Its getting tough out there on the high street. Shops are facing pressure and issues like nothing seen before. There is one type of retail outlet that is still seeming to buck the trend, the Bakery. Whether it’s the effect of the great British Bake off or people are looking for an affordable sweet treat plus the ongoing success of large chains such as Greggs, the Bakery is doing ok.
You might have seen the large commercial combination oven that they use and felt a little bit impressed. If you’d like closer look then just go to https://www.247cateringsupplies.co.uk/catering-appliances/commercial-ovens-and-ranges/combination-ovens and bask in how lucky those bakers and chefs are.
We all like a quick treat when we are out and about. It’s nice to see in many of our market towns that while many shops are falling by the wayside and being replaced by Charity shops, Estate agents, Poundland’s or though maybe not for much longer, and the even betting agents. It’s that certain smell you get from a bakery that cannot help but lure you inside. The smell of the loaf in the tin slowly raising in those combination ovens wafting out into the street. Its quite deliberate. When opening their large supermarkets, it is the one thing that Tesco’s and Sainsburys etc make sure they get going, the smell of the fresh bread. Its why they still have pre-proofed loaves brought in for the bakers to reheat and finish of the baking process. Seeded Batch, Cottage loaves, French sticks, Wholemeal and wheatgerm plus all the variety of rolls you can think of. There is Pittas now too as we start to embrace the continent. Have you ever smelt a beautiful Focaccia as it comes out? Get some butter on that as soon as you can, delicious. One thing they all have in common is that lovely distinctive smell of food and freshness. It’s the best bit of marketing they could wish for.
Of course, it’s not just the Bread side of things that is on show. There is the pastries savoury and sweet. If you want to talk about scents of food how good is the sausage roll or the Steak bake? They come out of the oven with a warm golden glow as the pastry seems to gleam. Several ordered ranks of Cornish pasties appear, and the breakfast favourite of sausage and baked bean is never far away, perfect if you missed your first meal of the morning and need a bit of a lift. It’s the work of a genius.
Then there are the cakes. Sponge in all flavours like lemon and chocolate or Egg custard tarts for the real connoisseur. Doughnuts in rings or stuffed full of jam, not exactly baked but as they are so yummy we’ll let them off.
Yes, it’s easy to see why the bakery is still going strong.
