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New Cake In Town...

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New Cake In Town...

Postby Sakkarin » Sat Sep 26, 2020 7:24 pm

I was drawn to this new cakeshop in Watford's Intu Centre by the huge pile of pretty macaroons, lots of very posh cakes on display. Then I saw the name, "Heriot Cakes".

Blimey! I designed Heriot's first website in 1996, and ran it for 15 years through several redesigns, and used to produce much of their marketing material too!!! I still have thousands of pictures of their cakes on my computer.

https://www.heriotcakes.co.uk/

EDIT: P.S. Their cakes weren't as impressive back then as the ones on their current website, they've clearly made a move rather more upmarket, they were primarily birthday/wedding cakes. They used to make proper strudel though...

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby Earthmaiden » Sat Sep 26, 2020 11:37 pm

They certainly look nice. I think that cake shops / cake bakers have to make / sell cakes that look like that these days as they are in trend.

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby aero280 » Sun Sep 27, 2020 12:36 am

I haven't been into the Harlequin/Intu since February. It must be on the verge of closing. John Lewis have said they aren't reopening, and Debenhams at the other end are in trouble, as are Intu themselves. The last time I was there, there were a lot of unlet spaces. It doesn't seem very viable in the long term. In the last couple of years, I think we have only shopped at JL, M&S, Superdrug, Lakeland, Flying Tiger and the Watch Hospital. And not that often in those.

Our only reason for going into Watford now would be to go to the building society in the Parade at the top of the town.

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby Renee » Sun Sep 27, 2020 12:46 am

What a fabulous place Sakkarin! Lots of memories for you too! They've been going for quite a long time and let's hope it will continue.

So many places are struggling and closing down and it will probably continue sadly with more people shopping online now.

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby Gillthepainter » Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:54 am

Don't they look lovely. It's nice to think that your hard work back then hasn't gone down the pan, Sakkers.
I'd certainly buy one for that special treat, as they don't seem over the top.

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby Pepper Pig » Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:57 am

Their other main line is catering. They have a shop near the Crown Court in Wealdstone - or did last time I looked. They did my sister's first wedding over 30 years ago and the food was excellent. They also provided some smashing finger food at the last two funerals we went to just before Christmas last year.

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby ZeroCook » Sun Sep 27, 2020 8:21 am

Wow, Sakk that must have been a thrill! Did you tell the person at the counter? And did you treat yourself to un petit morceau sucré? A maccaron perhaps? :)

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby Sakkarin » Sun Sep 27, 2020 12:33 pm

No, I was just a bit gobsmacked, took the piccies and vamoosed! I did ask the girl at the counter if I could take pictures.

The Heriot vans were a familiar sight around Harrow back in the 1990s...

Image

It was run by Tony Arens, who was wildly competitive with his brother who ran Arens Catering. It looks like they've joined forces as the main company is now called "Arens & Heriot".

They are still based at 20/22 Headstone Drive in Wealdstone, the odd thing is that nearly 20 years before I started working with them, in the late 70s I used to do work for the previous owners of 20/22 Headstone Drive, Katie's Kitchen. They were the first company over here to mass produce pizzas for supermarkets.

I know it looks dodgy, it WAS over 40 years ago...

Image

EDIT: Katie's husband ran "The American Bagel Factory", who again were the first to my knowledge to sell bagels into the supermarkets. I worked for them too, I remember getting a boxfull of bagels to try when I started the job, as I had no idea what they were!

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby karadekoolaid » Sun Sep 27, 2020 2:07 pm

Ahh, the nostalgia! What splendid memories, Sakks. Those cakes look absolutely extraordinary. As soon as I opened the website, my mouth starting watering.

