Celebration Cake FAQ
Where are your shops located?
We have 2 locations, Gardners Bakery, 85 Harborough Road, Kingsthorpe, Northampton, NN2 7SL and Gardners Cakery, 28 Church Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire, LE16 7AA.
All of our cakes are made in our Northampton bakery, using traditional methods and recipes passed down through generations. We have a 5* Food & Hygiene rating.
How do I order?
Ordering your celebration cakes has never been easier!
Step 1: Choose your design, size, flavour & personalisation. You can even upload your own image for an edible print!
Step 2: Add to cart, choose your store for collection & pick up date.
Step 3: Head to checkout and pay - you will receive an order confirmation within 24 working hours & your order will be ready in store on your chosen day.
How much notice do you need?
If possible, minimum 1 week notice would be great. You can book up to 1 year in advance if you’d like to be organised and avoid disappointment, as during busy periods some cakes may not be possible at short notice.
However, lots of cakes on our website can be ordered with only 1-2 days notice.
You can also contact the store you’d like to collect from direct to discuss very late notice and same day collection options - payment will need to be taken over the phone.
What flavour cakes do you make?
Unless stated, our cakes are priced for vanilla sponge cakes, either our jam and cream sponge, angel cake or madeira cake.
We offer chocolate, lemon, red velvet on some designs.
Tap here to view more details on flavours and portion sizing.
Do you sell plain cakes?
No, we don't sell plain cakes for customers to decorate themselves.
Our basic range must have a piped message included on top - if this is not written on the order we will contact you to ask for your personalisation.
What allergens are in your cakes?
Details of allergens in our cakes, cupcakes and cookies are available on request. We use gluten, dairy, egg, sesame, nuts, soya, sulphites, celery & other well-known allergens in our bakery.
For this reason, we cannot guarantee that cakes will not contain trace amounts of these ingredients. This includes our ‘free-from’ cakes, including gluten free & vegan.
How long do your cakes last?
Most of our cakes last 5 days if kept in suitable conditions.
Cupcakes, giant cookies and gluten free are best enjoyed on the day of collection or the day after, and shortbread cookies last up to 2 months.
Store your cake in a cool, dry place but do not refrigerate. Once cut, wrap in foil and store in an airtight container.
Do you offer bespoke designs?
We do! We have hundreds of designs on our main website - tap here to visit.
If you have a photo of a cake that is not shown in our collection, or you would like to design your own, you can contact the store you would like to collect from directly for a quote.
We recommend emailing, sending us a direct message on social media or popping in store with your ideas. Let us know portion size, when the cake is for and any extra details.
Can I have a photo on my cake?
Lots of our cakes, cupcakes and cookies have the option to add your own edible photo.
Please attach the highest quality image you have, bearing in mind on some the photo will be made round.
Please see our terms and conditions for printing quality and copyright.
What does small, medium or large photo mean?
Our edible scans come in multiple sizes. A small photo is a little smaller than 1/4 of an A4 page, a medium is a little smaller than 1/2 and a full is a little smaller than a whole A4, or it will fill the cake.
Are all of the decorations edible?
We have a wide range of toppers that can be added to your cakes, found under our 'toppers' section. These include edible and non-edible figurines. Although your toppers may be made from icing, please be aware of structural supports including wires, straws & polystyrene.
Who do I contact about my order?
Once an order has been placed, you will need to wait until the store you are collecting from has confirmed the order. This may take over 24 hours. You will receive a 6-7 digit reference number, starting with B (Northampton) or C (Market Harborough).
You can then contact the store you have booked collection with:
-Gardners Bakery (Northampton) - info@gardnersbakery.co.uk - 01604 458555
-Gardners Cakery
(Market Harborough) - amber@gardnerscakery.co.uk - 01858 468042
Can I cancel my order?
Once you have received your 6-7 digit confirmation number, you can contact the store directly to discuss cancellation options.
How do I transport my cake?
Cakes must be handled carefully and placed in a safe place, on a flat surface. You must put the cake in the boot or foot well of the car when travelling and NOT on car seats or a persons lap.
You must drive very carefully when transporting a cake, especially around corners and roundabouts. Cakes need to be kept flat as if not, this can cause them to slide.You must not stack cake boxes or push the sides of the box inwards. Cakes with icing models on should be handled with extra care and attention as they are very fragile.
Do you offer delivery?
Sorry, we don’t offer a delivery service on Gardners cakes. All products are for collection from your choice of our two stores.
Please note: At checkout the store pick-up address will automatically fill in, if this gets changed we will contact you to confirm the correct address for collection.
Who do I contact about an issue?
If you're having issues ordering online, we recommend calling the store you'd like to collect from.
