Good afternoon everyone, When putting together our weekly pastry menus, there's a few principles we live by. Of course, the cinnamon bun, cardamom bun and chocolate chip cookie are going nowhere, as the earliest sweet items we ever presented to the fine folks of East Oxford. Since then we have expanded the offering somewhat, with a dedicated pastry team putting in even more hours than the bread team, headed up by Valentina, she of the Tiramisu Cake. So now we always like to have one or two guest buns on the list, rotating every two or three weeks so everyone gets a chance to try them. This coming week it's the whole vanilla bun and the Chelsea with a marmalade, brown...
Good afternoon everyone, We very much hope you have all had restful and joyful summers. We have returned from our European road trip to ten days of solid rain forecast for Oxford, but the memory of eating Black Forest Gateau in the Black Forest lingers on. We visited Cafe Decker, a 60 year old konditorei and confiserie in a tiny town called Staufen, in search of some authentic Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte and stumbled into a paradise of cakes and gateaux, chocolates, biscuits and ice cream. Hugo went the whole coupe, as it were, whilst Kate stuck to the mission at hand. It was the kind of place where even the espresso comes with a side of whipped cream, dispensed via a countertop tank the size of a...
Good afternoon everyone, First of all a reminder that the upcoming week is our last before we close for four weeks. Ordering in advance is recommended and also hugely appreciated. Earlier today we held our inaugural Cake Salon in the Covered Market. The response was truly overwhelming. Thank you to everyone who came down. Next time we will make more cake. Much more cake. No cake as such on the pastry counter next week, but following the response to our last event, the scone stall, we are excited to be debuting scones with house made jam and cream. These will be available on Friday and Saturday next week. The cheese scones, which are fast becoming a staple, will be on...
Good afternoon everyone, Firstly, some housekeeping. It's now just a fortnight until our annual summer hiatus. This year our last day open on Iffley Road and at the Covered Market will be Sunday 3rd August, and we shall reopen Thursday 4th September. We've had a very enjoyable few months with the team going from strength to strength so we are looking forward to seeing what autumn brings at the bakery. Now for more details of the event happening next Sunday at the Covered Market. As mentioned last week, our Summer Cake Salon is a bake sale showcasing Oxford's most exciting cake makers; Julia, Pet Gât; Auriol, Lost Tallulah; Caitlin, Cake On My Face; Karishma, Pipii. They'll all be using our stoneground flour, some for...
Good afternoon everyone, Ten years ago, Kate happened to be on work experience at Rosendal's Trädgard, the idyllic wood-fired bakery in Stockholm, whilst they were hosting a Brödsalong. There is no direct translation for the word but the convivial concept was that bakers from around the city gathered together at the bakery, to share knowledge and hold a market of their speciality breads. To a fledgling baker obsessed with the Swedish baking scene this was quite something. So much so you may even have noticed the poster for the event up on the cupboard at the Covered Market. At Hamblin we have often wondered about a similar event in our own fair city, and as we have so many talented cake makers in...
