The owners of the stall thanked customers for their patience
The owners behind a popular Christmas Markets stall have been forced to apologise after admitting certain products weren’t up to their ‘usual standard'(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
A popular Christmas Markets trader has been forced to issue an apology to customers after admitting things have not been ‘up to the usual standard’.
Brazilian-inspired bakery Flat Baker, which recently expanded their base in Ancoats, has been a mainstay at the Christmas Markets for a number of years now and its stall at Piccadilly Gardens is usually filled up with queues.
Loved by the likes of Amanda Holden and Manchester City’s Matheus Nunes, their baked goods, including pistachio croissants and hot chocolate cookies, often go viral and sell out within minutes of going up for sale.
Returning to the markets this year, as one of around 270 stalls dotted across ten sites, the bakery has been forced to provide an important update to customers at their stall in the last week over the quality of their croissants.
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Flat Baker are based at Piccadilly Gardens during the Christmas Markets(Image: Flat Baker)
The bakery, which is run by couple Deborah and Matt, said that ‘electrical issues’ at their stall had meant that their croissants had not been able to be kept at the optimal temperature, and ‘didn’t realise how much this would affect the quality until it was too late’.
In a post on Instagram, the bakery wrote: “This week has been a tough one for us at the bakery. Over the past week, some of you noticed that our croissants at the Christmas Market weren’t quite up to the usual Flat Baker standard, and you were right.
“Unfortunately, due to electrical issues at our stall (managed by the event organisers), our warming cabinet couldn’t be used at all. This meant we couldn’t keep our croissants at their ideal temperature and texture throughout the day – something that’s essential for maintaining the quality we’re known for.
The Flat Baker’s croissants have become a big hit in Manchester (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)
“We honestly didn’t realise how much this would affect the quality until it was too late, and that’s on us. Some of the croissants we served weren’t at our usual standard and, for that, we’re truly sorry. Without the warmer, their “shelf life” became much shorter, and they turned cold and lost texture far too quickly. We ended up bringing back 20 boxes of croissants that we chose not to sell because serving anything below our best just isn’t who we are.”
However, Deborah and Matt said they have now been able to resolve the issues with their warmer cabinet, which is now back up and running as of today (November 12). They also said that they had a way of not having to waste the damaged croissants – with more information to be announced.
They wrote: “The good news? Our warmer is finally back from today! That means from now on, every croissant will once again be fresh, warm, and exactly as it should be. Thank you for your patience, your understanding and your continued love for what we do. We’ll always choose quality, honesty and creativity, even when things don’t go as planned.”
The Hot Chocolate Cookies are new to the Flat Baker’s Christmas Markets stall this year(Image: Manchester Evening News)
The post was reacted to by a number of customers, who said they appreciated the transparency and said they would continue to support the local favourite.
One person commented: “We keep going no matter what.” Another said: “Lots of love to you guys, everything you do is delish!” One other posted: “How it should be done.”
This year’s Christmas Markets, which have been hailed as being bigger and better than ever, will be running across the city until December 22. However, Albert Square and the ice-skating rink at Cathedral Gardens will remain open until January 4.
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