As we mark International Women’s Day, Tracy’s story is a reminder that success doesn’t always begin with a grand plan, sometimes it starts with simply refusing to stand still.
There are businesses that begin with a plan.
And then there are those that begin with something much simpler, a need to keep going, to keep creating, to keep contributing.
For Tracy, New Forest Shortbread began with exactly that.
“I wasn’t ready to stop working,” she says. “I wanted a small income…and to help pay for the pony feed.”
It’s a wonderfully honest beginning. No grand strategy. Just a love of baking, encouragement from family and friends, and a lifetime of knowing how to sell.
Because Tracy has always been a seller, from standing behind market stalls piled with household linens, to working in advertising and later as a medical representative. She knows how to give something a voice.
But shortbread felt different. It was personal.
A taste of place
The turning point came when someone suggested adding a story to the shortbread.
That simple idea became the foundation of everything.
Each box became more than a product, it became a quiet introduction to the New Forest. A way for visitors to understand where they were, even if they never spoke to a local.
Passford House Hotel in Lymington, was the first to take that idea into their rooms.
And from there, Tracy began building something bigger: Not just shortbread, but a welcome.
She designed the boxes carefully, the illustrations, the words, the small details that might make someone pause. Keep it. Reuse it. Remember it.
Because for Tracy, that moment matters.
“I want people to feel something thoughtful. Personal. A little unexpected.”
When everything stopped
In 2019, everything was ready. Orders placed. Packaging designed. Investment made.
And then COVID arrived.
“Every pound I had went into those boxes,” she says. “And then everything stopped.”
Hotels closed overnight. Orders disappeared. The product had nowhere to go.
“It was frightening.”
But this is where Tracy’s resilience quietly shows itself.
She didn’t step back. She built something new.
A “Buy It Forward” idea, asking people to support the business by buying shortbread they would receive later.
And people said yes. £2,500 in four weeks. Not just sales, belief.
“That was faith,” she says. “It reminded me this was about people.”
Pride in the work and the people
Today, New Forest Shortbread has grown far beyond those early days.
In 2025 alone:
Four tons of butter used twelve tons of shortbread made.
But what Tracy is most proud of isn’t the scale. It’s the people.
“I am most proud of Monika and the team.”
Because despite that growth, nothing essential has changed:
- The recipe is the same
- The method is the same
- The care is the same
“It is still made exactly as I first made it in my kitchen.”
Doing things properly
At New Forest Shortbread, quality isn’t a statement. It’s a discipline.
It shows up in everything:
- Maintained equipment
- Clean, organised production
- Consistent processes
- Looking after the team
“If something isn’t right, we fix it. We don’t compromise.”
There’s even a weekly yoga class, a small but telling detail that says everything about how Tracy sees her team.
Because for her, quality starts with people.
Turning shortbread into a memory
Of course, the shortbread matters.
But Tracy has always wanted it to be more than that.
“I want it to feel special.”
And that’s where the magic is:
- The illustrated boxes
- The small stories
- The details that can be kept
Children turn the packaging into play.
Guests use it as coasters.
Some even keep a piece tucked into a jacket pocket.
“A small reminder of a place…a holiday…a moment.”
“That makes it different. It turns shortbread into a memory.”
What success really looks like
Ask Tracy what it takes to succeed, and her answer is clear.
Not perfection. Not a single big moment.
But:
- Passion
- Determination
- People
“You are not on your own,” she says.
Success is built through others: Your team. Your family. Your supporters.
And through faith, in yourself, in others, in something that carries you when things feel uncertain.
“Perhaps that understanding, that you are not alone, is what makes true success possible.”
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