The Pudding Lab Boston Spa: Inventive chefs carve out creative niche at high street patisserie
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Business partners Ashley Close and Kian Lian opened The Pudding Lab, in Boston Spa, soon after lockdown in 2021.
They said that the brand was “built around the kitchen table”, as they embarked on a new chapter inspired by their passion for all things sweet.
The pair have worked in the industry for most of their lives - before establishing The Pudding Lab, Ashley, 42, was running a catering company and had previously worked as a private chef, while Kian, 33, was a private chef and had worked in a Michelin-starred kitchen, as well as at The Box Tree in Ilkley.
They discovered a gap in the market, as they said a high-quality patisserie was something that was missing in the region.
“To our knowledge, there wasn’t anyone who was doing modern patisseries in Leeds. We sat down and built the business around the kitchen table,” explained Ashley.
They found an attractive space in the picturesque village of Boston Spa and opened just over two years ago.
Ashley said: “We always have a mixture of modern and traditional patisseries. There’s an attention to detail and a focus on interesting flavour combinations.
“The joy that people get when they see our fridge full of patisseries is amazing. There’s definitely a wow factor.”
They said that they were keen for ‘Lab’ to feature in the name as part of their commitment to creativity, so it’s no surprise that the menu changes frequently as Ashley and Kian introduce new and exciting flavours.
Ashley said: “People know that they’re not going to be disappointed when they come to the Pudding Lab. They always enjoy it and the high standards keep them coming back.
“Sometimes, people don’t believe that everything has been made here - until they see us working away in the back. That’s one of the unique things about The Pudding Lab, we get to interact with the customers while we’re working.”
The patisserie also makes desserts for events and corporate clients. It has plans to create unique patisserie boxes for special occasions.
There are plenty of gluten free options at the Pudding Lab and the team were insistent that they ought to be as high in quality as their other desserts.
“We’ve always said that we’re not going to put them in the fridge unless they’re as good as our other patisseries, that was really important for us,” explained Ashley.
He added: “We take great pride in the patisseries we make. It has always been a priority of ours to make sure we give 100%.”