‘Huge accomplishment’ for well-renowned cake baker who took top spot at county-wide food awards

A well-renowned cake baker says taking the top spot at the Weetabix Northamptonshire Food and Drink Awards is a “huge accomplishment”.

The strawberry and rose cake, made by Emily Armstrong of Mill House and The Old Stableyard Tearoom, won gold in the artisan local vegetarian/vegan category last Friday (August 4).

Emily has run the Mill House for around four years and was asked to take over the all new vintage tearoom at Holdenby House that opened at Easter this year.

The stableyard at Holdenby House was transformed into The Old Stableyard Tearoom, a retro eatery with lots of vintage furniture and old-worldly items for customers to enjoy.

Everything sold at the tearoom is homemade, including Emily’s sought after cakes and the sausage rolls, pastries and pies supplied by Sauls of Spratton.

When asked how it feels that her strawberry and rose cake was awarded gold, Emily said: “Honestly incredible, it really is. To win gold is a huge accomplishment.”

Having heard the “amazing entries” she was up against during the ceremony, Emily thought there was no way she would win.

Despite the poor summer weather, Emily says The Old Stableyard is getting “more and more popular each weekend”.

“I’m proud of myself and my cakes,” she said. “I use all the best ingredients.”

Even the strawberries used in her award-winning cake entry were grown in her garden.

Emily has since had a “massive influx” of cake orders, which she creates from her home – the Mill House.

Though she no longer runs it as a tearoom, she opens up the garden when the weather is nice, makes cakes to order from there, and anything left over is sold as a ‘cakeaway’ for pick up.

When asked how important it is to bring independent businesses together to celebrate what they have to offer, Emily said: “It’s just amazing and there were so many brilliant entries.

“It shows how great Northamptonshire is for home grown produce.”

She hopes her award win will encourage others not to give up on their dreams as “it can be done”.

“Four years ago I never imagined my cakes would be as good as they are now,” said Emily, who hopes to inspire others with her journey to running a tearoom.

Since the tearoom at Holdenby House opened in April, Emily says “everyone absolutely loves it” as they give slabs of cake rather than dainty slices.

She added: “There’s not many places you can go out and get slabs of homemade cake.

“We’ve not had one complaint. People love that you can have a hearty meal and everything is homemade.”

Looking to the future of the Mill House and The Old Stableyard Tearoom, Emily says next year there are plans to stock the winning artisan local product in the tearoom – ice cream from Your Cool.

“Working together is the key to success,” said Emily.

The Old Stableyard Tearoom will remain open until September, when it closes for winter, and Mill House will then offer Halloween and Christmas themed treats.

One day, Emily would love to run her own tearoom from her home and release a cookery book covering the basics for everyone.