Hedge bread stall is proving to be a hit

Retired carpenter Tony Moore took to the hobby of baking bread a few years ago and now rises early six days a week to prepare numerous loaves.

The artisan bread stall is in Le Varclin.

‘I used to bake for Trinity Church, charities and a few others until someone said, “Why don’t you do a box”,’ said Mr Moore.

‘Baking was not my original profession, I used to be a builder, so I had all the timber to make the boxes for the stall. At the time I had the grandkids round so I said, “Why not?” and up it went.’

A spontaneous decision proved to be a very popular one.

‘I have no idea how many loaves I make in a day. I start counting and get to a point where I lose track.

‘All the dough is mixed by hand, so while one day’s bread is baking, I’m working on the next. All the dough goes into proving cabinets for an overnight prove.’

Until commercial yeast was developed in the late 19th century all leavened bread was sourdough, made using ancient techniques which Mr Moore studied for a year in Sheffield.

‘It started off as a bit of a hobby. It was only a few years ago I went and studied in England. I mainly concentrate on sourdough, which I’ve specialised in. It’s very healthy.’

Little time is left for rest in this labour of love.

‘I don’t bake on Mondays, but I do spend the day preparing Tuesday’s lot. So I do get Sunday afternoons off. I start at 4am and put it out around 7.30am usually.

‘With things going on, it goes pretty quickly at the minute. Before it was only on Saturdays it would clear out by around 10.30, but now most days it’s all gone by then.’

A notepad has been filled with requests for more, along with hundreds of comments.

‘I used to do cakes and such before but now I focus on just bread. Everyone’s after it and it’s different getting it here than in the supermarket.

‘I’ve put markings in the road to ensure social distancing, because on Saturdays it can be quite busy – sometimes we get queues.’