Sumptuous Bakery® was established in August 2020, following a request for a celebration cake in early 2020. With little understanding of making celebration cakes, Nicola managed to produce an aesthetically pleasing cake, without formal training. It took hours obsessing over internet videos and failed practice attempts of sponges, to come up with the first Sumptuous®️ recipe. Her art skills from school provided a basis for her first edible sculptures. Nicola didn't realise how fulfilling baking was, until she saw the reaction to her very first novelty cake. This is where the passion grew, and her love for all-things-cake became quite obsessive.
Sumptuous®️ proudly sources high quality ingredients from local, and regional businesses. They love to showcase the best loved ingredients of Wales and the wider UK, as they believe that ingredients are more delicious when grown with taste in mind. Cutting down on air miles and carbon emissions is a continual goal of theirs. Sumptuous®️ aims to expand the sourcing of Welsh based organic ingredients, and hope to have organic accreditation once strong business relationships have formed.
Animal welfare is always at the forefront of their minds. The bakery has teamed up with Calon Wen, a Welsh organic dairy supplier who truly believes that animals deserve the best quality of life. The organic, free-range eggs are sourced from the No6 Egg company, 20 mins from Llandrindod Wells.
CALON WEN - WELSH ORGANIC MILK AND BUTTER
Gorgeous tasting milk and set butter, provides the best foundations for an indulgent treat, with the benefit of being ethically sourced.
"Organic farming is the only method of production that has legally binding commitments on animal welfare, land use and environmental protection. At Calon Wen we take what we describe as an holistic approach to farming and that is the desire to put back whatever is taken out of a natural resource. We do not use artificial chemical fertilisers on our land or provide antibiotic feed additives for our livestock. Our organic farming methods are based upon natural forms of farming such as biological pest control and crop rotation and the cows enjoy the outdoor life for ¾ of the year, which means plenty of time to graze the clover rich fields as well as getting plenty of fresh air and exercise. For Calon Wen members, this means breeding hardy dairy cattle that enjoy living outside for most of the year."
Organic whole and semi-skimmed milk has more beneficial omega-3 fatty acid, Vitamin E and beta-carotene than non-organic milk.
UK organic milk has 68% higher levels of the essential fatty acid than non-organic milk."
NO6 EGG COMPANY - WELSH ORGANIC FREE-RANGE EGGS.
Farmed by Dan Lydiate. Wales international Rugby Union player.
Based 20 minutes North of Llandrindod Wells, the No6 Egg Company farms organic, free-range eggs, with the highest standard of animal welfare in mind. The eggs are certified organic by the Farmers and Growers Association; this guarantees several things for their customers. The hens must be humanely raised in smaller flocks, cannot be beak-tipped, and they require adequate room to behave naturally. There is plenty of space to forage after their scheduled feed, with lots of ground to peck and scratch. Farmed in this less intensive way, allows for the hens to be kept longer, and also means the land will sustain over many generations. The hens require organic feeds that do not contain unhealthy chemicals, pesticides, fillers, colourings or animal byproducts.
The yolks in these eggs are perfectly, naturally coloured, and are very rich to taste. Our fluffy sponges and fudgy traybakes are extra decadent, packed with these nutritious eggs; arguably, an unrivalled flavour. Some of the best eggs we have tasted.
ETHICALLY SOURCED, CACAO-TRACE, BELGIAN CHOCOLATE
Not only is it delicious chocolate with a flawless texture, Cacao-Trace chocolate gives back the the cocoa farmers and their community.
"More than any other programme, Cacao-Trace benefits the cocoa farmers. By working side by side, Cacao-Trace empowers cocoa farmers in Ivory Coast, Vietnam, The Philippines, Papua New Guinea and Mexico to obtain the highest possible income and to manage their plantations with greater autonomy.
