We are super excited this month as our monthly Local Business Spotlight stops at The Pudding Stop!
Starting life as a small van, nicknamed the ‘Pudmobile’, outside St Albans train station, The Pudding Stop has since grown into a hugely popular dessert institution, with shops in St Albans and Harpenden and a new bakery in Redbourn.
Founded by Jonny Shepherd, who first shared his baking creations on series one of The Great British Bake Off, The Pudding Stop offers an exciting array of sweet treats including pastries, doughnuts, tarts and their now legendary brownies and blondies.
We catch up with Jonny and find out more about the inspiration behind the business and what The Pudding Stop has in store for 2023:
What is your background? Tell us a bit about yourself.
I grew up on the south coast of Devon. It was a very outdoor childhood, sailing most days, playing in the river. I went to University of Warwick to do a science degree, which I hated but found myself at a pharmaceutical company afterwards bringing me to St Albans. I progressed well but couldn’t see myself working in an office and wanted full autonomy over my daily life and future. I left to start The Pudding Stop in 2010.
Did you love for baking start at an early age?
Not at all. My mother was a keen home cook and always made a good pudding. I was exposed to good food from a young age and was a keen eater. The idea came first, then I figured out how to do it later.
What inspired you to start The Pudding Stop?
I wanted to start my own business. I wish I hadn’t gone to Uni and started a business sooner. I’m not especially academic and enjoy working with my hands. I also wanted a business with a simple transaction. Make something and sell it to consumers. Although it was at Uni that the idea of The Pudding Stop came about. I’d go out for dinner and everywhere had terrible puddings. You’d have to go to a really good restaurant to get a proper homemade pudding. There seemed to be an opportunity in the mid-market for a pudding place. Go for dinner, anywhere you like, but then leave and come to us for your pudding. It’s very simple.
What does a typical day look like for you at The Pudding Stop?
We now employ 30+ local people and so I’m very lucky to be surrounded by a good team. We have team leaders, managers, and supervisors across all locations. My focus is on continual improvement across the business, new opportunities and supporting the people we employ.
If you could only eat one thing on The Pudding Stop menu forevermore, what would you choose?
A warm Bakewell tart and custard.
If you had to describe the bakes you create in three words, what would they be?
Handmade, exceptional ingredients, comforting.
What has been the businesses greatest highlight to date?
Moving our bakery operation to a 4000 sq ft bakery on Redbourn Industrial Estate in August 2021. Previously we baked from a tiny space above our St Albans shop, which is now a storeroom! At the same time, we opened a new shop in Harpenden, which we had been planning for years and was brilliant to see it finally opened. We spent pretty much everything we had fitting it out and moving the bakery to Redbourn. It was a big risk. On top of this the last 12 months has been very challenging with the Omicron variant wrecking Christmas trade, energy costs, and crippling rises in the cost of goods plus dampening consumer confidence. However, running a small business has always been incredibly challenging. You can never stand still, and must always look for new ways to grow and improve.
Finally, what does The Pudding Stop have planned for 2023 and beyond?
These trading challenges will be here to stay in 2023, but we are committed to growing further, opening more shops, employing more local people, and producing the highest quality products we can.
For our sweet-toothed readers, you can find out more over at The Pudding Stop website (you can even order a delicious pud for delivery straight to your door!). You can also follow The Pudding Stop on Instagram and Facebook.
