Wednesday 29th May was National Biscuit Day. Synonymous with quintessentially British bakes, the event saw Hill Biscuits, the beloved Manchester-based biscuit maker, bring the local community together with their delicious treats.
From a school bake-off and biscuit donations to care homes and hospices, to sweet snacks at Portland Basin Museum and the planting of hundreds of trees with The National Trust, Hill’s passion for fostering community spirit through their traditional British biscuits remains true since the day it was founded, almost 170 years ago.
Celebrations kicked off intrue British style on the 23rd May at Laurus Ryecroft School, in Droylsden, Manchester, where 30 Hospitality and Catering or Food and Nutrition students from Year 10 let the flour fly whilst using Hill’s range of custard creams, gingerbread men and digestives to bake up some biscuit magic!
The students, aged 14 to 15 years old, were supported by three Hill representatives, and were judged on their baking skills, imagination and creativity with different flavours. This was followed by a career talk about future pathways into the food industry. What’s more, the winner was awarded with a book donated by Christine Wallace, a quarter finalist in The Great British Bake Off in 2013, with Hill kindly donating vouchers to the winner and two runner ups.
Frank Bird, Hill CEO explains: “As a nation, we consume the most biscuits in the world per capita. We wanted to celebrate the success of our industry with something really special that our community could also get involved in. What’s more, we wanted to bring the joy of a cuppa and a biscuit to everyone, and how better to help reintroduce staffroom breaks too!
National Biscuit Day inspired us to encourage young people to be as creative as they like in the kitchen, using our products in a fun baking competition. And who doesn’t love The Great British Bake Off!”
Ciaran Ellis, Curriculum lead of D&T, Laurus Ryecroft added; “We were delighted to get involved with Hill and their Biscuit Day celebrations. It was very exciting for us as a school but particularly for our Year 10s who are gearing up for their GCSEs next year.”
“This was a challenge with a lot of fun thrown in and our students were thrilled about it. It’s a real treat working with Hill, who are local to us, and as their teacher, the icing on the cake was seeing the students planning their recipes and using their imagination to create something really special.”
Hill factory staff delivered thousands of biscuits to local care homes, hospices and community radios, to encourage a pause in the day with a biccie and a cuppa. By creating a moment to appreciate the little things in life such as a soothing tea break and a yummy biscuit, this brought colleagues, patients, and families together.
“We’ve become such busy creatures, navigating through our day without a moment’s breath. It’s important to re-introduce the humble tea break with a sweet treat, and get people talking and sharing a moment.” Comments Frank.
Exploring history through the taste of a biscuit, Hill continued its biscuit day celebrations at Portland Basin Museum housed within the restored nineteenth century Ashton Canal House, in Ashton-under-Lyne. Visitors were treated to free Hill biscuits whilst exploring local historic exhibits, a renowned past which Hill is a huge part of. In 1855 its family run shop first opened and then in 1893 when the bakery business expanded and moved into Tudno Mill where Hill is still based.
As the day drew to a close, the baking continued in the Hill factory with 8 million biscuits baked on National Biscuit Day! Supporting The National Trust, Hill pledged to plant one tree for every 40,000th biscuit produced on the day.
Tracey Meadows, Commercial Director, Hill Biscuits, remarks: “We’re absolutely delighted to be working with The National Trust, supporting their work across the country with new trees, 200 of them in fact. This support goes hand in hand with our sustainable practices as we continue to make corporate social responsibility fundamental to our operation.”
Hill’s final stop on National Biscuit Day was at Castlefield Viaduct, National Trust’s sky garden in the heart of Manchester, where CEO Frank Bird sat down with National Trust staff, volunteers and visitors with a cup of tea, and shared tips on the most enjoyable way to indulge in his beloved custard creams.
Taking part in National Biscuit Day is one of many events planned as part of Hill Biscuit’s community engagement, all aimed at giving back to the locality which has been an integral part of Hill’s history. 2025 is especially significant for Hill Biscuits as the company marks its big 170th anniversary with many more initiatives and events coming up.
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