Top pastry chef Charlotte Marrifield has bought the Harrogate Cake Company with funding support from the Royal Bank of Scotland for an undisclosed sum.

The Harrogate Cake Company will become part of Marrifield’s ‘Sugar Therapy’ brand, which includes the ‘Undeniably Charlotte’ range of chilled desserts sold by Booths.

Production will also shift to her 3,000sq ft bakery in Thirsk.

Marrifield said: “We are absolutely delighted to acquire the Harrogate Cake Company as it brings an incredibly strong brand into our business.

“The products are very high quality and we will continue to follow the original 50-year-old recipes, as well as applying the same meticulous skill and care we are known for.”

Greatest chefs

Marrifield has 18 years’ experience in dessert- and cake-making and has worked for some of the country’s greatest chefs such as Albert Roux, Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay.

She has also created desserts for top brands such as Gü and Lily O’Brien’s and a skull-shaped wedding cake embedded with Swarovski crystals, which earned her the title ‘Damien Hurst of the Dessert World’.

Moving to Harrogate five-and-a-half years ago, Marrifield entered the retail market by opening her boutique patisserie and specialist cookery school Sugar Therapy in in the town.