'BROWNIE BOXES BUSINESS' WITH MAISIE WINTERTON

                                                                        

THE BEST BROWNIE'S ON THE BLOCK.

We all love a brownie. Who doesn't? Especially a homemade one. Even better if it also has our favourite chocolate in the mix. 

During the first lockdown it became a common occurrence within households to experiment with baking, particularly banana bread. Conversation grew across social media platforms as many shared their banana bread adventures and documented the finished product before enjoying and tucking into their creation. As a nation, baking has also grown in popularity with shows such as 'The Great British Bake Off' airing, it's helped inspire aspirational bakers to pursue their journey, tempt those who may not have baked much before, and tickle the taste buds of all viewers... salivating at the sight of glorious bakes and gasping at hiccups that occur along the way. 

Amidst lockdown, if suddenly out of work, faced with more time or boredom, many have been taking the opportunity to set up their own business. Effectively for some income, but also to keep active and creative. They've taken the time for these two entities to collide, creating a baking business, to share and experiment with their passion for baking, whilst simultaneously providing good food for customers and establishing some income.

Maisie Winterton has done just that with her brownie creations. At just 16 years old, still in school and amidst lockdown, she took her love for baking, created her own business and has begun to establish herself on the market as 'The Brownie Boxes' based in Bexleyheath in Kent. 

IN CONVERSATION WITH MAISIE WINTERTON:

       

"I started this business around 3 months ago after baking all throughout lockdown," she says. "Before last year 

I would never bake, however I tried it in April 2020 and never stopped. To start a business I was inspired by 

others my age who began making their own money in lockdown and was influenced by family and friends 

who tried my bakes and enjoyed them."

"The first cake I made was at the beginning of lockdown in April, others used baking as an activity indoors 

so wanted to try it for myself. At first I baked to pass the time and feel as though I had achieved something 

in the day, however after letting others try the treats I made I realised this could be a talent and started to 

enjoy trying new flavours and recipes."

"I would say baking is definitely a result of COVID-19 because without being in lockdown I would not have 

the time and ideas that I gained from being stuck indoors. With all the free time and time at home I was able 

to be creative and spend time practising and perfecting recipes", she shares.

"I love to bake because I love the feeling of creating something myself and not fully knowing what the end 

result is going to taste like. I love being able to give out what I’ve baked and get feedback from others about 

what their favourite bake is and what I should try next. Whilst I’m studying for A levels I would like to grow 

my brownie business and experiment with new flavours, and then maybe one day I would love to have my own 

restaurant where the signature dessert is my brownies", she smiles.

 

"People have been really positive and have supported me throughout my journey. Lots of people have said they 

have been the best brownies they have tasted and should be in restaurants already, which motivates me more to 

carry on what I’m doing and improve further."

"Something that I have learnt is to accept that some days the brownies go better than others and to not take this 

as failing, it can be really frustrating. However it’s good to learn from the brownies that didn’t go to plan and then 

improve further. I started out giving the brownies to family and friends for free and listened to there feedback and 

what flavours they wanted me to try. This was how I practised my brownies as I was constantly making them so 

they were ready to begin selling", she shares.

"I have a scheduled process. In the week I will allow any orders to be sent through however will leave all the baking 

and delivering to the weekend. If I have a lot of orders or a busy weekend I will start Friday night straight after 

school. People can still order on the weekend and I may be able to get a box to them depending on if I have spare 

boxes or how busy my weekend is," she explains.

"I am on Instagram @thebrownieboxes where you can send me a message and order a box. All the info is on my 

page about flavours and boxes but some examples of flavours include double chocolate, caramel, chocolate Orange, 

and Oreo. Boxes of 6 are currently £4.50 and you can also purchase a box of 12 for £9."

"Lastly I'd like to say, if you have got a dream I would say now is the perfect time to follow it as we may never get 

this chance again. So many people have started there own businesses in lockdown and made a success of it and 

managed to turn this situation into something positive."