Little Dessert Shop has launched of four new dark kitchens in a play for a bigger slice of the UK’s booming food delivery market.
The indulgent dessert brand is testing a new model that has the potential to dramatically scale its reach in the delivery sector, now worth an estimated £14.3bn [Lumina Intelligence 2025 data]. This figure represents an 87% increase in the market compared to pre-pandemic levels.
According to a Kantar report in early 2024, more than 16 million UK adults order takeaway meals at least once a month – a trend that shows no sign of slowing as convenience, comfort, and premium experiences drive consumer choice.
Against this backdrop, Little Dessert Shop’s expansion is said to help position itself perfectly to meet growing demand for high-quality desserts delivered direct to doorsteps. The dark kitchen model enables faster delivery times, improved coverage, and the flexibility to adapt to local preferences.
The first phase of the trial covers key regions across the UK, with the four new dark kitchens launched in recent weeks located in Wood Green in north London, Guildford in Surrey, Bermondsey in southeast London, and Stonehouse in Gloucestershire.
More dark kitchens are planned as part of a staged rollout, with around 15 opening at a time to balance quality control with growth, the company said. Depending on performance and customer response to this trial, it could be operating up to 75 locations.
Each new kitchen will operate under the Little Dessert Shop brand, offering the same handcrafted products as its physical stores (currently totalling 60 nationwide) including the likes of French toast, waffles, brownie pots, croissant cubes, doughnut puddings, and cookie dough. Limited-edition seasonal lines are created regularly such as the recent pink and blue cake slices to mark Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Customers can order exclusively from each dark kitchen site via delivery apps including Deliveroo, Uber Eats, and Just Eat.
Deliveroo recently unveiled its 2025 list of the UK’s top trending orders, which was dominated by bagels, burgers, and sandwiches, although the Iced Layer Cake from Dougie’s Goodies in Northern Ireland crept in at 19th spot.
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