Earl Grey, lavender, and a window to the community

Maya is a creative baker in Abernyte, a small village in the Braes of the Carse just outside Dundee, where she lives with her husband and their three cats. She didn't grow up with honesty boxes (they aren't part of the culture where she's from), and she still remembers the effect of discovering them a few years ago.

"It struck me as something so beautiful," she says. "A cute box somewhere, completely self-service, where people could display their offerings and trust that others would do the right thing."

She had always wanted a business of her own. Her first idea was a café, but it felt daunting, so she chose to begin with something smaller. "After many things happened in my life, I found myself in a position where I could finally have my own business, and decided to start very small. Just an honesty box and nothing else, and then build from there."

The menu that never sits still

Calling Bunny Bakes a cake box undersells it. The range runs from sweet and savoury bakes to bread, jams and chutneys. And the thing Maya most wants people to know: there are always vegan and gluten-free options in the box.

"The most important thing I would love for people to know is that I do vegan and gluten-free options, and that I am open to requests and suggestions," she says. "I feel like the conversation between my little business and my community would go even further if people knew that I would love to hear their suggestions and then do my best to bring them to life."

Her proudest technical achievement is a gluten-free tart: "I managed to figure out a really good recipe that is customisable, so I can make different flavours every week and sell delicious gluten-free bakes that taste just like regular ones." Her favourite, though, is a cake: Earl Grey and lavender. "It was a lightbulb moment I had a few months ago, and after a lot of experimenting I was able to offer something I thought was really good."

Maya changes the menu constantly and watches closely what people choose. She admits it can be hard to see a favourite go unsold, but the pattern is part of the exchange. She describes the box as "a window to the community": "They get to know me through my bakes, I get to know them through their preferences. I say this is what I offer, and via their answer (what they buy and what they don't) we evolve together."

"The box made me confront a lot of fears and insecurities, but the biggest thing was confronting my ability to recognise my own value." — Maya, Bunny Bakes

Sell-outs, squirrels and self-belief

Word travelled faster than she expected. Within weeks of opening, local businesses were getting in touch about wholesale. Then she went to a wedding and found people there had already heard about the box. "It was quite shocking, in a good way."

Not every visitor has been human. "There were little squirrels that climbed into the box and tried to steal the cakes. Which is why we installed the curtain. It helps protect the products from road dust, but more importantly it deters birds and squirrels with its constant swaying. Or at least I hope so! I haven't seen them again since. But you never know."

The most personal change was one Maya had not expected. "Having something you offer the world feels a little vulnerable, because you give small parts of yourself and you are suddenly exposed." The day she sold out completely, she cried in her kitchen: "because I simply could not believe that it could happen to me. I do not regret opening the box for a second."

What she hopes you'll find

"Curiosity and excitement about what it is they're going to discover that week, since the menu changes all the time. And for the people with a specific diet, I hope they feel joy at finding something they are able to eat. Lastly, I hope they feel peace. The peace of being able to enjoy something made with care and love, in a beautiful setting with gorgeous views and total silence."

Maya would also like to hear more directly from customers, including when something hasn't worked. She takes special-occasion orders, and there's flexibility in everything she offers. "Especially if they have a criticism, because that helps me grow even more. We just have to start a conversation and see where things go."