Baker

You would make baked goods for customers in shops and supermarkets. Or you’d bake and sell your hand-made products in a small craft bakery or delicatessen.

As well as bread and rolls, you’d make other items such as pastries, pies, cakes and biscuits. You’d also decorate and fill them with cream, fruit, jam or icing so they look appetising and taste delicious.

You would:

• weigh out the ingredients

• mix the ingredients according to the recipe

• work out cooking times

• shape the individual products

• bake the goods in ovens

Once they are baked you'd get them ready to put on display and sell. You'd decorate cakes and pastries, and wrap and label the products.

You’d need to order supplies to ensure you have enough ingredients to make everything you need.

You could also experiment with ingredients and recipes to create new products for customers to enjoy. You’d need to meet hygiene, and health and safety standards.

You’d usually work in one of three types of bakery.

At a plant bakery, you’d use specialist machinery to make large amounts of baked goods for shops, supermarkets and other large customers.

As an in-store baker in a supermarket, you’d use some machinery to make fresh products to be sold in the store.

At a craft bakery, you’d make small quantities of products which will be sold in a shop, delicatessen or chain of specialist shops. The work would be more varied and although you’d use some machinery, you’d do much of the work by hand.

• Tasty careers – All about careers in food and drink

• The Federation of Bakers - Careers in the baking industry

• National Food & Drink Training