I work in the M&S bakery and there’s secrets people have no idea about… the bread isn’t prepped how you think
MARKS & Spencer’s bakery is famed for its Yumnuts, endless loaves of bread and Colin the Caterpillar treats.
But it turns out that production behind the scenes isn’t how we think it is.
One bakery worker shared what her typical Sunday morning by the ovens is like in a tell-all TikTok video.
“People think we don’t bake stuff fresh,” she said. “So, here’s me showing that I do it at eight o’clock in the morning.
“It’s really fun and I love doing it.”
She revealed that everything is “partly baked” and then frozen before it arrives on each store’s delivery trucks to ensure maximum freshness.
Toppings like cheese on the scones and sugar on the biscuits are added fresh in store.
The method means Marks & Spencer can buy treats in bulk and ensure they don’t go out of stock.
“It makes things a lot easier for us as well because it means we don’t have to come in at three o’clock in the morning,” the baker explained.
Bakery staff have to arrive at five o’clock in the morning on weekdays, but the shifts start a bit later on Sundays due to reduced opening hours.
To add berries onto fruity pastries, bakers are allowed to nab a pot off the shelves.
The woman behind the video also revealed that Portugese tarts are M&S’ bakery bestsellers.
However, how the bread is prepped is the most interesting part of the bakery process.
The baker revealed the loaves are similarly sent partly-baked and frozen, which means bakers don’t have to spend hours kneading and proving the dough before it goes into the oven.
The loaves spent around eight minutes in the industrial-size ovens before going onto the shelves warm.
The supermarket’s fans jumped into the comments to agree that “fresh-frozen” bakery food “is the best”.
“I’d be stealing the bread and eating it,” one jokingly penned. “How do I survive with fresh baked bread smell all around?”
“The cheese scones are elite,” another added.