Fitzbillies, the bakery and cake shop on Trumpington Street, has been an iconic part of Cambridge and the Cambridge student experience since 1922, but in February of this year the hostile economic climate coupled with high rents and the increasing competition of high street branded coffee shops and supermarkets forced the shop to close.

Help was at hand, however, in the form of Guardian food writer Tim Hayward and his wife Alison Wright, who saw a tweet posted by Cambridge alumnus Stephen Fry lamenting the closure of Fitzbillies. Alison grew up in Cambridge- her 21st birthday cake was a croquembouche from the bakery- and immediately contacted the agents to arrange a viewing of the premises.

Despite the frenzied nature of the application and the marked interest from other buyers, Tim and Alison’s business proposal was accepted, perhaps partially due to the fact that they were an independent bid. The ethos behind their bid for the premises was focussed on tradition and good food, even bringing a Bakewell tart along to their initial meeting with the bursar of Pembroke College, who own the premises.

Tim emphasises the fact that maintaining the independence of Fitzbillies was incredibly important, speaking passionately about the danger of brands taking over our high streets and forcing independent businesses out, stressing that “the English high street baker is a really important thing we’re on the edge of losing”.

The original recipes for the famous cakes have been kept, and Gill Abbs, the Head Baker, has 40 years of experience baking Fitzbillies cakes. All the ingredients used are locally sourced and organic where possible and everything is made on the premises, with Tim noting that “people don’t realise how rare it is to have cakes made from scratch”.

Renovating and reopening Fitzbillies within just six months is something Tim describes as “incredibly hard work”, observing that “you don’t have time to realise you’re living the dream”, although the reaction from townsfolk, tourists and students has been overwhelmingly positive.

Tim and Alison and their team are very clear about their intention being to cater for every kind of customer, with Tim declaring that the aim is for Fitzbillies to be as memorable for the current generation of students as it was for the ones before, as well as catering for tourists and residents of Cambridge.

Fitzbillies hasn’t been modernised, but a coffee shop has been added in an attempt to create a more student-friendly environment and in around three weeks times another innovation is set to arrive: for the first time Fitzbillies will be open in the evenings and serving dinners, something Tim hopes will help to save traditional British food in Cambridge.

Tim maintains that the most important thing about reopening Fitzbillies, however, was maintaining the atmosphere and tradition of the much beloved institution: “Fitzbillies is bigger and longer lasting than any of us… it’s a longstanding tradition and we hope to be a part of it”.

The project has meant Tim, Alison and their young daughter have had to move from London to Cambridge, something that Tim says “felt really intriguing- I never imagined I’d leave London but I found Cambridge to be incredibly charming very quickly”. Tim may now be an integral part of the Cambridge tradition that is Fitzbillies, but it was a slightly different Cambridge tradition that made him really feel as much of a part of the town as the iconic business he has taken over: “I definitely feel like a true Cambridge resident- my bike was stolen within two days of my arrival!”