The UK saw a 157% rise in the number of home baking businesses over the past year, as more Brits turn their passion into growing businesses.
The fastest growing region in the last year was the South West, with a 222% increase between 2019 and 2020. The South West was closely followed by the Midlands (200%), East Anglia (166%) and South Central England (157%). Yet even the capital, as the slowest-growing region, saw the number of home baking businesses almost double.
Alan Thomas, chief executive at Simply Business, commented: “The Great British Bake Off is a mainstay of UK television and appears to be inspiring thousands of bakers across the nation to rise up and start their own independent business.
“In every region we’re seeing a year-on-year increase in the number of home baking businesses, people turning their passion into a business. In fact, it has been the UK’s fastest-growing trade throughout the pandemic, with a whopping 157% rise between 2019 and 2020.
"Small businesses are vital to the recovery of the UK economy, so the fact that so many aspiring cake makers are taking the leap is extremely encouraging.”