La Creme Patisserie Blog

Customer feedback on La Creme

Its been an amazing last few weeks with all the publicity about our business and we have had some fantastic feedback from our customers. Here are just a few comments we have received :

One customer said that Sian's pastry was as light as a fairy's wings !! He went on to say that he said to his wife when we opened that we were setting the bar to high and we would never be able to maintain that standard. However two years on he says that " your getting even better - well done".

Helen Morris from Neath has commented on our story in the evening post that she meets up regularly in La Creme with her friends and Sian's work is amazing. Click here to read the full article.

One lady who attended the NPT mayors inauguration last friday rang to say that the patisserie's we supplied was exquisite and she has ordered some for a party she is hosting this weekend. We also had a message of thanks from the leader of the council Derek Vaughan and from the mayor delivered through the Neath town centre manager Terry Harvey.

Shaun Davies has emailed to say that he has seen our article and the cakes look absolutely sublime. He says that we are the best kept secret in Neath.

We have also been inudated with brides asking us to make their wedding cakes and we now have orders to supply cakes to weddings at

The village,Swansea

St.Pierre, Chepstow

The Celtic Manor

Coed y Mwstwr, Bridgend

King Arthur, Reynoldston

Craig-y-nos castle

As far as cup cakes are concerned we are cup caked out. The demand has been incredible. We supplied cakes to So Cocoa in Mumbles (who have started stocking our products) on Tuesday and they sold out within the day. We have then had to redeliver wednesday morning because of the demand.

If anyone would like to leave a comment on any of our articles then please click on the comments tab below. 

Patisserie for the mayors inauguration by la creme

Friday 16th May, La Creme Patisserie supplied 500 pieces of patisserie for the Swansea Lord mayors inauguration at the Brangwyn Hall. We also supplied 300 pieces of patisserie for the Neath Port Talbot mayors inauguration on the same day held at the princess royal thearte Port Talbot. The photos below show some of the products supplied :

Chocolate cups filled with chocolate ganche and decorated with painted white chocolate.

Lemon merangue bite size patisserie

Chocolate profiteroles

  Raspberry and cream patisserie

Jam and cream mini patisserie scones

Raspberry Kisses

Mini patisseries are available to order from the shop.

The cakes are perfect for small tea parties or for large corporate events.

There are lots of different cakes to choose from but please give us plenty of notice.

Sex in the City cup cakes from la creme

Following the release of the new Sex in the City film Neath has gone cup cake crazy. Last saturday the Daily Mail ran an article about how one of the stars of the show had sent Victoria Beckham a years supply of cup cakes from the patisserie featured in the film. Following on from this, we were asked if we would like to appear on S4C on Wedi 7 at 7.00pm on Thursday 22nd May to talk about our cup cakes. As neither Sian or I are welsh speaking one of our chefs called Barbara volunteered to be infront of camera. She did brilliantly.

The following video is a short clip of me filming them, filming us and Sian talking about our cup cakes.

The story has also been picked up by the Evening Post Newspaper who came to our patisserie on friday to film a short clip for their blog and to take some pictures of La Creme to feature in Monday nights edition of the newspaper.

Its been a long week. Not only have we had some great publicity but we have also made lots of cake.

We made 500 pieces of patisserie on Friday for the Swansea Lord Mayors inauguration at the Brangwyn Hall, 300 pieces of patisserie and 50 choux swans for the Neath Port Talbot mayors inauguration, 100 Caramel & banana bavoise for a corporate event at the Dylan Tomas centre and 75 individually decorated raspberry cheesecakes for a wedding at Margam Orangery.

All this as well as 2 wedding cakes and 12 birthday cakes.

Dynamo Role Models at La Creme

Sian and myself have been asked by the Welsh Assembly to become Dynamo role models and go out into schools and colleges and give talks on running your own business. Today was my first go at presenting my story to a year 10 class and the school I was given was Gowerton comprehensive.

I didn't know what to expect having not spoken in front of year 10 children before. Both my 14 year old son and my 12 year old daugther had filled me with dread the night before, telling me that "the children would eat me alive" and that I "musn't be boring". In fact I found the whole experience very enjoyable. The children were chatty and interested and made me feel very welcome in their school.

I told them that Sian and I were living the dream. We were lucky in that we are doing something that we passionately believe in. The business is really starting to make a name for itself. Earlier today we had a telephone call from a producer at S4C and tomorrow they are coming to our patisserie to film us making cup cakes. An article in the Daily Mail on Saturday wrote about Victoria Beckam receiving a gift of a year's supply of cup cakes and they are coming to film us as a follow up to this article. Sian had been in work since 4.00am trying to make up time lost yesterday when we went to London to drop off our entries for the Great Taste awards and now she needed to work late to make cup cakes for tomorrow. She is certainly living the dream (or is it working in a trance?). We saw plenty of examples of cup cakes on sale in London yesterday and the picture left shows our interpretation of the lastest hot cake. They should be hot its 10.39pm and Sian has just finished making them!

