Some years quietly pass you by.
While others come in hot: flour in the air, trays flying and stories piling up faster than we can keep track of them.
2025 was very much the second kind.
It was a year of new openings, bold ideas, sold-out bakes, big community moments and more than a few deep breaths along the way. But through it all, the ovens stayed on, the teams showed up and the heart of Harry Gow never wavered.
Here’s a look back at a year we won’t forget in a hurry.
New Shops, New Spaces, Same Heart
One of the biggest moments of the year was opening the doors to our brand-new Harbour Road bakery in Inverness. Fresh, bright and built for busy days, it’s certainly found its rhythm – full of familiar faces, new customers and plenty of folk just “popping in” and leaving with more than they planned.
We also spent the year bringing Harry Gow bakes a little closer to home. With new Co-op serve-over counters in Brora, Church Street Inverness, Nairn and Wick, it became easier than ever to get your hands on a hot pie or a well-earned treat without travelling miles for it.
And then there was Fairways.
Fairways returned as a high-performance, pastry-dispensing portacabin. Not quite what we’d imagined, but somehow exactly right.
We brought back the same team, the same bakes, and the same welcome, just with slightly different walls, reminding us all that it’s never really about the building, it’s about the people inside it and the customers who keep coming back.
New Bakes, Big Appetite
2025 was also the year of trying things out and seeing what stuck..
In April, we launched our limited time only Veggie Sausage Rolls for one week. A fresh twist on a classic, that was certainly a fan favourite and gone before we could blink.
Then came the doughnuts.
Fresh cream. Filled to the brim. Carefully chosen flavours.
We had Chocella for the chocoholics; Red Berry Crumble with its fruity flavour and satisfying crunch; the bright and deliciously zesty Lemon Meringue; and the Raspberry White Chocolate a.k.a the indulgent one.
Week after week they disappear faster than we can make them, but honestly, that’s the kind of problem we’re happy to have.
Awards, Miles and Big Days Out
May brought one of our favourite dates in the calendar, the World Championship Scotch Pie Awards. Surrounded by some of the best bakers and butchers in the country, we were absolutely chuffed to come home with not one, but two bronze awards.
One for our classic steak mince pie, and one for the football category, for the steak mince pie served at Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC. The standard was sky-high, and being part of such a passionate food community reminded us just how strong Highland baking really is.
That same month, we were also back at the Etape Loch Ness, fuelling finish-line smiles after 66 miles around the loch. Whether it was someone’s first Dream Ring or a long-standing post-ride tradition, those moments never seem to lose their magic.
Community, Colour and a Whole Lot of Heart
Community ran through everything we did this year, and we were incredibly proud to sponsor Highland Heart-Full, our HeArt on the Highland HeArt Trail, on display in Drumnadrochit.
Painted by the talented Clare Silver, the design captured the beauty of Loch Ness and featured the iconic sunflower, a symbol of hope, care and growth.
We also spent time meeting future bakers and customer service stars, including a brilliant day at Inverness Royal Academy’s Job Fair, where enthusiasm was high and Dream Rings required active crowd management.
And then there was the moment we realised we’d reached a whole new level of “local bakery”.
This year, a Harry Gow Dream Ring was placed into a time capsule and lowered into the historic well beneath Inverness Castle, as part of the new Inverness Castle Experience. Nestled alongside a Nessie toy and other symbols of Highland life, it will sit there for the next 50 years, quietly representing baked goods, local heart and slightly questionable historical choices.
Scottish history? Maybe.
Future confusion? Almost certainly.
But whether it was art on a trail, a doughnut in a castle well or a quiet conversation over the counter, this year reminded us that being part of a community isn’t about one big gesture. It’s about showing up, again and again.
Carrying Harry With Us
However, one of the most meaningful moments of 2025 came with the unveiling of a new illustration of Harry, created in collaboration with the brilliant Stanley Chow.
The artwork captured something instantly familiar. The warmth. The cheeky smile. The calm, steady presence that defined him.
Harry built this bakery with patience, pride and a belief in doing things properly, and seeing that essence reflected in a new way felt incredibly fitting.
A Big Thank You
This year brought change, challenge, celebration and everything in between, but through it all, our teams showed up.
Early starts. Busy counters. Sold-out shelves. They baked, served, smiled and kept going.
And our customers? You showed up too. Again and again.
So thank you.