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby Pepper Pig » Sun Sep 27, 2020 3:06 pm

Katie’s Kitchen moved to a warehouse unit by the council tip. I think it’s still there. The Heriot cars were lovely. Wealdstone has been largely pedestrianised but I guess that wouldn’t affect them - unlike my old beauty salon/hairdresser next door who relied quite a lot on people being able to park outside! She has moved on and been replaced by yet another Afghan greengrocer. There are 3 in that bit of road. :o

There is also an excellent Afghan restaurant. Great food and value for money. http://masaonline.co.uk/

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby aero280 » Mon Sep 28, 2020 2:36 pm

The Intu centre in Milton Keynes has been sold by the Intu administrator to another company. We will see what happens to the Watford one.

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby KeenCook2 » Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:18 pm

aero280 wrote:The Intu centre in Milton Keynes has been sold by the Intu administrator to another company. We will see what happens to the Watford one.


Hmm, interesting. I wonder if anything is going to happen to the Hammersmith mall that they acquired before Covid and plan to put a town centre Ikea into? It was also supposed to have a Lidl opening a few months ago in July but as far as I know it hasn't appeared yet (I haven't been there since March).

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby Sakkarin » Mon Sep 28, 2020 10:01 pm

Didn't Intu already have problems before the town centre redevelopment even started? Basically it seems as if Watford Council just gave half of our town centre to the developers to do what they wanted with. Killing our dear old market in the process...

https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/20 ... went-wrong

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby miss mouse » Mon Sep 28, 2020 10:36 pm

Sakkarin wrote:Basically it seems as if Watford Council just gave half of our town centre to the developers to do what they wanted with. Killing our dear old market in the process...

https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/20 ... went-wrong


Interesting article Sakkarin. As far as I can tell everything is up for grabs. Somehow The City of London was persuaded to allow high rise buildings after years of resistance, and now we have The Sardine Can, The Cheese Grater, the space rocket and similar monstrosities and 150 more have PP. I am old enough to remember when The Post Office Tower was considered too tall and an eyesore and huge public objection to it. Also Tiny Lohnro and who was his big friend and the Centre Point debacle. Oh well, here we go again, cold and hungry. Still the big boys are trousering the cash so that's OK.

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby PatsyMFagan » Tue Sep 29, 2020 5:50 pm

Sakkarin wrote:Didn't Intu already have problems before the town centre redevelopment even started? Basically it seems as if Watford Council just gave half of our town centre to the developers to do what they wanted with. Killing our dear old market in the process...

https://www.retailgazette.co.uk/blog/20 ... went-wrong


A bit off subject, but my first job when I left school (1963), it was at M&S (gloves and stockings was the counter I was allocated :( ) I remember the site of the original market was a tarpaulin covered mass of stalls down an alleyway alongside M&S iirc. It was then relocated further up the high street with C&A on one corner... then the death knell sounded :( :cry: :shock: :roll:

Oh and in those days, right opposite the M&S entrance was the shop that sold fresh ground coffee - I loved that smell, but not until I was a real grown up did I get to enjoy a strong black coffee ;)

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby Sakkarin » Tue Sep 29, 2020 8:54 pm

I remember that coffee shop too! Mentioned it here (final "edit" paragraph)...
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3739&p=60006#p60006

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby Pepper Pig » Tue Sep 29, 2020 8:59 pm

Yep. We used to get our coffee there too.

I’m trying to remember the name of the fishmongers at the back of the market where OH used to send me to buy his Sunday kippers. Think it might have begun with a P? I remember one week cycling from my house in Hayes to Uxbridge and along the canal to Watford just to get them.

I was obviously quite mad in those days!!! :lol: :lol:

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby Sakkarin » Tue Sep 29, 2020 9:14 pm

One of the fishmongers was Aylesbury Fisheries, they're still at the new market.
https://www.facebook.com/whenclosedgonefishing/

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Re: New Cake In Town...

Postby Pepper Pig » Tue Sep 29, 2020 9:20 pm

No. It wasn’t them. There were three in a row and one had significantly better kippers!

I think it may have been Poulter’s but could well be wrong.

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