'˜Young' bakery in Biggar scoops national award

“It is fantastic,” said Jane Brown who with husband Ranald owns Biggar Flavour. “It is a lot of buzz for us again.

“It is a great talking point with customers.”

Big restaurants and suppliers were picking up the prizes in their categories at the ceremony in Glasgow, so for a small bakery in Biggar to be singled out was superb.

The couple still feel they are newcomers in baking circles.

“We are still a young business,” said Jane. “We go to conferences and there are second, third and even fourth generations of bakers there and they look as us and wonder what we are doing there!”

The couple bought The Orchard, an existing business - ten years ago as a traditional greengrocer and gradually expanded the range of goods to develop more of a deli feel, with food mainly from small independent producers.

They were also making preserves at home, but in 2011 they were able to buy the closed bakery next door, and open that as Biggar Flavour, the name they were using for their prize-winning jams.

“Here we make almost everything onsite - cakes, bread, ready meals, preserves as well as the foods for hot and cold takeaway. Everything we produce is made from scratch using high quality ingredients.” added Jane.

In the six years since opening Biggar Flavour they have won several national awards including the Scottish Baking Best Bakery title in 2014 recognising their “innovative cakes” and quality products, various regional Scottish Bakers awards for biscuits and pies, and silver and gold in the the World Scotch Pie Awards.

They put in the work, but Jane points out that they are not the only business in Biggar winning awards, and she feels their latest title adds to the credit of the town.

“There are so many independent businesses in Biggar and we all work really hard to keep going, which is not always easy,” she said.

Looking along the street businesses such as the Taj Mahal next door, the Elphinstone, the Crown, Cones and Candies, and bookshop Atkinson-Pryce had all received recognition, and Jane felt it was time Biggar marketed itself - perhaps on its signs - as an award-winning town!

“It is all hard-working owners working such long hours,” she said. “But we have a hard working team, who put in long hours to support us and maintain the quality.”