Baker puts together 80 afternoon teas for Royal British Legion members in Northampton

Fay Patridge, of Abington, first started baking when she and her dad opened The Plump Partridge in Northampton's Market Square back in 2015.

She has come along way in five years after starting out with no prior experience of cake-making - but she is well on her way now to making her sideline business into a full time bakery.

On Friday, Fay, of 'Fays Bakes', is putting together 90 afternoon tea boxes - 80 of them will be for the Royal British Legion members of Duston & District branch.

The boxes, which will be jam-packed with scones, a rhubarb tray bake, carrot cake and sandwiches, are a surprise to some of the members who are living alone during the pandemic and should have been celebrating at a family fun day St Crispin’s Club.

Fay, who thinks she got her natural baking abilities from her former bakery-owner grandma, said: "It’s feeling lovely to give the RBL members a little treat on the special day, especially at this time where no one can be together.

"This will bring them ‘together’, put a smile on their face and will be a day to remember."

Fay, who went the extra mile recently to bake a 6-year-old boy a birthday cake during lockdown, thinks it will take her a day to bake the cakes and a further half-a-day to prepare the delivery boxes.

Darrin Stevens of Duston & District branch said treating the veterans and RBL community comes as second nature to the volunteers.

He said: "Fay Bakes has it's own unique kitchen, so it was a no brainer to join up forces with our volunteers to deliver afternoon teas to all of our veterans and extended community to celebrate VE Day in the way we would have liked to do if it wasn’t for Covid-19.

"We are not sure how they will feel but based on a previous delivery of 80 Easter eggs we believe that as they will not expect the small gesture, they will be surprised and will appreciate the effort that has been made."