We're starting a Substack!

Maybe it’s for our own sanity? Running our own business is probably the hardest thing we’ve ever done. Much, much harder than we imagined. It’s not the daily graft - as Tom says, you just gotta keep turning up over and over again regardless.
That’s almost the easy bit. It’s the other stuff that gets you.

The lack of quality sleep, the untidy flat cos you’ve had no time to clean, or do washing, or get food in. The recurring panic that you didn’t order enough supplies for the week, the almost daily ‘F*ck - did we remember to turn the timer on the oven?’ panic. The broken fridge that won’t stop leaking. The not seeing your family or friends enough. The constant worry of whether it will all fall apart and disappear. Did I mention the lack of sleep? The list is pretty endless.

We spend a lot of time talking about the bakehouse outside of the bakehouse, that we thought why not lift the lid about the ins and outs of running this wild little shop. Putting some of those thoughts on a page for anyone who might be interested in reading about what it’s like to start and run a small business; own a bakery; work with your partner; write menus; share stories from our team; talk about the things that work and the numerous things that don’t. And pretty much everything in between.

From starting as an honesty bakery in our flat during the pandemic when Tom closed his pop up restaurant, then 18 months later raising money with incredible supporters via Kickstarter to get our first bricks and mortar space open late 2021. It is and always will be a real privilege to run this business and have a home on Anerley Road, South East London - the area I grew up in.

Despite all the hard ‘stuff,’ it’s a real dream come true. It’s a business that has captured the imagination of so many which we never expected in a million years and we’re eternally grateful for the support. It’s as much ours as it is a piece of every one who’s part of the journey. For what it’s worth, we hope we’re able to inspire you in some small way.

Sian and Tom