All rise: Hambleton Bakery is ready to open in West Bridgford

Julian Carter is Head Baker at Hambleton Bakery which will open in West Bridgford tomorrow (Friday). A 10th generation baker, he spent his summer holidays working in his family’s bakery in Liverpool from the age of 14. After serving in the RAF, his work included a spell at 10 Downing Street and Chequers in John Major’s time as Prime Minister, followed by nine years working as sous chef at Hambleton Hall. In this guest blog he writes about the new bakery. It’s been a busy few weeks for Hambleton Bakery, working on a new Hambleton Bakery shop in the thriving West Bridgford, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. This will be our fifth bakery shop and shows how far we’ve come since we started. In 2008, myself and Tim Hart, who owns city centre hotel and restaurant Hart’s as well as the Michelin starred Hambleton Hall on Rutland Water, opened Hambleton Bakery. We currently have shops in Exton, Stamford, Oakham and Market Harborough and now our latest on Melton Road, West Bridgford. There is an abundance of quality independent shops in West Bridgford and we hope to be regarded as one more addition to the thriving local independent shopping scene. We also supply around 60 farm shops, delis and restaurants throughout the region. We all love bread, top quality traditionally made bread that tastes great and have health benefits too. I can’t wait to introduce new customers to our range of artisan breads and other fantastic products such as Lemon Tarts, Pecan Buns and Eccles Cakes. The importance of good bread starts with the taste. We want the pure flavour that can be conjured from unadulterated organic flour, salt and water using the slow, traditional processes that have been used for generations. My family has sent every eldest son into the bakery business since the mid-1700s, and even as the second oldest, I’m no different with my passion for baking. Traditional bread making has been a part of my family for generations, and I can honestly say, there is no substitute for a freshly baked traditional loaf, using local fresh ingredients. All of our staff at Hambleton Bakery understand that long fermentations and organic stone-ground flour underpin the great flavour and nutritious quality of our breads. Traditional bread making processes maximises vitamins and mineral content in bread. I find it fascinating that long fermentation processes, improve the levels of important minerals such as potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc. We allow our bread to ferment for a minimum of 24 hours; this also aids digestion and reduces the natural levels of wheat for customers with wheat intolerance. All of our bread, savouries and cakes are made without preservatives or additives and as a result many of our customers are surprised at how different they are from supermarket loaves. Our choice of excluding preservatives or additives is for the benefit for our customers and our breads keep just as well as supermarket loaves. Hambleton bread is best kept in a bread bin and it keeps naturally for up to a week. One of our bestsellers is our Hambleton Sourdough, using wheat and rye flour and baked in a wood fire oven; the crumb has a distinctive springy, crumpet like texture and is delicious lightly toasted. Our Rutland Pippin is a firm favourite for many customers. We created the Rutland Pippin during our involvement in ITV’s 2012 Britain’s Best Bakery programme, which we won! It’s an iconic product that reflects the excellent local ingredients to us. It has crusty dough that encases Lincolnshire sausage meat, ham hock and Colston Basset Stilton cheese topped off with Bramley apple puree. Do come in and try it! We are all really looking forward to getting to know our Nottingham customers and indeed, them getting to know us. Customers will be able to sample what the bakery has to offer tomorrow between 10am and 2pm and they will also have the opportunity to chat to Julian Carter.