Meet the 20-year-old baker taking over Holdenby House’s tearoom just a year into her new career
Meet the 20-year-old baker who is taking over Holdenby House’s tearoom, after just a year since she made a career switch and launched her business in Northamptonshire.
Millie Pates launched Millie’s Bakery in March last year and she can often be found at local markets – including Rothwell and Market Harborough.
The 20-year-old has been baking for as long as she can remember and made her first loaf of bread with her granny. She describes her mother and grandmother as the two incredible women who taught her so much at a young age.
Millie completed a year-and-a-half of a wildlife conservation and ecology course at university before making her sister’s wedding cake in February 2024.
This made her realise that she would be much happier pursuing a career in baking, which led her to launch her business and make everything from scratch from her family kitchen.
The home bakery offers rustic creations, as no two products are identical but there is a delicious taste with each mouthful. Millie takes pride in making sourdough bread, birthday and celebration cakes, brownies and millionaire’s shortbread.
The business owner works a few nights a week in her village pub to secure extra money, most of which is spent on ingredients or equipment for Millie’s Bakery.
Talking about the response she has had since launching the business a year ago, Millie told the Chronicle & Echo: “It’s been really positive and loads of people have supported me and share what I do. It’s grown more than I thought it would.”
Millie believes it is the personal touch that her customers like most about what she does, particularly because many of them have gotten to know her from their regular visits to the markets she attends.
The 20-year-old has made the exciting decision to take over The Old Stableyard Tearoom at Holdenby House, which will be open every Sunday and Bank Holiday from 11am until 4pm from April 13.
This collaboration came about when Millie was contacting different venues to see if they needed any bakes, after she supported Kelmarsh last season.
As Emily Armstrong from Mill House did not plan to continue her journey at The Old Stableyard Tearoom, Millie said it was too good of an opportunity to pass up on.
Her aim is to attract more people to visit Holdenby House, particularly through the sale of her delicious bakes and sourdough bread. There will be loaves available to purchase and customers can also preorder ahead of time.
When asked how it feels to have taken such a big leap so soon after starting her business, Millie said: “It’s very, very nerve-racking – I’m only 20. I’m really looking forward to it and I know there’s a lot to learn.”
Looking to the rest of 2025, Millie’s sights are firmly set on welcoming as many people to Holdenby House as she can and continuing to increase her customer base.