Good afternoon dear readers,
And so we embark on a new chapter, or a homecoming of sorts to the very early days of the bakery, as we open our doors on Wednesdays as of this coming week. We'll be open from 8am on Iffley Road, 10am at the Covered Market. And a reminder that our Iffley Road hours are to extend each day until 2pm. If inducement to come and see us were needed, we have happily timed this change to coincide with the arrival of the hot cross buns, always a highlight for the bakery, as the air fills with the unmistakable scent of our special organic spice mix, containing cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, nutmeg and allspice, all bar the last coming directly from Sri Lanka via Muhamed. It's nostalgia, it's spring time, it's the best baker's breakfast. If you are heading to the Covered Market for your bun and seeking a near-transcendental experience, we can warm it up and liberally butter for you.
The Grasmere style gingerbread and tiffin are returning by popular demand, and we'll also have our American coffee cake, rich with creme fraiche and brown sugar streusel, with the addition of forced rhubarb, plus Valentina's chocolate salted caramel sandwich biscuits for the weekend. And for International Women's Day on Sunday we're making some little extra treats for the fridge: vanilla rice pudding pots with forced rhubarb compote, and silky chocolate pots with whipped cream.
In the cheese fridge this week we welcome the return of Yoredale, in all its delicate, buttery glory. A truly sessionable cheese. Moving across the channel, and up into the mountains, there's the irresistible Ossau Iraty from the Pyrenees, and suave Beaufort from the Alps. With spring around the corner, we're also starting to see the arrival of seasonal goat's cheeses. Buchette de Manon, from the sun drenched hills of Provence, is perfumed and delicate and tasting a point. If you feel so inclined, there is a lovely short film about Francois and Vanessa Masto, the producers of Buchette and Mistralou, which you can find here.
Well, that's probably a wrap for now. As always, we thank you sincerely for reading this far, and very much hope to see you on Wednesday (Thursday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday), or very soon.
Kate and Hugo