Bakes by Gee couple quit jobs and build bakery in back garden

Georgia and Nik Zikking are already seeing the rewards, having sold out in just three hours at a recent farmer’s market.

Mrs Zikking started Bakes by Gee in January 2021, building her reputation by making celebration cakes and “the odd tray bake”.

But by January of this year, she found she could no longer run the business while continuing to work full-time in dentistry.

Georgia and Nik with the bakery in their garden (Image: Bakes by Gee)

“I did 10 years, starting as a dental nurse and ending up as assistant practice manager, but in the end I had to choose and my heart was in baking,” she said.

A few weeks later, husband Mr Zikking quit his job as a business development manager in Worcester to join his wife in the kitchen at their Malvern home.

“I’d been helping behind the scenes for a couple of years but the business needed the extra pair of hands, so I’ve been full-time for four or five weeks now,” he said.

“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind but it’s been great working together.”

Bakes by Gee also needed more space, with the couple finding they were having to turn down orders because there wasn’t enough room in their kitchen.

“We looked at a lot of places but renting somewhere is really expensive at the moment, so we decided to build a bakery in our garden,” said Mr Zikking.

“We had the space to do it so hired a local company to do it.”

The couple now have so much space they’ve been able dedicate a section of the bakery to making vegan and gluten-free cakes, which proved a huge hit at Great Malvern Farmer’s Market.

“We sold out in just over three hours,” said Mrs Zikking. “It was amazing. We’d been wanting to do the farmer’s market for about a year so we were so excited to do it.”

“It was an amazing feeling,” said Mr Zikking. “We had to tweak our menu to get a foot in the door as there are a few bakeries, but there’s room for everyone.”

Bakes by Gee has a busy summer ahead and you’ll be able to find the couple at markets and food festivals in Malvern, Ledbury, Hereford, Tewkesbury and Stratford-upon-Avon.