victoria Yum, has relocated her bakery from Hackney, in London, to Colchester in a vote of confidence in the town’s future.

The bakery is set to open its doors to customers at Lion Walk shopping centre next Thursday.

The bakery’s cakes and bakes have graced the counters of upmarket department stores including Harrods, Selfridges and Fortnum and Mason, leaving centre manager Martin Leatherdale buzzing with excitement.

He said: “This shop will be a game changer for the town, certainly the best and most exciting store opening in my tenure.

“Not only will they be the best cakes in town, it’s another milestone and success for the centre and the town.”

The bakery will serve fresh cakes, brownies and all-day brunch, alongside drinks including champagne and prosecco.

Kiersten said: “My goal is to bake food that makes people feel special.

“Whether customers are popping in for a cake and a coffee, having brunch and bubbles with friends or ordering a birthday cake, we want everyone to leave us feeling a little sweeter than when they walked in.”

Gazette:

Customers will be able to reserve a table or a cake for collection.

The continued restrictions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic are having a widely-reported negative impact on hospitality, making it far from the ideal time to relocate and open a new food business.

But Kiersten is feeling positive about the move.

She said: “Now is the time for optimism.

“Simple pleasures like fresh fruit tarts and champagne cocktails obviously can’t change the state of the world, but they can help whisk our customers away from all the doom and gloom.

“So we just decided to roll up our sleeves and get on with it.”