Lindsey Dawkins is The British Baker; still, you won’t find her real name on her website. She likes it that way.
“I love the fact that I’m British. And The Great British Bake Off is a fabulous show. Why not riff off that a little?” Dawkins explained with a smile. “I love having that alter ego.”
That identity has been a fixture at the Pemberton and Whistler Farmers’ Markets for the better part of six years. Her stall is known for flaky sausage rolls, buttery shortbread and neat stacks of French macarons in colours that might have been plucked from an oil painter’s palette.
Now, she’s bringing those same market-day favourites—and plenty of new temptations—to a permanent storefront in Pemberton’s Industrial Park.
From Cornwall to the Sea to Sky
Dawkins’ journey to her new kitchen began in Cornwall, England, where she baked alongside her mum. She recalls “sitting by the Aga trying to keep warm from the cold, wet Cornish winters, waiting for the cakes to bake.”
She cooked professionally from the age of 16, working in a supermarket café before ski seasons took her to New Zealand, the French Alps and, eventually, Whistler. There, she worked at the Wildwood Pacific Bistro, “making eggs Benny at 6 a.m. on a Sunday when you knew [The Bistro] was going to get rocked on a long weekend.”
A stint at Purebread in Whistler cemented her shift from cooking to baking. She worked at the Whistler institution as it grew from one to four locations.
“Purebread taught me how to turn my hobby into a profession, and I could not be more grateful to them,” she says. “I loved every second of it. We’d all go snowboarding in the morning and then go and make a thousand scones in the afternoon.”
During her daughter's early years, Dawkins became a caretaker for Drumkeeran House—a six-room guest house on Ivey Lake. And while she originally saw the gig as a moment to relax, she quickly started to feel like it wasn't enough.
I was a little bit bored. So I started making holiday boxes; Christmas, then Valentine’s, then national holiday boxes," she said. "Because it was during COVID, people were really missing home. So, let’s try and bring that taste of home to them.”
Those boxes led to her first farmers’ market season in Pemberton, then Whistler. It was the Whistler market that taught her one of her best-selling secrets. At first she avoided making sausage rolls there, thinking cakes and cookies would be enough.
“Three months into it, I’m sitting there, super depressed, thinking this is not happening," she recalled. "Eventually, I gave in and took the sausage rolls, and now I’m selling 250 to 1,000 a week in Whistler."
A menu that travels
Dawkins’ massage therapist recently reminded her she once said she wanted to open a bakery when her youngest started school.
“[My son] started school this year,” Dawkins says. “So it was time. I opened the bakery."
She settled on a location in the Pemberton Industrial Park, next to the car wash. It’s the first food joint as you drive in off the 99. Dawkins has used the space as a kitchen since December, but only opened the doors to customers this summer.
“Until I actually opened the doors, I was super terrified about it… but I feel like I’ve paid my dues," she said. "I feel confident in people liking my stuff.”
Dawkins resists being boxed in as strictly British.
“Everyone comes in here and they see the French macarons and they say, well, you’re British. I refuse to be pigeonholed like that," she said. "You can come and get your sausage rolls and your Scotch eggs… but I’ve converted so many new people to that because it’s not pastry, it’s more protein, less pastry.”
That's not to say she's not always testing; pushing to grow her menu to cater to customers' palates.
“I’ve always tried to have vegan options, gluten-free options. If somebody comes in and says they want something, I’ll give it a go," she said. "Somebody asked for Jamaican patties—I will absolutely try to make those in the future.”
Some menu changes are necessitated by the season; Dawkins prides herself on sourcing local when possible, which means she follows the growing season.
“We’ve had a long cherry season, so everything was really cherry until everyone got really cherry-ed out," she said. "Now we're on to blueberry."
Stopping in
Dawkins launched her storefront just a few weeks back. Customers have already been asking for lunch options.
“Especially in the summer, people are looking for a lighter sandwich,” she said. “I’m working on a bread recipe and we’re going to do paninis in the future.”
When asked what first-timers should order, she doesn’t hesitate: “The pork sausage roll—sage apple-flavoured pork sausage roll—is definitely the most popular one,” she answered quickly. “The butter chicken pie and definitely the French macarons. They’re my favourite things to make, and they’re super delicious.”
Getting a new business off the ground, particularly with young kids at home, is never easy. But the challenge bringing new flavours to the Valley and harnessing the market-style social energy makes it all worthwhile.
“This is my dream,” said Dawkins. “This was all in my head, and now it’s here."
