‘My bakery’s birthday is icing on the cake’
 | | Zoe Berkeley shares cakes with kylan Hope, six. Picture by Jonathan Goldberg |
Marc Mullen
A WEST Hampstead girl celebrated the first birthday of her old-fashioned café with a unique and thoroughly modern twist.
 | | Zoe Berkeley shares cakes with kylan Hope, six. Picture by Jonathan Goldberg |
Zoe Berkeley, who grew up in West Hampstead, opened bake-a-boo on Mill Lane last October.
The decidedly feminine tea shop is a throwback to old times with its afternoon teas but caters for all of our modern day food allergies.
"It is very girly. People come in and describe it as magical," said Ms Berkeley, 25.
"Our traditional afternoon teas, with sandwiches with the crusts cut off are extremely popular. You have to book in advance. One of the reasons is that we offer gluten-free, wheat-free and dairy-free alternatives.
"We had one woman who came in and said she hadn't had a scone in 20 years because of her food intolerance. We have been so busy this year and I want to thank all of our customers."
Ms Berkeley, who went to Beckford primary and then Hampstead School, is allergic to wheat and dairy products and decided to come up with alternative recipes for cakes for the burgeoning number of people suffering from food intolerances.
She started out selling her cakes at markets in Hornsey and Hampstead and after a couple of years decided she wanted her own shop. She says the key to her recipes is that the cakes must taste as good as the "real thing."
Ms Berkeley, who has lived in Crouch End for the last four years, said: "We have people coming from all over London to try them out. The people on Mill Lane and in the roads just off it are a community. They are really supportive of independent shops like us."
Ms Berkeley spent four months refurbishing the shop, which was previously a run-down café. Since opening she has worked seven days a week.
Despite that, she has bigger plans. She wants to sell her cakes wholesale to other cafés which do not cater for people with allergies. She said: "There are more and more children suffering from allergies and my cakes really are the best. I know, because I have tasted all of the others.
"I built a huge kitchen underneath the shop because I wanted to do wholesales but the café has been so busy I haven't had the chance.
"Sometimes I think, I am 25, I should be out clubbing. But when I look at all the nice things people have written in our guestbook I feel proud of what I have achieved."
Cakes can be made to order. For information visit www.bake-a-boo.com, or call 020-7435 1666.
marc.mullen@hamhigh.co.uk
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