I apologise for the bad pun there – I couldn’t resist.
In fact, I think I can blame the loss of concentration on the fact that I’ve been looking at some pretty sexy images of baked goods for the last 25 minutes – and it’s kinda fried my brain a little bit.
Anyway, I’ve had a cold shower now and should be fine to continue talking about Albert Street Bakery over in Eccles, a truly independent and family-run bakery that proudly claims to produce “the only Eccles Cakes actually made in Eccles!”
Before I get on to all of that though, let’s talk about the people behind the bakery itself. A true product of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sarah and Gary Hamer owned and operated Impact Catering since the 1980s, however with the nationally imposed lockdown in March and its disastrous impact on hospitality, the family decided to diversify and open a bakery.
Run by brothers Will and Joe, their sister Sophie and cousin Jude, Albert Street offers up a rather impressive range of freshly baked goods daily, from sourdough, focaccia, brownies, cakes and Manchester Tarts, to the aforementioned ‘Made in Eccles‘ cakes.
Located just a stone’s throw from the site of James Birch’s original Eccles Cake shop (which was established all the way back in 1796!), the Hamer’s saw an opportunity to look at the history of the cake and thus develop their very own unique recipe.
You see, contrary to popular believe, Eccles Cakes are no longer actually even made in Eccles, the ones that you see in the supermarket made by Lancashire Eccles Cakes Limited are actually produced in a factory just outside the city centre in Ardwick.
So these are the only actual Eccles Cakes that you can buy that are made in Eccles, unless of course your Nan likes to make them in her kitchen and sell them down the church or at village fêtes. These ones are the real deal though, handmade in small batches using all-butter flaky pastry, homemade candied orange peel, locally grown apples, free range eggs and Vozilla currants.
All of these wonderful goods (and Eccles Cakes) are available to pre-order for collection and delivery every Wednesday and Monday, or alternatively, you can head on over to Playfoots Cafe & Bar in Monton who are serving up the cakes throughout the day.
…………………………
