Iconic egg tart maker awarded MBE

Eileen Stow, the current owner of the bakery that makes globally-renowned Macanese custard tarts, has been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in The Queen’s New Year Honours List 2021.
The title is given to British citizens in recognition of their services to business, education and culture.
Stow is also the Vice-Chairperson of the British Chamber of Commerce in Macao.
Bearing the name of Stow’s late brother, Lord Stow’s Bakery, with its headquarters situated in the heart of Coloane, she has localized the Portuguese delicacy “Pastel de Nata” into Macanese custard tart. On some occasions, the food is even known as the Lord Stow tart.
When interviewed by the Times, Stow expressed her humbleness in being awarded. She feels happy about the news, but sad about the possibility of not being able to receive the award in person at Buckingham Palace.
Currently, international travel is inconvenient with travel restrictions and quarantine requirements in many places, in addition to suspended flights.
“I am chuffed to bits,” she said, in addition to feeling “very, very proud.”
“It is not only about selling egg tarts,” Stow said, “but also about contributing to the community.”
Stow has supported the people of Macau in many ways. The Andrew Stow Memorial Fund was established in 2007 to honor Stow’s brother, Andrew Stow, the late creator of the brand, who died following an asthma attack in 2006.
Through the fund, the brand has helped a local disadvantaged student from the charity “The Cradle of Hope” finish secondary school before successfully making it to higher education.
“We’ve managed to get him out [to] Plymouth University [in the U.K.],” Stow revealed. “Another two girls are going on the same path too.”
Speaking about the brand’s social contributions, Stow believes that they helped her get the MBE.
“Because the title is given in recognition of contributions to education, I think our effort made a role,” Stow explained. “It is about sharing with the community.”
She disclosed that she received the news in December but had to keep it a secret. “I was in tears of happiness back then, because I got validated for what I did,” she said.
Normally, the bakery sells an average of about 30,000 to 40,000 tarts per day in Macau alone. The bakery also has franchises in Mandarin Oriental hotels, Hong Kong, Japan and the Philippines.