Celebrating Tradition and Triumph at Image on Food: 2025 Highlights

What a year it’s been at Image on Food Ltd, the home of the much-loved Original Biscuit Bakers and Billington’s Gingerbread brands. As we look back over 2025, it’s safe to say the ovens were glowing, this mixers were whirring and production was in full swing. From record-breaking numbers to national TV appearances, this year gave us plenty to celebrate. 

Celebrating 208 Years of Heritage

This year marked another chapter in Billington’s proud 208-year history. Your love for our heritage gingerbread continues to shine — proving that once tasted, it’s never forgotten. In 2025 alone, we baked an incredible 3,270 kg of Billington’s Gingerbread, infused with 33 kg of our secret spiced blend that makes every bite unmistakably Billington’s.

This year, Original Biscuit Bakers and Billington’s also joined forces to create seasonal gift boxes that combined hand‑iced artistry with the comforting taste of traditional gingerbread – offering Mother’s Day, Halloween and Christmas packs you loved!

Shared Successes & Customer Love

Together, our two brands maintained an outstanding 5-star average review rating, thanks to delicious biscuits and dependable customer service. More people than ever wanted to stock our products in 2025 — we welcomed 64 new trade customers, two new distributors, plus one new export and corporate partner, bringing us to 252 stockists for the year.

A Skilled and Dedicated Team

Our team grew too, with 18 new colleagues joining our biscuit family. From bakers to decorators and other key production roles, each new recruit has helped strengthen Image on Food as we continue to expand.

Professional development also remained a focus. Across our factory, team members achieved:

• 11 First Aid certificates
• 7 HACCP Level 3 qualifications
• 60 Level 2 Food Safety in Manufacturing certifications

This commitment to training keeps our standards high and allows our team to feel confident and capable.

It was also a highlight to celebrate seven team members reaching their 10‑year service milestone – a testament to their loyalty, hard work and unwavering commitment to Image on Food.

Supporting Charities and the Community

Giving back remained central to who we are. In 2025 we raised over £3,000 for good causes and donated thousands of biscuits to charities, events and community initiatives.

Image on Food Ltd were proud to support a wide range of causes both locally and further afield — from Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day and the Buddy Bag Foundation to the Ginger & Spice Festival, local school raffles, the Market Drayton Festival of Lights Switch On, Scouts, agricultural road runs, libraries, hospitals and many more. Based in the ‘home of gingerbread’ in Market Drayton, community is where our roots run deepest, and this year reminded us how meaningful those connections are.

Big Moments & National Recognition

2025 brought several standout achievements across our factory:

• Image on Food featured on BBC One’s Inside the Christmas Factory, showcasing the magic behind our biscuits with Paddy McGuinness and Cherry Healey.
• We achieved an AA+ grade in our unannounced BRCGS audit — the highest possible result and a testament to our unwavering commitment to food safety and hygiene.
• We received a Great Taste Award for Billington’s Gingerbread, celebrating the enduring quality of our heritage recipe.
• We enjoyed fun and creative local collaborations, including sausage making with Fordhall Farm and biscuit decorating with Müller.
• We also partnered with fantastic businesses on social media, running unique giveaways with Shropshire Distillery, Planet Doughnut, Flower & White, Burleigh Pottery and Chococo. These moments highlighted our passion for quality, innovation and heritage – values that shape everything we do.

Investing in the Future

We continued to strengthen our equipment, spaces and processes across our factory. Highlights included:

• New Team Leaders and enhanced technical support
• A bakery stamping unit and two new metal detectors
• A gravity sieving system
• Removal of the old cold store and commissioning of a new fridge
• Introduction of captive footwear and a new locker area
• 12 new decorating racks and 660 decorating trays
• A new mixer — and a third robot arriving in 2026

These investments mean we’re ready for even bigger bakes in the years ahead.

Celebrating an Amazing 2025

As we reflect on the past year, one thing stands out: 2025 was a year of remarkable growth, team achievements and strong community connections and we couldn’t be prouder. Here’s to creating even more tasty success together in 2026!