Darlington pudding firm loved by The Hairy Bikers prepares for a busy christmas

On Day 6 of of Bdaily’s 12 Days of Christmas, we hear from Burtree Puddings based in Darlington.

With over 15 years experience, Burtree Puddings, owned by Robert and Lea Darling has become a household name in the local community. However, a feature on the Hairy Bikers special catapulted them into the national spotlight showcasing their Christmas puddings.

This in mind, it’s not all been plain sailing for the local bakery. In the wake of the energy crisis and supply chain issues, many businesses have been under strain, Burtree Puddings has been no exception.

“2022 has certainly been a challenging year with sharp price rises on ingredients like butter, as well as supply issues on a lot of our packaging. We’ve tried to absorb some of the price rises to ensure our products remain competitive in the marketplace, but this will have to be monitored and reviewed heading into 2023.”

“We do our best to have packaging ordered in advance to allow for delays, but this year we’ve sold a lot more of our larger Christmas Puddings and needed to source additional basins for these which lead to delays in supply.

“We adapt as we go along, but as a small business this isn’t always easy. One thing we will not adapt or compromise on is the quality of our ingredients.”

In spite of the set backs over the past year, the Burtree Puddings team are optimistic about the christmas period to come, saying: “With all in-person fairs and events now very much back on following Covid, we have been out on the road at events every couple of weeks since September.

“It’s great to see these events with a buzz about them again, and they’ve exceeded our expectations so far. Also, following our appearance on last years ‘Hairy Bikers go North for Christmas’ we ’ve seen higher online orders than previous years.

“This is all alongside a small but loyal network of retailers we supply, who continue to see good trade. So, in short…yes, we hope to produce over 8,000 Christmas Puddings this year as well as many thousands of our sticky puddings!”

As the year draws to a close, the Burtree Puddings team seems keen to go from strength to strength adding: “2023 will see us continue to work closely with our network of retailers to ensure we are providing them with products that offer a good commercial proposition but also are enjoyed by their customers!

“Who knows, maybe we’ll look at some new flavours for the range too, but nothing is planned at the moment!”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily