The third generation family firm has been crowned Celebration Cake Business of the Year in the Baking Industry Awards 2014 – the industry’s equivalent of the Oscars.
Slattery, based in Bury New Road, carried off the award after putting together a 13-strong team for the competition which required contestants to make a cake with the theme of “Best of British”.
The Slattery team designed and decorated a magnificent three-tier cake representing typical scenes from England, Scotland and Wales.
The achievement was recognised last night in front of more than 800 industry guests at a gala awards ceremony at London’s Park Lane Hilton, as the company was presented with the award by the comedian and television sit. com. star, Hugh Dennis, and Robin Mountain, Managing Director of award sponsor Renshaw.
The award was received on the team’s behalf by Laura Slattery, the firm’s General Manager and daughter of the renowned patissier, John Slattery. She has moved the business on by employing a dedicated new product development person.
She explained: “For the Baking Industry Awards competition, our team of 13 cake decorators met and asked ‘what do people recognise?’ and ‘what makes Britain great?’. Then we concentrated on detail, yet making the scenes flow.
“We chose a three-tier design in three sections: England is symbolised by a traditional English seaside with deckchairs, a harbour and pubs, a village scene, church and afternoon tea, then the City of London with a British Beefeater and a bulldog.”
Wales is represented by the Welsh valleys, daffodils surrounding a Welsh cottage, a rugby player and a Welsh lady holding the symbolic leek. Meanwhile, the Scottish section includes scenic lochs, a whisky barrel, Scottish piper and a Highland cow.
Dividing the different scenes are Hadrian’s Wall, railway signs and stations and pretty rose bushes. The base is the British pound coin, while the pinnacle features the figure of Britannia.
Now in its 27th year, the annual Baking Industry Awards is the premier event in the UK bakery calendar and has been recognising industry excellence since 1987. Run by British Baker magazine, prizes are awarded across 11 categories including Speciality Bread Product, Rising Star and Baker of the Year.
