About
Sweet & Fair
Meet Abby
Hi! I'm Abby, the owner of Sweet & Fair. I'm a trained pastry chef and qualified nutritionist, and I love creating good food for people to enjoy.
Before starting Sweet & Fair, I worked as a pastry chef at Jesmond Dene House in Newcastle, where I had the privilege of working under Cal Byerley, now chef-owner of Michelin-starred Restaurant Pine. I later completed a Level 3 NVQ in Patisserie & Confectionery at Gateshead College to further develop my skills.
Alongside my pastry training, I have a First Class Honours degree in Food & Human Nutrition and a Distinction in Public Health Nutrition. So while cakes and desserts are a particular passion, my background in nutrition also explains my love of colourful salads, fresh ingredients and creating food with plenty of variety.
I also hold a current Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate, and Sweet & Fair is registered and insured. The business has a 5-star Food Hygiene Rating, giving customers peace of mind when ordering catering for their special occasion.
Why Sweet & Fair?
The name Sweet & Fair reflects two things that have always been important to me: my love of sweet food and the values behind the business.
Sweet represents where it all began. Baking and patisserie were the starting point for Sweet & Fair, and creating cakes, desserts and other sweet treats remains a big part of what I love doing. Over the years, I've expanded into savoury catering too, offering everything from delicate sandwiches and colourful salads to flavourful pastries and substantial buffet food.
Fair reflects the way I want to run my business. I believe in treating people fairly, contributing positively to the community and making responsible choices about the environment wherever I can. That means carefully considering the ingredients I use, including choosing Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance certified products, free-range eggs and local British produce where possible. I also look for ways to reduce waste and my carbon footprint. Working from a small home-based kitchen helps me keep food waste to a minimum, while most of my packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable. And if something doesn't sell, I'll certainly do my best to make sure it doesn't go to waste - even the sandwich crusts!
Giving back is another important part of Sweet & Fair. I donate 10% of my profits to charity, with a particular focus on organisations working to improve nutrition and tackle poverty, hunger and social inequalities.
The Story Behind Sweet & Fair
The idea for Sweet & Fair first began in 2012, when I started the business as a partnership with a friend. We had regularly held charity cake sales while at school and decided to turn our shared love of baking into something more. From our parents' kitchens, we sold homemade treats at local farmers' markets and food festivals. It was a fun, if short-lived, first venture. University soon took us nearly 200 miles apart, but my love of baking stayed with me.
Eight years later, the opportunity to start again presented itself. I had recently become a homeowner, meaning I could finally run a food business from my own kitchen, and I had been furloughed from my job as a pastry chef. With more time and the opportunity to try something new, I decided to relaunch Sweet & Fair as a solo business.
During lockdown, there was a growing demand for home food deliveries and luxury treats, so I began offering homemade afternoon teas for delivery around Tyneside. The business quickly became very busy, helped by a lovely feature in the Newcastle Chronicle. I spent many Saturday mornings baking scones, preparing sandwiches and packing up afternoon tea orders, while my husband helped with deliveries across Newcastle, Gateshead, South Shields and beyond. Hearing from customers who described it as 'the best afternoon tea they'd ever had' made all those early mornings worthwhile.
As restaurants and cafés reopened, demand for home-delivered afternoon teas naturally declined, and Sweet & Fair evolved. I gradually shifted my focus towards catering for parties and events, including afternoon teas, cold buffets, dessert tables, corporate catering and celebration cakes. Since then, the business has continued to grow and develop around family life. I now run Sweet & Fair from my home in Gateshead, providing catering and cakes for celebrations, weddings, corporate events and other special occasions across Tyne & Wear and the wider North East.
Sweet & Fair Today
Although Sweet & Fair has changed considerably since those first charity cake sales in 2012, the things that matter most have stayed the same: a love of good food, attention to detail and a desire to make a positive difference.
Today, I create homemade food for all kinds of occasions, from bespoke celebration cakes and afternoon teas to wedding dessert tables, cold buffets and corporate catering. Everything is made to order using high-quality ingredients and meticulous attention to detail.
Whether you're planning a birthday celebration, organising a wedding, arranging a work event or looking for catering for another special occasion, I'd love to hear from you.
Get in touch to discuss your event →
