Back to Baking with Small Steps
Thank you to those of you have been buying flour over the last month or so, and for those who came down to the Bakehouse on Friday to buy bread. After a successful trial bake on Friday morning, we’ve decided to return with a two bake week. It’s still not the case that we’re back to normal, but we will be able to have most of the breads we normally bake. In order to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our team, two of us will be baking on Thursday and Saturday mornings; with bread available from 10-1pm after everything is prepared for serving our customers.
We’ll still be selling flour though, so come down on Thursday or Saturday mornings to restock your flour supplies. We’ve loved seeing so many of you baking whilst we’ve been closed, and want to encourage you to continue to do so.
Whilst our customers have been baking at home, so have members of our Bread Shed group. We can’t get together to bake at the moment, but we can bake together through the magic of video and Zoom. As older members of the community, many of the group are more at risk of isolation than before, so we’ve been delivering flour to their homes, and connecting via video and WhatsApp to bake together virtually. As one of our participants said:
“It’s making a real difference, it’s something really positive in my week.”
Bakehouse Update
As you know, due to the Covid-19 crisis, all of our usual operations are suspended to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our volunteer team, participants, and customers. However, after taking stock for a week or so, we started to get in touch with our Bread Shed participants to see how we can help. Supporting wellbeing through baking bread is what the Bakehouse and the Bread Shed project has at its heart, so supporting wellbeing is what we’re doing now. Via WhatsApp, and recently by video link, we’ve been chatting, laughing, baking, and maintaining connections. In these times of change we have to adapt, but stay true to our aims, and that’s what we’re trying to do.
We can’t bake as a team at the moment, but we can bake at home. Our volunteers have been practicing their skills and feeding their families and neighbours. We’ve also started to sell flour to the community, and the community is embracing the challenge of baking their own bread. It’s so heartening to see breadmaking blooming in Poets’ Corner. We love seeing customers sharing their successes, and also recognising the joy baking can bring.
This is something we want to see more of as we continue in this period of lockdown. So we’re going to try and make flour sales a regular thing. On Tuesday and Friday afternoons we’ll be selling bread flour from the Bakehouse door. In time we may even be able to get hold of some yeast, which we can sell to you too. In the meantime we’ll keep giving away a bit of our sourdough starter if you need something to kickstart your baking.
Thank you for all the support you’ve shown us. Take care, and stay safe.
Covid-19 Statement
Following the most recent government announcement regarding the Covid-19 virus we have taken the hard decision to close the bakehouse as a temporary measure. The health and wellbeing of our team, and those we work with, is paramount, and we feel this it the right course of action. If you have booked onto one of our workshops due to take place in the coming weeks we’ll be in contact. Stoneham Bakehouse is committed to supporting the community’s wellbeing and we’ll be exploring ways in which we can continue to do this in these difficult times.
In the meantime we’ve posted a few recipes for you to have a try at home with.
Bread Shed
Bread Shed is our project aimed at tackling isolation amongst the older members of our community. It’s all about getting together, baking, chatting, and making connections. Run over a period of months, its proving to be a really beneficial experience for those involved.
The philosophy behind Bread Shed echoes that of the Men’s Shed movement, who state “Sheds are about meeting like-minded people and having someone to share your worries with. They are about having fun, sharing skills and knowledge with like-minded people and gaining a renewed sense of purpose and belonging.” In giving people the chance of baking together we aim to reduce isolation and feelings of loneliness, allowing participants to reconnect with the community they are part of.
Thank you Paula for the recipe attachments and a really lovely morning at the Bread Shed today. The rest of my day was so much more relaxed because of it and I’ve been able to let some of the other hassles today slide passed without getting uptight. I can’t wait for the next session.
Festive Openings
As we come to the end of the year, here are our opening times over the festive period. Our last bake of 2020 will be the Saturday before Christmas, with all breads needing to be pre-ordered. Please drop into the Bakehouse or email before the end of Thursday 19th December if you want to place an order for collection on Saturday 21st.
The team at Stoneham Bakehouse would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to all our customers and supporters. Without you the Bakehouse wouldn’t be able to make the impact it does across the community. So, THANK YOU, and have a great Christmas and New Year. We’ll be back baking on Thursday 9th January.
