Welcoming Bakery Neighbours

Anna Herbert reflects on being part of the ever-growing bakery scene in her corner of the Cotswolds.

Back in 2001, my husband Tom and I opened the third Hobbs House Bakery shop, right at the heart of Nailsworth in Gloucestershire. We had just welcomed our first baby, Milo (later to become our family’s sixth-generation baker) and now came the first of the family’s bakeries that we could truly call our own. Inspired by bakeries we had seen in New York and London, we created a space with a wood-fired oven, a communal table and the smell of Illy coffee in the air.

Those early mornings felt magical: cycling or walking to work, enjoying the first coffee of the day, and filling the shelves with freshly baked loaves. As a new mum, I would arrive with a pram, later to be piled high with four children and gingerbread men, plus a coffee and sweet treat for me.

Tom Herbert and baby Milo Herbert, Hobbs House Bakery Nailsworth in 2001

On The Rise

When we first opened the bakery, our shelves were lined with bread made to our family’s intergenerational recipes: tin loaves, bloomers and our only sourdough at the time, which was a rye loaf. Over the years, we introduced many more, including our No. 5 White Sourdough and the Shepherd’s Loaf, developed by Tom in 2010 during the making of the BBC TV documentary, In Search of The Perfect Loaf.

Over the years, we have seen the rise of the sourdough movement and a new generation of artisan Real Bread bakeries. We first saw this in Bristol, when Laura Hart’s bakery appeared on the scene, then watched it spread gradually to the Stroud valleys. I recently heard there are now more than twenty artisan microbakers in Stroud, baking from garages to garden sheds.

This blossoming has been wonderful to witness. Velo Bakery began with pizzas at Stroud Brewery and now counts amongst its customers one of the country’s top-rated restaurants, Juliet in Stroud. The Salter family’s Salt Bakehouse joined the line-up with their excellent sourdoughs and pastries, and just last November, Leola opened on Stroud High Street. The bakery is the latest project from Andy, formerly of Bread by Bike in Camden.

Andy, Leola

Neighbours

Back in the smaller town of Nailsworth, we also have our own, increasingly lively bakery scene. In just the past couple of years, three new bakeries have opened. Baked by Beth has moved to a larger space, expanding her range of vegan and gluten-free bakes alongside great coffee.

One evening, as we drove through town, we saw proving baskets stacked in the window of Beth’s old shop, which announced the arrival of another family-run bakery. Happy Cinnamon was born from Tamas and Anita baking at home in Budapest for their daughter, Flora. After they relocated from Hungary to the UK, Flora worked at one of Alex Gooch’s bakeries whilst studying at university in Cardiff. Together, the family now bakes a fantastic array of pastries and a much-loved porridge loaf. Their tiny Nailsworth shop has been such a success that they’ve recently opened a second site in Cheltenham.

Then came Seven Bakery, which quickly won our hearts. I often drive home along Market Street, and one evening we noticed lights and activity inside a recently vacated shop, rumored to be a new bakery. Tom’s curiosity got the better of him, so he knocked on the door and was greeted by Dor and Niv, who handed him a warm ciabatta. We devoured it that evening and have been firm fans since.

Niv and Dor, Seven Bakery

Niv and Dor (him a baker, her a barista) met in a bakery in Israel and spent seven years perfecting their sourdough bread, hence the name Seven. Their sourdoughs and now their coffee have become part of our weekend ritual: walking from home, sometimes with our now-grown children, to share a coffee and something freshly baked. Those moments remind us of our own early days in Nailsworth, though Niv and Dor have since moved back to Israel.

Now

Quarter of a century on, our Nailsworth bakery still sits in its beautiful spot beside the River Frome, opposite William’s (a longer-established fishmonger, restaurant and deli), with two thriving butchers nearby. Being a place where people can buy their food from local, independent businesses, has always been part of the town’s success.

When we opened this bakery, William from William’s Kitchen said to us: ‘this isn’t competition; it is complementary’ and we totally agree. This is about all of us encouraging people to shop locally and collectively finding delicious ways to help our town to thrive.

Chatting with other bakers, we all agreed that each bakery has its own niche and loyal customers, and that we are so fortunate that people in our community support and champion local business.  A couple of decades ago, we hoped our bread would put Nailsworth on the map. Today we’re proud to be part of a small town that’s known for its great bakeries, helping to offer people more choice; and part of the rise of Real Bread.