Free-from baker Kerry Schumacher is proving that being gluten-free doesn’t mean going without. When she launched Flock & Whisk in 2025, she wasn’t just starting a bakery; she was setting out to change perceptions of gluten-free baking.
Today, her gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free and vegan breads, cakes and cookies can be found at farmers’ markets across Forth Valley, supplied to cafés in Falkirk, Livingston and Linlithgow, and collected from her increasingly popular Cake Shed in Larbert.
Producing more than seven hundred bakes and over thirty loaves every week from her dedicated gluten-free kitchen, demand continues to grow as more customers discover that free-from baking can be every bit as indulgent, creative and flavour-packed as traditional baking.
For Kerry, the idea grew from personal experience: “I wanted to create the kind of bakery I wished existed when I was struggling to find good gluten-free options myself. People shouldn’t have to settle for a chocolate brownie as the only choice.”
The bakery is entirely gluten-free, dairy-free and egg-free, making every product vegan too.
Food and drink have been the thread running through Kerry’s career.
After graduating with a degree in Hospitality Management, she launched whisky walking tours on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, introducing visitors to Scottish history through five bars and five drams. Her business caught the attention of Scottish Field magazine, leading to a role as the publication’s whisky writer.
A move to the United States followed, where Kerry worked running whisky events at a venue in Tennessee with an astonishing collection of 1200 Scottish whiskies.
Back in Scotland and raising a young family, she felt the pull of a different challenge.
In her late thirties, Kerry joined the kitchen team at Gleneagles while studying part-time for a patisserie qualification at Edinburgh College.
Kerry reflected: “”It was intense as a mother of two, but I learned so much. Working at Gleneagles and studying patisserie gave me the confidence to think about creating something of my own.”
One of her proudest college projects was a showpiece flamingo made entirely from chocolate. A creation that would later inspire the Flock & Whisk brand:
“People often ask about the flamingo. I’ve always loved pink, but flamingos are fun, quirky and full of personality.
“The chocolate flamingo became one of my proudest creations and it felt right to make it part of the business.”
Living with gluten and lactose intolerance herself, Kerry understood first-hand how disappointing free-from options could be.
Rather than accepting limited choices, she began developing recipes that could stand alongside, and often outperform, traditional baking.
Months of testing followed and the result is a range that has earned a loyal following far beyond customers with dietary requirements: “It’s not as simple as swapping ordinary flour for gluten-free flour. Every recipe has to be rebuilt from scratch. There were lots of failures before I got them exactly where I wanted them.”
From cherry and pistachio scones and mini Victoria sponge cakes to millionaire cookie pies, empire biscuits and crusty baguettes, Flock and Whisk’s products are bought by customers who simply enjoy good baking.
Kerry says the biggest compliment is when a customer says, “I can’t believe is gluten-free.” Adding: “I don’t want people with allergies or intolerances to feel like an afterthought. They deserve exciting food too.”
Flock & Whisk’s products can now be found at monthly farmers’ markets in Falkirk, Stirling and Dollar (Solsgirth), as well as a growing number of independent cafés across the region.
Alongside wholesale and market sales, customers can also visit the self-service Cake Shed at Kerry’s home in Larbert, stocked fresh every weekend.
With demand increasing month after month, plans are already underway to install a commercial oven, expand production and eventually launch a UK-wide postal service.
“Every month seems busier than the last,” said Kerry. “The goal is to keep growing while making sure the quality never changes.”
Making a career change at 40 was a leap of faith, but one Kerry has never regretted.
“I absolutely love what I do. Building Flock & Whisk has been one of the biggest challenges of my life, but it’s also been one of the most rewarding.”
Flock & Whisk
Cake Shed
1 Tappoch Place
Larbert
Falkirk
FK5 4HW
Open:
Friday: 3pm–7pm
Saturday: 10am–6pm
Occasional Sundays (check social media for updates)
www.flockandwhisk.com
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kerry@flockandwhisk.com
