1 May 2023

This is the weekly newsletter from Loaf in Stirchley, keeping you abreast of our bakery and cookery school, and other news we think you might be interested in.

This week we mark May Day and say goodbye, for now, to our friends at Ten Four Bakehouse.

Scroll down for this week’s lunch menu, cookery school spaces and community news.

🍞 Pre-order your bread and pastries 🥐

We’ll have plenty on the shelves all week, with lunches served from noon on weekdays.

Our bakery opening hours are:
Tue - Fri: 12 - 6
Saturday: 8 - 1

Happy May Day!

Today is the first and by any measure the most important bank holiday of the three we've been blessed with this month. For the last 130-odd years the first of May has been International Workers Day. As a worker cooperative, where all employees have equal responsibility for the business, we are part of this tradition of celebrating and supporting the people whose labour makes the world but who often seldom see a fair share of the rewards. At a time when the cost of living is increasing far faster than wages, and workers' rights are being eroded, it's worth taking some time out to remember why being a coop is not just a business decision but a political act.

Of course May Day has been around for much much longer. This is the day we mark the end of winter and the beginning of spring, when the days lengthen and the earth comes to life again. In this sense the holiday is about abundance and the potential of the year ahead. It reminds us that there is plenty to go around; it's just not always managed sustainably or distributed fairly.

Because we open Tuesday to Saturday, and run a skeleton staff on Mondays, we don't shut down for bank holidays. We decided to bundle them into our holiday allowance so people can choose to take them at a time that suits them, and it works well for us. It does mean we often forget one is coming up. But not May Day.

Farewell Ten Four

It's with a heavy heart that we say goodbye (for now) to Ten Four Bakehouse, the other Real Bread bakery in Stirchley, who closed their doors on Saturday. It was very satisfying to discover that Stirchley could support two proper bakeries and to see one undone by rising costs beyond anyone's control is particularly tough.

Some people assume there's rivalry and drama between Ten Four and Loaf, but this has never been the case. The independent baking community is built on friendship and mutual support, and we've always lent other bakers flour or yeast in the knowledge that when we're short they'll be there to help us.

We wish Adam, his family and all the workers the best in these uncertain times. We hope for their speedy return and look forward to the next chapter of Ten Four.

The Breadcrumbs

🥖 In Loaf's cookery school this week we have one place left on Thursday's Ramen class. Dates in June and July were recently released and are selling steadily. If you'd like to do a summer class, get in now to avoid disappointment. Upcoming classes are listed here.

🥖 We have a vegan sourdough pizza this week. Along with the courgette, roasted red onion, sundried tomato, chilli and oregano, we're using a vegan mozzarella. Vegans assemble! (Everyone else: bet you don't even notice.)

🥖 We had a Quarter Horse Coffee delivery last week. New beans on the shelves include La Naranja (Peru), Magasi (Uganda) and Finca Los Pocitos (Guatemala).

🥖 Jacky of Jacky's Jams will be delivering a new batch of her preserves later this week. Look for them on Saturday!

🥖 Spring is finally here and Cotteridge Park is heating up with stuff going on for both the youngs and the olds.

🥖 Simone de Scissoir is a new collage club run by local artist Fiona Cullinan, starting at The Old Post Office on Saturday 13 May. (Fiona also proofreads this newsletter.)

🥖 The Festival With No Name, run in part by friends of Loaf, is back next Monday 8 May, raising money for those experiencing homelessness.

If you’ve got news or an event in Loaf’s wheelhouse (some variation on bread / community / cooperatives), let us know at newsletter@loaf.coop

Lunches this week

Tuesday

• Curry: Tarka daal with sourdough (Ve)

Wednesday

• Soup: Spiced carrot and coriander yoghurt with sourdough (Ve)

Thursday

• Soup: Roast celeriac, thyme and rosemary with sourdough (Ve)

Friday

• Curry: Keralan sambar with sourdough (Ve)
• Salt beef on challah

Tue – Fri

• Sourdough pizza: Courgette, roasted red onion, sun-dried tomato, chilli, oregano and vegan mozzarella (Ve)

Wed – Fri

• Ham and cheese croissant
• Pine nut pesto and cheese croissant (V)

Tue – Sat:

• Sausage rolls
• Vegetable rolls (V)

Lunches are made fresh weekdays for 12 noon.

Our menu for the week — with ingredients and allergens — is on the website.

Cookery school classes

The following classes have spaces as of this newsletter being posted.

Loaf’s all-day classes:

• Bread — Back to Basics: Tue 30 May, Sat 3 Jun, Tue 13 Jun, Sat 1 Jul, Tue 18 Jul, Sat 29 Jul
• Simply Sourdough: Sat 17 Jun, Sat 22 Jul
• Sweet Breads and Viennoiserie: Sat 13 May, Sat 10 Jun, Sat 15 Jul, Tue 25 Jul
• Heritage Grains: Sat 8 Jul
• Wholegrain Baking with Tom Baker: sold out

Loaf’s evening classes:

• Handmade Pasta: Thu 15 Jun, Thu 20 Jul

Haseen’s evening classes:

• Dosa: The 11 May, Wed 12 Jul
• Thaali: Wed 28 Jun, Wed 26 Jul

Lap’s all-day classes:

• Sausage & Charcuterie: returns in the autumn
• Seafood Masterclass: returns in the autumn

Lap’s evening classes:

• Thai Cooking: Tue 27 Jun
• Sushi: Wed 7 Jun
• Ramen: Thu 4 May, Thu 8 Jun
• Dumplings: Tue 6 Jun, Tue 11 Jul
• Macarons: Tue 4 Jul
• Knife Skills: sold out

The next tranche of dates will be in August. You can sign up to alert lists for specific classes here.

Thanks for all your continued support. See you next week!

Team Loaf: Neil, Rach, Pete, Molly, Sarah, Dorit, Martha, Ian, Nancy & Dave

Website: loaf.coop
Socials: Instagram / Mastodon / Twitter / Facebook