Inside Glasgow pastry pro's new family bake shop

Choux and Brew is a small but mighty cafe and patisserie in Shawlands that opened in December last year.

Chef Wendy Lo, 29, had dreamed of opening up her own pastry shop for years before teaming up with her cousin Michael Law, 32, to bring Choux and Brew to life.

Wendy says she thinks her love of baking is hereditary, passed down from her mum.

She said: "My mum is a baker. She used to bake Chinese-style cakes, which is different from what I do, but I reckon I got that cookery side from my mum."

Wendy began her career training with Scottish Masterchef winner Gary Maclean.

She proceeded to work as a pastry chef with top industry names like Martin Wishart and at luxury hotels like The Balmoral in Edinburgh and The Dakota in Glasgow.

Wendy eventually moved to London where she joined the coveted pastry team at Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant Hakkasan in Mayfair.

She went on to work alongside pastry legend Cherish Finden.

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When her father became ill amid the pandemic, Wendy decided to move back home to Glasgow to be close to her family.

Michael, who had a background in finance, always wanted to open his own business and jumped at the chance to join Wendy.

He describes their collaboration as 'perfect synergy'.

Michael said: "I had enough faith in Wendy's products to leave my full-time job as an accountant.

"She's really passionate about her job and she's also humble at the same time."

As the name suggests, Choux and Brew specialise in cakes made with choux pastry, a simple and delicate pastry used to make profiteroles.

Wendy said: "Our top two pastries are a Paris-Brest, which is a hazelnut praline chocolate mousse topped with caramel sauce.

"That one has been our top seller, but in the past week, our Tirami-choux has actually been doing better.

"It's a big choux bun filled with coffee-soaked sponge and vanilla mousse.

"A close third is our lemon meringue tart. It's got frangipane, lemon curd, and a spiral-swirled torched meringue.

"Our selection is small, but everything is really, really fresh."

Wendy and Michael, who grew up in the East End, have been putting their all into the new shop.

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As many small businesses are forced to close amid the cost-of-living crisis, the cousins are determined to keep their dream alive.

Wendy said: "With the energy crisis and bills going up, you know, people would think that this isn't a good time.

"But in the bigger picture, I think there's never really going to be a good time if you think that way."

The cafe, on Pollokshaws Road, has been racking up 5-star reviews from customers since it opened with friends and family urging Wendy and Michael to spread the word on social media.

In addition to its cakes, the bake shop serves coffee and ciabatta sandwiches and takes orders for special occasions.