In combination with training, fair and predictable payments, Cacao-Trace cocoa farmers receive an additional premium linked to the quality of their cocoa beans. Delivering wet beans to the post-harvest centres instead of fermenting and drying themselves, gives cocoa farmers also more time to spend on any other activities on their plantation. On top of the quality premium, cocoa farmers receive an additional Chocolate Bonus for every kilo of Cacao-Trace chocolate that is sold. This often adds up to the equivalent of an extra month's salary for them."
HALEN MON- WELSH SEA SALT
With an exquisite depth of flavour, Halen Mon sea salt is highly regarded within the culinary community.
"In 1997, we left a saucepan of seawater to boil on the Aga in our family kitchen and as the salt crystals started to form, we knew we’d struck culinary gold. We started supplying Halen Mon Sea Salt to Swains, our local butchers in Menai Bridge on the Isle of Anglesey.
Today, our sea salt is enjoyed around the world by chefs, food lovers and even Barack Obama. It has been served at the London 2012 Olympics, political summits and royal weddings and is a vital ingredient in Green & Blacks chocolate and Piper’s Crisps.
Along with over 100 of the nation’s best delicatessens in the UK, we also supply Marks and Spencer, Waitrose and Harvey Nichols. Our sea salt can be found in more than 22 countries across the globe as well as on the tables of some of the world’s top restaurants like The Fat Duck.
Importantly, it’s still for sale at Swains in Menai Bridge."
KIDDU VANILLA EXTRACT
Soon to be organically certified, this rich extract is a key ingredient in the bakes.
"We have a model farm, some 10 acres, where we are growing our own vanilla vines. As well as supporting our teaching of best practice agricultural techniques to our farmers ‘in the field’, our model farm will become a nursery from which we will be able to distribute vine cuttings and empower the next generation of farmers to differentiate and maintain Ugandan vanilla as a class above the rest.
Like our father before us, we are active in local trade bodies and believe that our brethren have so much to offer in helping us strengthen and professionalise the Ugandan vanilla sector. At the same time, we Ugandans will always stay true to our roots, really understanding how nature provides like only a true smallholder farmer can.
Between us, we personally oversee every step, from hand-picking beans off the vines, through 5 – 6 months of curing, to packaging the finest-flavoured gourmet vanilla pods in the U.K. From delicate vine to dessert spoon, our vanilla is handled carefully by us right along its journey to you.
Ours is a family business throughout, steeped in the traditional methods required to bring out the best flavours in our beans, and with a deep understanding of the quality standards our customers expect. With the large volumes of vanilla that we handle in Uganda, we are sure to always have a reliable supply of just the best gourmet vanilla pods for sale through Kiddu."
SHIPTON MILL ORGANIC FLOUR
Organically produced to create a luxury, untouched ingredient which is at the heart of the bakes. It cleverly manages to create both a dense, fudgy blondie and the lightest, fluffy sponge.
"Shipton stoneground flour is once again a product of the mill – and of the place. Corn continues to arrive for milling, in part, from the same Cotswold landscape that has always been the setting for the Mill.
The Mill and its river and millpond are home to a thriving and diverse ecosystem, including wild brown trout, kingfishers, damselflies and otters. Now that the millwheel is restored and the sluice gates can close to create the beautiful millpond, we are working on generating our own electricity from the millwheel.
Our surroundings serve as a daily reminder that we inherit the skills of those who came before us. For each year we have milled at Shipton, they milled for a hundred. In short, our flours today are the products of their past."
WELSH PENYLAN PRESERVES
Sumptuous Bakery®️ love to use Penylan preserves in their cupcakes and celebration cakes. The fresh, handmade preserves provide an unrivalled depth of flavour.
"The multi award-winning Penylan Preserves was created from a hobby and turned into an unquenchable passion to create good quality, locally produced, and most importantly, tasty preserves, in the heart of Cardiff. Initially being produced from home, Penylan Preserves has grown and now has 2 homes where the fantastic preserves are produced from.
Delicious ingredients are freshly sourced from Mum's allotment or from local independent businesses. They are then all hand chopped and hand stirred to make our delicious jams. All products are completely handmade."
