A luxury patisserie has opened in the Highlands, after lockdown redundancy opened up new opportunities for a Ballachulish woman.
Stiff Peaks, named after both the hills and mountains that surround the business and of course the way in which meringues are whipped, opened this week in the small village.
Owned by Lyndsey Michie, 29, the business hopes to serve up sweet and savoury treats using the best ingredients from the Highlands.
Loyal customers inspire business
Miss Michie, who was trained in some of the best restaurants in the UK, can’t quite believe that she has managed to open her own shop. But she said it was her loyal customer base that she built up after redundancy that inspired her.
She said: “I was made redundant at the start of Covid. I needed to do something so I started baking at home – and people started asking me for cakes.
“I took one day at Inshree, thanks to Susan Heron, and that built up to two days then three to keep up with all the orders I was getting.
“I was meeting people in car parks to give them orders. It was really busy.
“Then I was approached by the Highland Soap Company to supply cakes to them. And then I was selling cakes at the Spean Bridge Brewery market. And I was selling out.
“Over the last two years I have built up my business. I took space in the Seafood Cafe and I worked out of there for four months – but I was really looking for my own place.”
At the age of 17 Miss Michie went to London to be an apprentice at Michael Roux’s world-famous restaurant Le Garreche.
She said: “I was 17. Can you imagine being in London at the age of 17?”
And not only that but at one of the best restaurants in the world, she continued: “I was there for two years and I won apprentice of the year when I was there.
“I learned a lot.”
She then worked with two Michelin-star chef Andrew Fairlie, before working at the Cottonrake bakery in Glasgow for three years.
‘I grew up in Ballachulish’
From there, Miss Michie decided to travel, and she ended up working for an agency in Australia before deciding to return home to Scotland.
She continued: “I was looking for a unit to work from and then a place became available in Ballachulish. It is strange because my friend and I used to walk past the shops here and dream about it being my shop. I grew up here and I live just around the corner. So it could not be closer to my home.
“I got an HIE grant to help me set up. And I am hoping that I will be able to find someone to come into the shop to help me. But it is difficult to find anyone – so if anyone reading this is looking for a job…”
At the end of her first few days, she has sold out every day – and no wonder with sweet, buttery fresh fruit tarts, fresh lemon meringues, home made sausage rolls and fresh ou the oven oat cookies on the menu.
