Exploring Life & Business with Amanda Tomlinson of British Bakery CO LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Tomlinson.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I was born in a small town called Scarborough in England. At the age of 26 I took a year to travel the world where i visited over 8 countries. From volunteering in China where i worked with pandas for over a month to skydiving in New Zealand. Whist in Australia in a surfing class I met a girl from Denver. Almost a year later, here i was in Denver and staying at her house for a few days on my visit through (I had a greyhound bus booked from LA – New York!) Long story short i fell in love with her room mate Tim. I married Tim 6 months later! Now roll forward almost 14 years, me and Tim are living in Fruita on the Western Slope which is where he grew up. We have a 9 year old son Oliver and a 7 year old daughter Hannah. I wasn’t able to use the British Sign Language i had learnt in England and my College qualifications didn’t transfer over to America. So i got a job working at Old Chicago where i worked on and off as a server and manager for over 10 years. In 2019 I passed my American Citizenship test and became an American which has become one of my proudest accomplishments. With the kids been close in age and young i started baking on a night when they were in bed, just doing cakes and learning recipes for friends and family. It was more of a hobby but then in February 2022 I passed my food handler certifications, became fully licensed/insured and have made this my profession.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It can be a lot of hard work running a business myself with many late nights of baking to fulfill large orders. But i still love it! I often have the feeling I’m not good enough, but thankfully i have the greatest customers who like to challenge me. They keep trusting in me to cater for their party’s and special events. My two children are in Elementary school. So juggling their hobby’s, activities and lives is definitely keeping me on my toes!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My business British Bakery CO is a home-based bakery that i run myself. I specialize in all types or personalized cakes/cupcakes/cookies/cake pops and desserts in the Western Slope area. I cater dessert tables for local weddings, large work events or special occasions. I have booths at craft fairs throughout the year as well. I’m most proud of the growth i have made throughout the last almost 4 years in business and i feel you can see my progression of my work on my Instagram. I often surprise myself by creating a cake i didn’t know i was capable of and I’m astounded so many people trust me to capture their ideas. My most common cake is a Victoria Sponge cake, a vanilla sponge filled with layers of strawberry and buttercream filling. This cake is my all time favorite and reminds me of a little slice of England where me, my husband and the kids try to visit once a year, as all my family still live there. I’m most proud of my accomplishments i have achieved, I have won many baking events throughout the valley. Alamode is a dessert competition in the Grand Valley in which i took 2nd place for the People’s Choice Award. Just this year i won Bronze for Best Bakery in Best of the West, this was so cool and just been nominated for this prize as a home-baker was such a wonderful achievement.
I get asked all the time if I plan to open an establishment, however I love the flexibility I get from working out of my home kitchen and also I’m proud to be able to say i bake every single item i sell.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: britishbakeryco
• Facebook: British Bakery CO

Image Credits
@aestheticcollectivegj
@Kayleighannimages