Happy 50th Birthday, Slattery's!

On Friday 30 June 2017, it was 50 years since Slattery’s Chocolatier and Patissier first opened their doors. Slattery’s is one of my favourite places on Earth and is close to becoming my second home. The delicious chocolate and decadent cakes are just a small, but extremely important part, of what makes Slattery’s such a unique place.

It started off as a bakery, opened by Bernard and Margaret Slattery on 30 June 1967. Fast forward 50 years and it’s grown into an extraordinary emporium which, despite relocating several times, has remained a local business at the heart of the community. Son John, who still owns and runs the store, brought with him his passion for the ‘sweetest things in life’ and helped turn the business into the Willy Wonka style wonderland that we know and love.

I’ve previously spoken about my love of all things Slattery. A family business now in its third generation, it’s so very special. If the atmosphere in store could be bottled, it would make a fortune when flogged.

I popped in on Friday afternoon to help them celebrate. The store was decked out with golden garlands and birthday bunting; there were prize draws and a selection of vintage products from their back catalogue available to buy. The likes of the humble Eccles cake and the iced finger, which were favourites when the shop first opened, were on sale for as little as 75p. Whilst our taste in cakes may have moved on since then, our genuine love and enthusiasm for Slattery’s certainly hasn’t. 

Most exciting of all, there were huge bowls of chocolate drops available for you to dip into, in a rainbow of colours and flavours, and I also had a couple of truly scrumptious chocolate truffles, which were sensational.

Every customer who passed through the door on Friday received a free slice of birthday cake, the traditional kind: vanilla sponge with jam and butter cream, topped with icing. Including the customers so generously in their celebrations sums up what Slattery’s is all about. Not to mention, the cake was sheer perfection. 

I was delighted to be one of the hundreds of customers helping them celebrate this milestone. On their 60th, 70th and even 100th birthday, Slattery's will still be an enchanting kingdom full of charm, creativity and, not to mention , supreme talent. 

So, Happy Birthday, Slattery! Here's to another 50 magical years.