Taste Of The Moorlands

About Taste Of The Moorlands & Sarah Gayton

Taste Of The Moorlands was set up by Sarah Gayton, following a period of four years in Kosovo with the United Nations and with a background in environmental protection.

Click here to read one of Sarah's environmental reports she wrote while working in Kosovo.

Sarah Gayton came back to the UK in 2004 and started looking for work.  By 2006, Sarah was managing a successful bakery and had a silver award for her shortbread under her belt.

Although baking runs in the family (click here to visit the Gayton Family Bakery website), this was not an obvious choice of career for Sarah.  Returning from Kosovo, she helped her Warwickshire-based brother sell his bakery products at farmers' markets.  It was while doing this that she realised how many people sought products with a low sugar content - some because of diabetes, others simply because they were counting calories.

Sarah Gayton decided she would start baking her own products to meet people's needs.  She also, however, wanted to use local ingredients for her bakery - or buy direct from the producer - "to keep her 'food miles' to the minimum".  This meant her products would be desirable to customers from an environmental and quality point of view - as well as for their taste!

In July 2005, Sarah started renting a bakery on a farm at Warslow.  "I noticed a competition being run by the Great Tastes Awards and entered my pure butter shortbread.  We gained the silver award and were delighted - we had only been operating for three weeks…."

Sarah Gayton has two main ranges:  naturally sweetened range and a very sweet range.  She also offers treacle tart, bakewell tart,  shortbread, oat crunchies and a hot ginger biscuit.

Sarah works full-time in the business.  Her main trading outlets are the farmers' markets at Shrewsbury, Leek, Stone & Stafford. Plus at many of the county shows and game fairs. 

"Leader + has been a tremendous source of practical advice and support," says Sarah.  "I had help with the writing of my business plan.  It was vital to get the plan right as I needed it for discussions with banks and other agencies. I recently received a grant which is enabling me to buy an oven and a pastry press and later I hope to be able to acquire a labelling machine and a heat sealer so that I can improve my packaging."  Longer term plans for Sarah include the setting up of an environmental training programme - with food as the theme.

"I enjoy the baking and selling," says Sarah, "but I don't really enjoy the paperwork.  But I would say to any woman thinking of setting up on her own:  "Go for it!"  There's lots of support and help out there.  Get a good working relationship with your customers, constantly seek their feedback and listen to what they say.  Just do it!"

Treats fit for a queen