Friday we are making 600 pieces of patisserie for the Swansea Lord Mayors inauguration to be held at the Brangwyn Hall and we are also making 400 patisseries for Neath Port Talbot Mayors inauguration on the same day. So no sleep tomorrow either.

Which brings me back to my talk today. Running your own business is very hard work. It doesn't suit everyone. However if you have a passion - run with it. A headline in the Evening Post last week quoted Sir Anthony Hopkins saying "If you have a dream, make it a big one". Pick the highest mountain and don't stop until you have climbed it.

One thing I forgot to mention in my talk today was that you have to have a song. Your own song - the song you play at full volume when you have achieved your goal. My song is "Brass in Pocket". I remember this song coming on the radio just as I got in the car after getting my first job. Whenever I hear it I think back to how great life felt at that moment. Luckily I have played this song (at full volume) many times since. 

So once again I would like to say thank to the children of year 10 in Gowerton Comprehensive who didn't fall asleep today when I was talking and for their hospitality and I would encourage them to find their dream and as they say on Star Trek "Make it so".   

La Creme caters for 135 at the Pontardawe Twinning event

Saturday 10th May saw La Creme Patisserie catering for 135 guests at Cwmtawe school for the Pontardawe twinning association. Guest visitors from France were treated to an evening of entertainment and fine food to celebrate the 22nd year of exchange visits between Pontardawe and Lochmoyne.

La Creme catered a menu of assorted canapes, cold meat platters, quiches, cous cous, Greek salad, potato salad and homemade bread. For dessert we prepared raspberry and lemon roulade, chocolate truffle torte and pear frangipane tart. Watch the following video to see Sian talking you through the evenings fare :

One french guest was so impressed by Sian's desserts that she demanded to know who Sian trained under in Paris. Her husband was a trained patisserie chef and she was adamant that Sian's level of skill and presentation could only have been learnt under one of the great Parisian Masters! Praise indeed.

To see examples of our innovative outside catering menus please visit our website. We specialise in providing bespoke menus to cater for all occasions. Family parties, summer buffets, wedding breakfasts, corporate events or a takeaway for two - La Creme can design a menu to suit.

A full copy of the menu for the evening is available for download in pdf Download pontardawe_buffet.pdf

So Cocoa in Mumbles start supplying La Creme Cakes.

Situated in the back streets of Mumbles, in the former house of Captain Dunn is  So Cocoa, Chocolate shop.

This little gem is stuffed full of fabulous and unusual chocolates and has recently started supplying desserts and cakes from La Creme Patisserie.

As the only independent chocolate shop in the Swansea area, So Cocoa speciases in gourmet and luxury chocolates, including some hand made in Wales.

With brands such as Rococoa, Damian Allsop and Charbonnel et Walker, owner Sian Thomas provides only the very best.

Damian Allsop's water-based range, H2O, provides a healthy alternative to dairy based chocolates.

Customers can choose their own selection of delicious Belgian chocolates for gifts or personal treats.

Sian approached La Creme to see if we would be interested in supplying Wedding Cakes because she has lots of enquires and the relationship has now developed whereby we supply cakes and desserts on a weekly basis.

Customers can choose  from our portfolio either direct from our internet site or from our brochure in store and deliveries can be made to order.

This week we supplied Raspberry Roulades as well Strawberry cheesecakes,

both individual and large size,

and chocolate & Amaretto torte.

 

Tangent Club book Private party at La Creme

Thursday 1st May we hosted a private party for 21 members of the Neath Tangent Club. The evening started with speeches then we served a three course meal, menu as follows :

  Starters : Watercress & Celeriac Soup or

Smoked Salmon Roulade or

Leek & Blue Cheese Tartlet

Main Course :

Chicken Breast stuffed with sausage meat with a mustard veloute sauce,

or Goats cheese & roasted peppers on a puff pastry base

   Dessert :

Chocolate & Amaretto Torte,or

Raspberry Bavoise, or Bread & Butter Pudding

The cafe looked lovely laid out as a restaurant with two large tables. We borrowed table decorations from Daisy Chain Wales (a new florist which has opened in Angel Street).

La Creme is a good size venue for groups up to 30 people looking for a more intimate setting. Menus are tailor made to suit the occasion, we are a licenced premises with a good selection of wines.