Grab a brew and a custard slice, because this one is proof that sometimes the prettiest shop window hides the messiest books. ☕🍰

Dani and Si dig into the very British scandal behind Patisserie Valerie, the high street favourite that looked like the perfect success story right up until a £40 million black hole appeared in the accounts.

We start with the nostalgia. Strawberry tarts, fancy coffees, little French café vibes and queues out the door. On the surface, the business looked polished, profitable, and booming. Behind the scenes, fictional finances and serious questions about oversight were quietly building for years.

We unpack how the company grew from a single Soho patisserie into a national chain backed by entrepreneur Luke Johnson, and how everything unravelled almost overnight after a routine bank check uncovered a winding up petition no one seemed to know about. We get into the alleged role of a small group inside the finance team, why prestigious auditors Grant Thornton missed warning signs for so long, and the millions Luke Johnson poured in trying to stop the collapse.

Along the way, we talk about the human fallout too. Store closures, lost jobs, wiped out investments, and a legal case that still hasn’t reached trial despite the scandal breaking back in 2018. Because apparently corporate justice moves slower than the queue for brunch on a Sunday morning.

And somehow, despite all of it, Patisserie Valerie still survives in a handful of locations. Cakes and all.

A conversation about growth, greed, blind spots, and why sometimes the numbers behind the counter matter a lot more than the pastries in the window.

About Simon and Danielle:

Simon and Danielle are both business owners, based in the East Midlands, who met through mutual business contacts and who share a love of all things business.

Simon runs Skylight Media – Award-winning experts in Website Design, E-commerce & Marketing running since 2003.

Danielle runs Goldspun Support – a multi-faceted support service for fractional directors and small business owners across the globe, running since 2009.

Since they first met Simon and Danielle have spent a ridiculous amount of time talking about the subjects that interest them – usually over a drink in the pub – and they decided that now was the time to bring these conversations to a wider audience and invite them to join the chat.

Both Simon and Danielle are successful business owners in their own rights with big plans for the future but will never lose their love of talking all things business… and the pub.