Bakery Tourism: "Our Pastry Pursuits Know No Borders"

Jessica Morgan-Helliwell confesses she prefers meeting friends for pastries over pints.

The 26-year-old is among an increasing group of individuals gravitating towards specialty bakeries in search of a perfect, flaky croissant.

“These days, I’m more drawn to having a cup of coffee and taking a pleasant stroll rather than heading out and dealing with a hangover the following day. I might as well become a pastry enthusiast,” she remarked.

Jessica and her mother, Louise, hailing from Swansea, frequently embark on journeys throughout the United Kingdom and even farther to seek out delectable pastries. They document these treats through photos and videos before posting them online for their audience to enjoy.

The data indicates that they are not the only ones with a zeal for pastries.

The bakery sector in the UK is among the biggest within the food business, with a value of £5.74 billion, as stated by the Federation of Bakers.

Research from the Open University indicates the amount of
Small bakeries throughout the UK are increasingly becoming popular.
, with almost one out of every five having been established since 2020.

The affection for gathering with loved ones over pastries and bread has been passed down through generations in this family.

Louise, who is 48 years old, explained, “My great-grandfather and his father both owned individual Italian cafés. The café run by my great-great-grandfather was located in Llanelli and named Sartori’s.”

They confessed that there were no boundaries to how far they would go just to taste a specialty dish.

Jess mentioned that she recently traveled over an hour to visit one particular bakery solely for purchasing a sandwich.

She mentioned that they will be traveling to Marrakesh [in Morocco] in a few weeks and the very first thing she checked was the dining options.

At Pettigrew Bakery in Cardiff, David Le Masurier’s crew produces and sells “hundreds of pastries daily” to customers such as Jessica and Louise.

David mentioned that he has definitely witnessed bakery tourism having a positive effect on his business, as international travelers include food destinations in their itineraries, driven by online trends and popular dishes.

“They have conducted thorough research. They explored social media platforms, viewed images, and read reviews. Additionally, they received tips from TikTok,” he mentioned.

Individuals are entering with their smartphones, especially those for whom English is not their primary language, and they’re displaying images or sharing reels while stating: ‘This is what I desire.’

Customers can spend anywhere from £3.20 for a simple croissant to £4.50 for special limited-edition pastries — pricing that David acknowledges falls outside the range of everyday items.

However, he mentioned that with regard to the ingredients, covering expenses for his “high-caliber” employees and ensuring profitability, the profit margins were “extremely slim.”

He mentioned that wages have risen significantly in recent times, and this directly affects the pricing that must be imposed on customers.

Operating a culinary enterprise is extremely demanding.

What is it about delicate baked items that encourages people to spend their carefully saved money?

The lipstick effect

The food and travel author Ross Clarke opined that despite the cost-of-living crisis, individuals still had an inclination to indulge in minor luxuries.

This phenomenon, referred to as the lipstick effect, indicates that individuals tend to purchase smaller luxury items such as lipstick when facing economic hardships.

“People might be more willing to spend £4.50 on a pain au chocolat if it’s considered something special, as it becomes a small indulgence,” he explained.

Ross mentioned that food tourism is a worldwide trend, citing Iceland’s popular ice cream tours called Ísbíltúr.

He mentioned that gastro-tourism is thriving, along with eno-tourism, which focuses onwine.

Individuals are traveling to destinations solely for the cuisine or beverages.

How wonderful that you have the opportunity to support local businesses, ideally, and dine at fantastic restaurants to experience all these incredible offerings.

Probably, Wales ranks among the locations that should strongly promote this idea.

Astrid Roussel, a French-born baker residing in Newport, South Wales for 17 years, noted that the local food culture has undergone significant changes. She mentioned that residents now readily spend money on items characterized as “crafted” and of high quality.

She mentioned that people enjoy snapping photos of delicate, flaky pastries.

Indeed, spending £4 on a croissant is reasonable, yet it remains a luxurious treat within reach.

Ms Roussel said when she first moved to Wales, finding good pastry was difficult.

She mentioned, ‘The quality of pastries I can find here nowadays surpasses what’s available in France.’

Astrid mentioned that she was taken aback by the turnout of individuals who journeyed to South Wales for her baking workshops, covering everything from crafting croissants to mastering traditional French baguettes.

“I had one woman come to my course from Canada. She was coming to Cardiff anyway but purposely picked when I had availability. I was like ‘wow’!”