We’re absolutely thrilled to have the chance to chat with the doughnut queen herself, Kate, the Managing Director of the Ministry of Doughnuts! For those who haven’t yet had the pleasure, Kate’s culinary creations are revolutionizing the doughnut world, tantalizing taste buds with both sweet and savoury masterpieces. Not just a hit among foodies, Kate’s company has also bagged the prestigious Burntwood Business Trusted Neighbour Award, a testament to their unmissable presence and impact in the community. So, let’s dive into the delicious world of Ministry of Doughnuts and uncover the secrets behind their scrumptious success.! 🍩👑🎉
BB: Welcome, Kate! Let’s start with the origins of the Ministry of Doughnuts. What inspired you to start this venture?
Kate (MD): I was inspired to start the Ministry of Doughnuts as I was fed up with the poor doughnuts available in most shops, made using cheap ingredients, so I started to make my own for my family using top-quality ingredients and homemade. I started experimenting with different flavours, mainly inspired by my favourite desserts and sweets growing up.
BB: That’s fascinating! Could you tell us about your journey since the inception of the Ministry of Doughnuts?
Kate (MD): It’s been an amazing journey so far – it started off as an experiment in Lockdown, making them for family, then friends, soon word got round and with a bit of help from social media orders came flooding in. Now we attend regular artisan food markets, indoor and outdoor events, we even cater for weddings and parties with our celebration towers and canapes and more recently we have acquired some fantastic corporate clients. And there’s lots more to come.
BB: It sounds like a remarkable growth story. What sets your doughnuts apart from others in the market?
Kate (MD): Everything we do is handmade with care and attention using the finest ingredients, we even make our own jam and lemon curd (where this is not possible we like to source the best locally sourced produce). We also offer a selection of unique savoury varieties.
BB: Moving on to your products, what varieties of doughnuts do you offer?
Kate (MD): We offer sweet and savoury vegan doughnuts and also vegan sharing boxes. Sweet flavours include Caramelised cookie biscuit, Lemon and Poppy seed, Peanut butter delight, Classic jam, Apple crumble with toffee sauce and Nutella sprinkles. Savoury flavours include Spicy cheddar and tomato chutney, Applewood smoked with pear chutney and walnut, Camembert with cranberry sauce, Cracked black pepper cheese with homemade red onion chutney.
BB: What about the ingredients? What makes them special?
Kate (MD): We use the finest Shipton Mill flour, which the queen’s bread used to be made of. Everything is homemade where possible, and where this is not possible, we source the best local ingredients.
BB: Now, Which are your most popular doughnuts?
Kate (MD): Our most popular sweet doughnuts are Choc Orange with orange-infused caramel, Chocolate caramel munchie filled with dulce de leche caramel, Kinder Bueno with white choc and hazelnut filling and strawberries and cream (seasonal – available April-Oct) – filled with homemade jam, topped with fresh cream and British strawberries. Our most popular savoury doughnut is Camembert with cranberry and bacon and smoked applewood with homemade red onion marmalade.
BB: We have seen loads of images on your Facebook page, but do you offer any unique or seasonal varieties?
Kate (MD): Yes, we have seasonal doughnuts like Strawberries and cream with British strawberries available April – Oct, Apple crumble with toffee sauce and Apple and Blackberry crumble with custard in the Autumn. We also have occasion doughnuts for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Easter, Halloween, Bonfire Night, Christmas.
BB: That’s quite a range! How about your catering services?
Kate (MD): We offer catering for Weddings and Birthdays by way of our celebration towers, doughnut/Bronut walls, sweet and savoury canape doughnuts. As well as supplying we are also able to serve at events and create doughnut dessert stations.
BB: How can customers place orders with you?
Kate (MD): We try to make it as easy as possible so Customers can order through the website, by email, Facebook or Instagram, LinkedIn or by telephone, all of which are on our Burntwood Business Listings Page.
BB: Do you have any plans for expansion in the future?
Kate (MD): Yes, we have plans to expand in the future, we love what we do and want to give as many people as possible the chance to sample our little drops of joy. Watch this space.
BB: Turning to customer experience, what kind of feedback have you received?
Kate (MD): We’ve received amazing feedback from our customers – Liv Kennaway and Lynsey Morgan Wigg being a couple of great examples. We love it when people leave feedback, either on Burntwood Business, Google or Facebook. It all helps people know how good we are. so Thank you to everyone who has left us a review, it is lovingly appreciated.
BB: How do you engage with your customers, especially those who leave feedback?
Kate (MD): We love it when customers take time out of their day to leave us feedback/reviews, so we always like to personally respond to them and of course share them on social media.
BB: Customer feedback is how we came to know of your business, So what is your approach to ensuring high-quality products and customer service?
Kate (MD): We always use the finest ingredients, and everything we do is handmade with care and attention. Customer service is very important to us so we will go above and beyond to make sure our customers receive the best.
BB: Let’s talk about your vegan-friendly options. What led you to introduce these?
Kate (MD): Initially, we had a number of requests for vegan options so we experimented with various sweet recipes and ingredients until we found the best. Then due to the success of the savoury doughnuts, we decided to launch a vegan savoury range last year, this involved testing lots of different vegan cheeses and trying different flavour combinations until we found the best.
BB: Are there any challenges in making vegan doughnuts?
Kate (MD): Making vegan sweet and savoury doughnuts does have its challenges, they are more time-consuming to make and the choices of ingredients are more limited.
BB: How do you maintain the quality of your vegan options?
Kate (MD): By using the finest ingredients and where possible always homemade with care and attention.
BB: Could you tell us about your online presence?
Kate (MD): As well as the website, we can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
BB: Do you run any special promotions or activities on social media?
Kate (MD): We do regular promotions on Facebook and Instagram, in fact, we have a giveaway coming up for Valentine’s Day, so like and follow our page to be in with a chance to win.
BB: How do you engage with your audience online?
Kate (MD): We engage with our audience on a regular basis by informing them of which markets/events we will be at, recipe ideas, giveaways, sharing information and reviews/recommendations.
BB: Finally, any exciting developments or plans for Ministry of Doughnuts you’d like to share?
Kate (MD): We have an exciting re-brand coming up. Lots of new seasonal produce – Valentine’s Day options coming next week along with a giveaway. A new artisan food market we will be attending in Feb.
BB: Thank you, Kate, for taking the time to sit with us sharing your story. It’s been a pleasure learning about Ministry of Doughnuts and your passion for quality and innovation in the world of doughnuts!
Final Thoughts.
If you have not heard of the Ministry of Doughnuts, take 5 minutes to visit their Facebook page or website. Better still, place an order and taste their amazing creations. They are perfect for parties, office get-togethers, or just to eat alone in your car; we would like to thank Kate and her team for keeping our mouths watering and supplying Burntwood with their produce.