Once the cake has been collected and left the store, you are agreeing you are happy with the cake how it is. If there is an issue with your cake, you must contact the store you collected it from as soon as possible. For full details, see our terms and conditions.
Why won't my payment go through?
To pass security checks your billing address must match with the address your card is registered to.
The store collection address will automatically fill in. On page 2 of checkout (after filling in your card details) you need to select option 2 and enter your billing address.
If option 1 stays selected, it will use the collection address, and payment will fail.
Payment will show as attempted in your bank, but unless you received an order confirmation number, your money will return shortly as the order did not go through.
Do you comply with Natasha's Law?
Natasha's law states any pre-packaged food (food that is pre-packed and ready for customers to pick up off the shelves - PPDS) must have full ingredients and allergen details readily available. All of our treats in store have these details, and any non pre-packaged treats have allergen details available upon request. Foods that are ordered online, over the phone, or face to face are exempt from this labelling, only allergens are required - these are available upon request either verbally or via email.
Wedding Cake FAQ
What can I order online?
We offer a range of budget wedding cakes available to order online at a time that suits you, feeding between 25-60 guests.
Most designs have the options to choose colours and flavours.
Our budget range is for collection only, we do not offer a delivery service for this size range.
Looking for a bigger or bespoke design? View our full Wedding range on our main website: Gardnersbakery.co.uk
How much notice do you need?
We ask for as much notice as possible - April to October is peak season. We recommend you order as soon as is convenient for yourself.
Left it to the last minute? We accept orders online with as little as 5 working days notice!
Although last minute bookings are accepted, we take bookings up to 2 years in advance, 3-6 months is recommended.
How much are your cakes?
We offer different size ranges to suit every wedding size. Price will depend on the level of work and time involved in your finished design. We price all of our designs in our Wedding Cake Gallery to make it easy for you, but if you would like to design your own cake, get in touch for a quote.
What makes them a budget cake?
The only difference between our Budget range and our Classic range is the amount of portions. The quality of the sponge & decorations is exactly the same. However with our budget range, the designs available are limited, flavours incur additional fees and delivery is not available.
Do the cakes come assembled?
Yes – all cakes come stacked & decorated with supports inside the tiers and a thin cake board between each layer.
How do I transport the cake?
The cake will need to be kept flat at all times – do not tilt or stack cake boxes.
When transporting in the car, the cake must be placed in the boot. Do not place on car seats or on passengers laps as this is not flat, and will cause the tiers to slide.
Drive carefully!
Where do I store the cake?
Keep your cake at room temperature, out of direct sunlight. Please remind venues not to leave anywhere damp, too hot/cold or in the fridge.
Make sure the cake is kept flat at all times. If you have any cake left, keep wrapped up in an airtight container.
Do not leave in cars or garages.
How do I order?
Simply select your design, colours & flavours – pick the store you’d like to collect from and the date of collection then pay via card payment.
Our availability will show at checkout & we will send a confirmation email within 24-48 hours.
Your cake will be ready to collect on the day during our shop hours.
Can I collect the day before?
Depending on opening hours, your cake can be collected the day before the wedding or the morning of.
Please see 'Where do I store the cake?' for more information on storage instructions.
Do you offer delivery?
We do not offer delivery our budget wedding cake range, they are for collection only.
We do offer local delivery & set up for most of our bigger sizes, this may incur an additional charge. Please get in touch to discuss options or see details here.
Once I've paid, is my order confirmed?
Once you have placed your order the shop you have picked for collection will get in touch via email.
If the design is not possible or there are any issues, they will let you know. Your order is not confirmed until you have received a confirmation from the store – you will receive a 4 digit number starting with B (Northampton) or C (Market Harborough).
This usually takes up to 24-48 hours.
Do you offer bespoke designs?
If you would like to discuss a bespoke order, please give the shop a call or pop us over an email.
Market Harborough – 01858 468042 – amber@gardnerscakery.co.uk
Northampton – 01604 458555 – helen@gardnersbakery.co.uk
I need to amend my order, is this possible?
We are always happy to help and will try our best to amend your order for you, but changes may not always be possible. Please get in touch with the store you've ordered from, either by email or by phone.
What does save the date mean?
Can't decide on design? You can save your date with us with as little as a £50 deposit so it’s one more thing ticked off your list - full details for your order can be arranged at a later date or you can arrange a consultation now.
Deposits are strictly non-refundable, however dates are fully transferable.
Please check we make a cake in the style you like before saving your date - get in touch to answer any questions you might have.
Can I cancel my order?
Once your order is confirmed, please contact the store you are collecting from to discuss cancellation options.
Please note – there is a minimum 50% cancellation fee and cancellation is not always possible. For full details, please see our terms & conditions.