Like many of us during the early days of the Covid lockdown, Gayle Johnstone was desperately looking for a new hobby.
What she wasn’t anticipating was for it to turn into an Elgin business supplying cakes to shops as far away as Kemnay and Grantown.
But after turning her hand to baking, she had cars lining up to buy bakes from an honesty box at the end of the road leading to her croft.
Demand became so intense that one of her neighbours, anxious about the crowds in the early days of the pandemic, even called the police.
The phenomenal pressure encouraged her to use what she’s learned during a career in catering to launch her own business The Crofter’s Neuk in the south of Elgin.
- The Press and Journal stopped by for a coffee with Gayle to find out how she coped with the surprise boom business she created during Covid.
- Why she transformed that into a takeaway in the south of Elgin.
- How she has diversified to ensure she has a steady income.
- The reasons she believes Elgin businesses don’t necessarily need to be in the town centre to thrive.
Baking hobby leads to queues of cars waiting for cakes on Elgin outskirts
There was only so many times Gayle could clean the house during those early days of the Covid pandemic.
Despite keeping a busy small croft to the south of Elgin with three Highland cows, ducks, sheep and countless hens – she was desperate for something else to do.
Although she had had a career in catering in local hotels and at Johnstons of Elgin, baking hadn’t been a passion.
Initially it was just some snacks for her husband and his colleagues while they worked on the farm.
But when their appetites could no longer keep up with the baking, Gayle had to find another avenue to keep her lockdown passion going.
She said: “So it was just a tiny croft we had. We just put eggs down in an honesty box and mum started making jam and stuff like that.
“I just started putting in a slice or something for people walking through Birnie, and then it just got crazy.
“There were cars, queues of cars. The police actually came up but they were so nice and said we were doing all the right things with sanitiser.
“People would send us photos of them in their car queuing saying they hoped there would still be stuff left by the time they got there.
“It was the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life. I was working from 4am until midnight then having a few hours sleep. It was crazy.”
Gamble on launching Elgin business The Crofter’s Neuk
After initially only picking up the mixing bowl to help her mental health during lockdown, one change in August 2020 made her reconsider why she was doing it.
When the takeaway on the corner of Glen Moray Drive in New Elgin came on the market, she knew she had to seize the opportunity.
It’s a small place, was once a public toilet, and had changed hands repeatedly in recent years.
But, Gayle was confident: “I just had a good feeling about it. I don’t know if it was just because the honesty boxes were busy.
“I thought we could have this place so it wasn’t causing havoc with the traffic. It’s next to the High School and the kids were heading back then, so I thought it would all just work in.
“We were lucky too. We were able to stay open through the rest of Covid.”
Gayle added: “We just did cakes to begin with and stuff for the school kids.
“Then we introduced just a wee menu, a bit of loaded fries and other hot food, and then it got a bit more and a bit more.
“There’s so much that comes out of this little building though.”
How The Crofter’s Neuk reaches customers up to 50 miles away
Visitors to The Crofter’s Neuk in New Elgin will see a busy takeaway serving breakfasts and lunches to hungry workers and school pupils.
And while that is true, Gayle has worked to generate additional income to ensure the business is not completely reliant on passing footfall.
Today she estimates only about 10% of her trade comes from the walk-in counter.
More than half of the income comes from preparing cakes to supply to shops across the north-east while the rest is from preparing working lunches for firms predominantly in the whisky industry.
Cakes from The Crofter’s Neuk can be found on the shelves of KeyStore, Premier and Budgens across Elgin and in communities including Kemnay, Grantown and Knockando.
Gayle said: “If we were only a takeaway it would still be a wee profitable business, but it would just be me.
“I wouldn’t need to have the five staff that I’ve got. They’re all very much part-time, but they work so hard.
“When I started I had so many ideas, but you have to be realistic and just take little steps, and that’s what we’ve done.
“You’ve got to do with the craze at the time too. We did a lot of afternoon teas when we started during lockdown and they’ve kind of tailed off now.
“I’ve had so many ideas. I get up every day and love my job. I love our customers, the regulars, the new faces, the girls on the phone at the distilleries, I just love it.”
Why Crofter’s Neuk doesn’t need Elgin town centre to thrive
A tiny takeaway attached to the side of a convenience store in a residential area may not be as an obviously appealing location to open as a prime town centre unit.
However, with Elgin High School only a short walk away and thousands of potentially hungry residents on the doorstep of The Crofter’s Neuk, it works for what Gayle needs.
In fact, she believes staying away from the added pressures of the town centre has actually benefitted her.
She said: “Years ago a building came up in the town centre but it was just too big. It was too daunting going in there by myself, because that’s what it was then.
“But I like to not be in the middle of it all. I like being on the outskirts. It’s maybe more hassle free, if that’s the right word.
“I feel I can control the pace of what the business is doing here. If we’re a bit stretched we can slow it down, but if you’re in the High Street you need to fill your tables if you’re a restaurant.
“Parking is a big thing too. We’ve got parking just outside which you don’t have to pay for, but we also have people that can just walk to us. We have constant footfall where we are.
“We have a great community right here we enjoy being part of.”
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