Fitzbillies

In 1920, brothers Ernest and Arthur Mason pooled their army pay to found Fitzbillies bakery—home to the famed Chelsea bun.

During the period of rationing in World War II, Chelsea buns were the rarest of treats, but after the war, Fitzbillies went bankrupt. The bakery was bought out and relaunched, only to be devastated by a fire. But the resilient business continued baking off-site, selling their goods in the shop next door.

In 2011, the storefront shuttered again. Writer Stephen Fry posted a tribute to their divine Chelsea buns, which caught the eye of Alison Wright. A Cambridge girl with childhood memories of the joint, Wright left her London career to reopen the shop, which is still thriving today.

Fitzbillies’ most popular, ultra-sticky product continues to be baked by hand 362 days a year, starting at 4 a.m. Head baker Gill Abbs, who joined in 1971, is estimated to have made five million in her time—enough to stretch from Cambridge to the International Space Station. There is not a rival in sight for that gooey feat.

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