Every morning at 3am, while most of us are still sleeping, Gill Abbs begins her day. By 4:30, she’s manning the ovens at Fitzbillies, the iconic Cambridge bakery, where she’s spent the last 50 years perfecting her craft. Gill, now 72, joined Fitzbillies in 1971 when she was just 19 years old. She was hired by Mr Day, the second owner of the bakery, to make their famous Chelsea buns and made history as the first-ever woman to work there.
During her first Christmas at the bakery, Gill was given the task of making one of its most beloved items, mince pies. ‘I was quite nervous to begin with,’ she tells Metro. ‘But you just had to do it. There was no “I can’t do that”, you just had to do what they asked.’.
Thankfully, her first batch was a success. She recalls the men in the shop eagerly awaiting the results, including Reg, an experienced baker who wasn’t one to hand out praises. Gill recalls: ‘I saw them standing there and even Reg, who was really skilled, he just said “these are really lovely”.
‘I was just really happy and proud,’ she adds. As head baker, Gill has become synonymous with Fitzbillies. She’s worked there every year since 1971 – apart from a brief hiatus when a fire temporarily shut down the bakery. During the Christmas season, Gill, alongside the team members at Fitzbillies, produces thousands upon thousands of mince pies.
