Sippets: May 2020
Recent crumbs of news from the world of Real Bread.
We're still collecting and publishing/sharing bakery owners’ experiences of loafing under lockdown to help inform and inspire other business owners, and to feed into media and policy work. You can read examples in our articles section. We're also keen to share examples of what baking school owners are doing while unable to run face-to-face classes. Please either email yours to realbread@sustainweb.org or add the details to this form.
Please also send us your photos of what your Real Bread bakery looks like right now, which clearly show the new things you are doing / have in place. For example: Bakers at work with masks on and space between each other; cafe cleared for queuing; customers waiting in a well-spaced line; screens in place; cake counter turned into a general grocery; your team making deliveries - photos that tell this chapter in your story, not just pictures of bread. Your snaps should be wide, rather than tall, please and (as always) we prefer photos with people in them.
Got a Real Bread Map listing? Changed the way you do things under lockdown? Please login and update your details today!
We're happy to say our friends Balcony Shirts are back and so are our exclusive Real Bread t-shirts, aprons and mugs.
Campaign ambassador Ian Waterland is bringing together knowledge and experience built up over a career in mental health care, and during six years of running a microbakery and baking classes. You can find his new project, The Conscious Baker, on Instagram.
Other things that Campaign ambassadors are doing to share their knowledge at the mo include: Jane Mason’s Covid Cookalong every Sunday, 'Bake With' Jack Sturgess’s frequent bread tips / SOS videos, Wayne Caddy's #SourdoughSlingers tutorials (with guest bakers) on YouTube, and Danielle Ellis's one-to-one half hour classes via Zoom.
Stoneham Bakehouse CIC’s Bread Shed project has moved online, running video sessions and a WhatsApp group for older people at risk of isolation and loneliness. While making bread to eat, participants are guided to the mindful aspects of baking, and supported in building connections with other members of the group.
Ma Baker Liz Wilson invites Lockdown Loafers to: “Come and lie on my virtual couch and let’s go through your bread issues.” She’s offering one-to-one FaceTime in return for a doughnation to help restart her bread school.
Hobbs House Bakery are working with Jolly Hog to donate getting on for 20,000 sausage and bacon rolls to staff at Southmead Hospital so far. The bakery has also created a Care Package Box for you to give to a friend, loved one or anyone else you want to treat. They’re also offering a 25% discount voucher to you and a friend when that friend uses the link you send.
Julie Russell, Founder of Eat Bake Sing, who runs community events that involve bread making, eating together and live music, has started a bready podcast.
Congratulations to all Guild of Food Writers Awards finalists! On the bready front, they include Campaign supporter Richard Bertinet’s latest book Crumb: Show the dough who's boss, and Farmerama’s podcast series Cereal, which features a whole host of Campaign supporters and friends.
Leeds Bread Coop are raising dough to help feed vulnerable people in Leeds.
Brixton Windmill needs support to be able to continue sending fresh flour to local people who need it the most. Just £20 will cover the cost of delivering 40 bags of flour to a food bank.
ICYMI, we (Sustain) have a partnership with Triodos, who will donate £40 to us for each new customer’s balance reaching £100. This new blog post suggests how banks could help the transition towards agro-ecological farming.
What’s your news?
Wherever you are on the planet, if you have something Real Bread related you’d like us to help you share, please email a couple of very short lines, including a link to where you have published full details, to us at: realbread@sustainweb.org
(We might not spot it if you just posted it on social media)
We have supporters in countries around the world and we'd particularly love to hear more from those of you outside the UK.
If you haven't done so already, please update or add your bakery or bakery school details on the Real Bread Map , individual classes and events to our calendar, and your good food job vacancies to Sustain's Roots to Work site.
We might post news on social media, rather than here; give priority to paid-up Campaign supporters; and reserve the right not to publish at all.
Sippet: A small piece of bread, often fried or toasted, used as a garnish or to dip in things. The British crouton.
Published Thursday 21 May 2020
Real Bread Campaign: The Real Bread Campaign finds and shares ways to make bread better for us, better for our communities and better for the planet. Whether your interest is local food, community-focussed small enterprises, honest labelling, therapeutic baking, or simply tasty toast, everyone is invited to become a Campaign supporter.
