Our Story
Tess’ Brilliant Bakes started out in 2017 in our family kitchen in Adderbury, North Oxfordshire.
I named the business after my gorgeous daughter, Tess, who told me I should try to sell my cookies at the local Farmer’s Market. After I sold out, I thought I might be on to something!
I set the business up originally just to make a bit of extra money for a family holiday, but it soon grew so much that I was able give up the day job and throw myself into it completely! After almost a year of working from our small kitchen at home, the next step was to move into a larger space. I found a small unit on a farm which was perfect! Six months later, Paul, my partner in crime, gave up his day job so we could work together. Then lockdown hit.
We got through lockdown by offering home deliveries and postal boxes and we were so busy we could barely cope with demand! We have such wonderful customers who supported us during that time, without whom we may have had to close!
Cut to now, and we work from a much larger unit in Wroxton, near Banbury. We have a great team of talented bakers working with us and we produce thousands of cakes each week!
At Tess’ Brilliant Bakes we make all our bakes by hand using only the highest quality ingredients such as real Belgian chocolate and proper British butter. If you have sampled one of our brownies or other delicious treats, you will know that we do not scrimp on ingredients.
We are very proud that Tess’ Brilliant Bakes continues to go from strength to strength. We have regular stalls at many local markets in and around Oxfordshire, we supply our bakes to a selection of lovely cafes and you can now buy our treats online and have them delivered to your door!
We hope you decide to give us a try!
Lisa xx
Our Team
Lisa & Paul
Founders
Lisa and Paul are the original founders of the business and can often be found behind the stall at markets and events. Lisa worked in university admissions for years prior to picking up her apron and selling cookies at a local market and Paul never imagined running his own business.
Lucy
Lucy hung up her HR hat after 10 years, seeking a completely different change away from the corporate world and joined our team of bakers in May 2022. She has been able to bring her love of baking for her family, friends and some charity events to an actual day job! Lucy is definitely a chocoholic and is very happy to both bake and taste all the treats on offer at TBB. Lucy is our brownie queen and never fails to produce a perfect batch!
Lesleyanne
Lesleyanne is a part time member of our team and is like Lewis Hamilton in the bakery! Before we’ve even made a cup of tea in the morning, Lesleyanne has cracked a couple of hundred eggs and melted kilos of chocolate for brownies! She’s a big lover of cakes and has a great palette, having lots of experience baking at home for friends and family. Sadly Lesleyanne isn’t with us currently due to having surgery, but we hope to have her back very soon
Sam
After a lengthy HR career, Sam decided it was time for a change. She has taken up a part time role alongside studying at university and she is a lively and fun member of our team. Sam is passionate, creative and loves to help devise new exciting bakes. She is also great at keeping us tidy and organized, which is definitely something we need! You can often find Sam on one of our market stalls. She’s a great saleswoman and loves chatting with our lovely customers.