4th November 2019
Hello!
How's your week been? I feel like we've been away for ages. Taking half term off was such a treat for us. Back in our 'old lives' holidays were all about trying to find back to back childcare so we could continue to work and use up as little of our precious annual leave as possible. Being able to change that mindset and spending holiday time with our girls has been amazing and is one of the many perks of being your own boss. And it certainly helps us get through those dark, early starts in the shop as these autumnal nights get darker and colder.
Whilst off we visited family up in Manchester and used it as an opportunity to head to Pollen Bakery which has been on our 'must visit one day' list for some time. If ever you're up in the Ancoats area of Manchester I urge you to visit. They too started as a very small, two person business working out of an archway in the Piccadilly area of Manchester. They have slowly built up an amazing business that last year moved into the new development along the canal of Ancoats. It's very inspiring stuff. Their bread is delicious (we came back loaded and wished we'd taken a spare suitcase to stock up) and just reminiscing about their pastries sets my heart a-flutter. Their cinnamon morning bun was so light and fluffy - I could have eaten 3 - and their coffee was served in the most stunning ceramic beakers handmade by another self-taught creative I've long admired, Jono Smart. Look him up on Instagram if you can or you can visit his website here. But maybe hide your credit card beforehand, he gives our much loved Gabby from Shop at Seed a run for her money!
And now we are home, the girls are back at school and our minds are turning to the run up to Christmas. I've been busy ordering in a few extra bits and pieces to help you with your Christmas shopping and we've been thinking about what we can offer in terms of bread to keep you all stocked up over the Christmas break. We will keep you updated via these emails once we've firmed things up but suffice to say, I'm excited (if it were up to me I'd have the Christmas tunes on in the shop already but Jeff's having none of it. Bah-humbug).
As for this week, the above picture is your BIG clue as to what our special will be. A new loaf to adorn the MMB shelves - Slow Roasted Garlic Sourdough. And my goodness this is a good loaf. When we were trialling it we literally ate the whole thing in one sitting. It. Is. So. Good. If you're not a garlic fan (really??) then I apologise but it's about time garlic featured on our ingredients list and this loaf certainly ticks all the boxes if you are a garlic fan. We slow roast halved garlic heads and then squeeze out all the soft, sweet garlic from each clove before adding it to the dough. And that's all it needs. No extra herbs or flavours because they just cover up the sweet taste of garlic that infuses the sourdough. It needs nothing else. And yet what you do with it once baked - the list is endless. A base for poached eggs and wilted spinach I hear you ask? Go for it. Toasted and topped with butter for an instant garlic bread, even better. Ripped straight from the bag and eaten like an apple? That's my sort of feast.
NOTE TO SELF - put a loaf aside for us this time. Do not forget.
This loaf will be available on Friday and Saturday only. From Thursday through to Saturday we will have Seeded Wholewheat & Ryes as well as Walden Whites and Super Sours and on Saturday we will also add Rugbrøds and Tinned Sourdoughs to the mix.
And yes, we will have as many Cinnamon Buns as we can make! Sally has been doing a sterling job working on these over the past few weeks and is up for the double quantity challenge I have set her for this week. Everyone should have a Sally in their lives....
Oh and finally, we have a new filter coffee on offer for the next few weeks. We've got to know Gareth from Wood St Coffee over the last few months who not only buys our bread (thank you Gareth) but is also a master coffee roaster in Walthomstow where he also runs his cafe. He brought in some of his coffee for us to sample a while back and we are excited to now be able to give you a chance to try some of their speciality filter coffee, which this week will be an Ethopian Adado. Very different to the Nicuraguan we've had on offer since we opened - it's fruity, almost like a peach, iced tea. We will also have some retail bags on offer if you want to buy some to try at home.
Right - I must sign off. See you later on in the week.
Megan
The console table with drawers I got from here is both functional and stylish.