Originally focused on bread, rolls and traditional bakes, our ancestors opened Gardners Bakery on the Harborough road in Northampton in May 1910 by James & Agnes Gardner.
Joe Gardner then introduced Wedding cakes when he joined the company to expand our offerings.
In 1963, Joe's Son Roger and his wife, Marylyn Gardner joined the team. They introduced takeaway treats, birthday cakes, pasties and savouries.
We were a popular lunch spot for the town, lots stopping by for a freshly baked roll with soup, often adding on a duck shortbread biscuit or a fresh cream iced bun.
We were originally called J. Gardner / J. Gardner & Son.
Their daughter Helen Gardner joined the team. Together with Joe, they expanded their range of Wedding cakes.
In 1997, following a trip to a convention in USA, Helen was one of the first in the UK to offer edible photos on cakes. These are still our most popular addition to our celebrations cakes (in 2026!).
Pictured: Joe, Helen & Roger with a range of our tasty handmade bread (2nd, 4th and 3rd generation of the Gardner family).
A few years after the sudden passing of Roger Gardner, Marylyn retired and passed the business on to her daughter, Helen.
Marylyn helped carry on the Gardner legacy for over 50 years.
2010-2014 - Fifth generation of the Gardner family, Helen's 4 daughters, joined the team.
In 2018, Leila - Fifth generation, branched into postal orders and Gardners Cookies was launched. Our iced shortbread cookie designs evolved into what we sell now, fun, novelty and customisable designs perfect for gifting, party favours or a sweet treat.
We post thousands of our cookies across the UK every month and are stocked in lots of online retailers.
In 2020, the bakery CLOSED for Covid lockdown. We spent our time renovating our store, including new floors, a cookie wall & new displays for decorations, cake examples and more.
Since opening in 1910, our family bakery has survived 2 world wars, a pandemic and many more bumps along the way - but we're still here on Kingsthorpe front thanks to our ancestors, and of course our loyal customers.
Moving with the times, like allowing online ordering, we believe is one of the reasons our bakery is still thriving.
Our bakery is now run by Helen Gardner
& her daughter, Leila.
Beyond our custom creations, we serve fresh rolls filled to order, along with an irresistible selection of takeaway treats and cake slices. And for the home bakers, we stock a wide range of cake decorations and candles to help you add your own finishing touch.
We'd love to see you in store 🫶🏻
-The Gardners team
