A family run Co Fermanagh bakery Heather’s Cottage Bakes has been whipping up delicious breads and treats in Irvinestown for the last 10 years.
Heather Birney started baking from her cottage in 2011 before opening a takeaway shop two years later and then a sit-in tearoom the year after that.
Heather’s niece Lorraine, the assistant manager at Heather’s, says it has been a family business since it first started 10 years ago.
She added: “I’ve been with my aunt Heather for 10 years since the business opened and it really is a family run business.
“She started in 2011 baking from home, just baking for butchers and local shops.
“We expanded then and opened a wee takeaway in 2013, and we outgrew it and then that led to us opening a sit-in cafe in the following year.
“It grew very quickly and it was clear the local community here were big fans of our products.
“We have a lot of wee regulars that would come in all the time and that keeps us busy.
“Bread and scones would be our big sellers, especially our raspberry and white chocolate scones.
“We like to try out different recipes and respond to what people like as well.
The pandemic had a detrimental effect on many businesses in Co Fermanagh and Lorraine added it was particularly difficult for them as their premises are quite small.
"Covid has definitely affected us, we were closed for months. It just wasn't viable for us to stay open with the lack of footfall in the town.
"We felt that because its a small premises customers didn't feel comfortable which led us to promoting our takeaway menu more.
"I feel that with society changing rapidly around us business is becoming more complicated with the need to introduce technology to compete in order to grow as a business.
“During the pandemic my aunt converted a wee horsebox so we were able to trade that way too.
“We parked it up just outside the shop during the last lockdown, and it is at Castle Irvine every other weekend too, as well as parties and private events.
"Our horsebox conversion was something different for us, we named it, 'Bean There Drank That' , it was in the pipeline for some time and this was our chance to launch it.
“The most important thing about our business is the fact that we use a lot of our family recipes that we have held close for many years.”
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