A POPULAR bakery will offer home deliveries this Christmas as it seeks to find new ways to operate during the coronavirus crisis.

Tiptree Patisserie will be relying on its doorstep service over the festive period as its main source of income due to the ongoing restrictions on social gatherings.

The bakery’s main source of business was catering for London hotels, restaurants and large events such as weddings before the pandemic hit in March.

But since then, it has seen sales plummet and owner Daren McGrath has been forced to turn his attentions to other methods of making money.

Tiptree Patisserie, which is based in Witham, turned its main office into a phone centre during the first lockdown to allow its sales team to run a takeaway and delivery service.

When the national restrictions came to an end in the summer, the patisserie had delivered more than 8,000 afternoon teas and taking products to customers across Essex.

Bosses were than able to take advantage of the East Out to Help Out initiative in September to boost trade but with national lockdown returning again last month, the focus has once again shifted to delivering handmade cakes, cream teas and baking products to customer’s homes.

Mr McGrath said: “It takes years to train a skilled baker and to develop the expertise to hand finish patisserie items, as we have seen on television’s Great British Bake Off recently.

“It is vital that the industry retains its skilled staff and my role is to ensure that this business survives and we offer a special service for people in their homes - taking great cakes and bakes to their doorstep as well as their businesses.”

Mr McGrath says the patisserie has not received any financial support during the crisis apart from the Government’s furlough scheme.

The business has launched a special Christmas afternoon tea box for the festive season.

For more information, contact 01376 509101.