1. I've upped my game with more people in the Bread Club and a couple of Farmers markets under my belt at Edenmill Farm & Killearn country market. It's been hard going in a small kitchen with one domestic oven, but I've managed it and I absolutely loved spending time meeting and chatting to customers. Now I just need to work out how to do it in a more time and cost effective manner!
2. I've experimented. There's been Orkney beer bread, Isle of Mull & apple bread, brioche, ciabatta, burger buns, bagels, cinnamon whirls and a new line of gluten free granola added to my repertoire to name but a few. It's great to be using local produce and responding to both the seasons and what my customers want and I wish I could find more time to try out more.
3. It got warm, then it got hot, then it got unbearable! I've swapped my baking hours around for the last few weeks to avoid the worst of the heat but last week's sourdough disaster lead me to start dreaming of a nice cool breeze and a bit of Scottish dampness like we're used to most summers. On the other hand I have a nice tan and now understand why hot countries favour the fast make & bake flat bread!
In summary, there's a lot to think about in the business, with a mountain of things to plan, review and do, but it's been going for over 6 months now and I think that's a great position to be in. First though I will be taking a bit more time off to wash the flour out of my hair and enjoy the sunshine whilst it lasts.
