Highschool sweethearts are sharing the love this Valentine’s Day through their celebration cake-making business, The Couple That Bakes.

Lauren Alexander and Nathan Todd met at school in Killingworth, North Tyneside when they were 15 and 16, and have transformed their love for each other into a successful baking business that covers the North East.

The pair started their firm ‘almost accidentally’ in lockdown and are now reaching new heights.

“The Couple That Bakes started almost accidentally,” says Lauren. “We were in lockdown together, living in Sunderland. I had just graduated and was waiting to start my Masters, and we started baking for fun and to fill our spare time.

The Northern Echo: Lauren Alexander and Nathan Todd.Lauren Alexander and Nathan Todd. (Image: PR)

“We became a little team – baking and decorating cakes, and when Nathan went back to work after furlough, I decided to start selling my cupcake boxes to earn some extra money.”

The Couple That Bakes officially began trading in September 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic from their kitchen at home. This quickly expanded thanks to loyal customers in Sunderland, Durham and Newcastle.

The couple eventually scaled-up their production premises to Camperdown Industrial Estate in Newcastle in April 2021.

“I had outgrown my home kitchen needed a bigger space, so I now have a lovely big commercial kitchen and office to bake and work from,” says Lauren.

Supporting each other through their GCSE’, A-Levels and then their degrees at Sunderland University, their unity and love can be credited for the success that has come with their business.

Nathan will soon qualify as a chartered certified accountant, meaning Lauren has taken over the majority of baking, however she says that Nathan still deals with finance and building relationships with their customers.

“I think working together has made our relationship better. Running a business isn’t easy so there are days when there is a lot of pressure but working alongside your best friend and getting to bounce ideas off each other is so special.

“We have always had big dreams and Nathan has always made me believe anything is possible. We have always made such a great team,” Lauren added.

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Following the run-up to the most romantic day of the year, The Couple That Bakes have been met with plenty of interesting order requests.

“We are currently selling rude Valentine’s Day cupcakes which are very popular.

“We also work on very romantic cakes, such as proposal cupcakes, and as a couple it’s a real honour to be part of someone else’s love story.”