Picture this, it is freezing outside, you’re wrapped up in your scarf and can’t move for all the layers you’ve put on to fend off the cold. But your hands are warm, gently enveloping the labour of love that is a bun from home. Freshly baked, it’s still warm and you can smell the sweetness and the indulgence. You can see the intricate layers of pastry that peer up from the modest brown bag.
Then you devour the whole thing.
That was my first experience of trying a bun from home, what began as a simple lockdown baking project for founder Barney Goff quickly rose into something much bigger. Before the pandemic, Barney worked for an online fashion company called Showcase but left his job due to COVID-19.
He returned to his family home in Holland Park, where he started baking buns in his mother’s kitchen. Whilst baking he distributed thousands of flyers to nearby streets, hoping some of his neighbours might take a bite of interest and buy one.
Unlike most lockdown bakers, Barney was different. He had professional experience.
At 30, he had worked early shifts at a local French patisserie, where he mastered the art of laminating croissant dough, which was the perfect method to crafting flaky buns!
Applying these skills to his cinnamon, cardamom, and weekly special buns, Barney soon found himself overwhelmed with hundreds of orders. With sales soaring, the first shop was launched just off Portobello Market, after crowdfunding was set up. Barney wanted to ensure everything about the shop felt natural and truly ‘made from home’. Utensils and baking trays used in the shop were found in his mother’s kitchen, and each bun left in a simple paper bag that had been hand stamped. Even the head baker was self-taught during lockdown – wicked!
The queues on the opening day were proof that the company was headed for big things, resulting in even more store openings. After hype was created on social media, with influencers rating the buns, it quickly became the knead-to-be weekend spot! Four years later, Barney has created a brand with over 50 employees and 20 stores around London!
The best part about the business in my opinion? The fact there’s a 4-hour window, between the buns being freshly made, and being completely SOLD OUT! Every weekend, the company hosts a ‘special’, where the most jaw dropping, mouthwatering buns are released from Friday-Sunday. There have been some magnificent looking buns, however there’s one stand-out special, and that’s the Limited Time PerfectTed X buns from home, bun dropping this weekend from 4th-6th October.
How did the collab come around?
I’ve always been a huge fan of social media and cinnamon buns. So, when my two favourite components came together and my social media was full of aesthetic videos from buns from home, I knew it was a sign.
I popped into their Baker Street store and devoured their ‘classic’ cinnamon bun. Whilst there, I had a wonderful chat with one of the employees. The conversation ended with me receiving Siobhan’s email, the incredible Product Developer, where I shared my thoughts on partnering for the biggest collaboration in history!
Months later, Siobhan and Anna, the brand manager, left an email in my inbox. I knew this was big! After agreeing on what an incredible partnership this could be—where dough met luminous green, we decided to lock in a meeting at PT HQ.
buns from home were in the house! Siobhan and Anna walked through the doors to PerfectTed, where we discussed all things buns and matcha. We all left the meeting pumped and locked in the launch date.
After several meetings and LOTS of hard work from both teams, we have PerfectTed Matcha-misu buns coming to YOU, dropping THIS weekend across ALL stores!
A crisp, golden bun that gives way with a satisfying crunch. Inside, a smooth match-misu filling, balancing sweet and earthy flavours perfectly. The contrast of the flaky exterior with the creamy filling makes each bite irresistible. One taste, and you’ll be hooked, rushing out for more!
But wait, it gets even better…
You can also pair the bun with a drink! We’ll also have the greatest PerfectTed X buns from Home Vanilla Matcha Latte dropping for a limited time in Marylebone, Victoria, and Notting Hill stores!
