A MASTERCHEF star has announced the closure of all of his UK pastry shops, after struggling to cope with climbing costs.
Graham Hornigold, who has also appeared on Junior Bake Off co-founded gourmet doughnut brand Longboys back in 2019, but just six years later, the business has gone bust.
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The brand’s three London sites, in Liverpool Street, Coal Drops Yard and Market Halls Canary Wharf have all closed their doors for their final time.
Writing on Instagram, the pastry chef explained: “You’ve probably noticed we’ve been a little quieter than usual.
“The truth is, with rising inflation, changes to NI, and product costs spiralling, the past few months have been incredibly tough.
“Like so many small independents across the UK hospitality industry, we’ve felt the impact hard.
“You may have seen that we made the difficult decision to close all Longboys sites in the hope of reopening. Sadly, we won’t be able to bring them back.
“But this isn’t the end -it’s a redirection.”
Graham added that himself and his team will “dust ourselves off and go again”.
Longboys was famous for its finger shaped doughnut and eclair hybrids, filled with creative flavours, such as Sticky Toffee Pudding and Raspberry Rose Lychee.
Commenting under the post, pastry fans shared their devastation at the closure.
One person said: “Gutted to hear this news!
“Look forward to your return soon.”
A second person said: “Your lychee raspberry donuts will be living rent-free in my mind forever.”
A third person added: “Sorry to hear this news. I enjoyed many visits to your Coal Drops Yard shop.”
More restaurant closures
And Longboys isn’t the only eatery that’s struggled to stay afloat.
Rick Stein’s Marlborough restaurant could be set to close its doors for good, just five years after being saved.
A spokesperson for Rick Stein Marlborough told Gazette and Herald: “We can confirm that we are proposing the closure of our Marlborough restaurant and are consulting with the team to explore whether this can be avoided.
“Our other restaurants and rooms continue to trade well, but this particular site has not delivered the same level of return.”
And last month, Channel 4 chef Dom Taylor announced he is closing his Marvee’s Food Shop in Ladbroke Grove, West London, due to “unforeseen circumstances”.
The Caribbean restaurant only opened a few month’s prior, in May, as part of the music and events space UNDR, near the famous Portobello Road.