19 July 2022
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 found a couple of videos about our core passions, bread and co-operatives, and we’re going to share them with you.
We’ll have plenty of bread and pastries on the shelves all day, with lunches served from noon on weekdays. Scroll to the bottom for this week’s lunch menu.
We are again running slightly reduced opening hours this week due to staff recovering from Covid.
Wed - Fri: 12-4pm
Saturday: 8am-1pm
We really really hope to be back to normal next week.
The Breadlines
🥖 Save the date! Loaf is celebrating 10 years on Stirchley High Street with a party on Sunday 11th September at Attic. More details to come soon!
🥖 Savoury buns on Wednesday and Thursday will be filled with kimchi. But this is no ordinary vegetables fermented in the Korean style — this kimchi was made by Molly and Valentina last summer and is finally ready to eat. You’ll not want to miss this!
🥖 Stirchley Printworks is a new studio for artists and creatives working in print that has just opened on Clonmel Road. They’re having their launch party this Friday at 7pm and all are welcome. We love a nice bit of print so this is great to see.
🥖 Pip’s and Pals is an indie food and craft market organised by the mighty Pip of Pip’s Hot Sauces. It’s at Attic Brewery this Sunday 24th July, which is also Pip’s birthday! Pop along to wish her all the best — and buy a load of stuff too!
Tonight on Loaf TV
A couple of videos came our way this week which we thought you might be interested in.
How The US Ruined Bread by Johnny Harris is extremely YouTubey in style, all fast-cuts and hyperkinetic memes, comparing standard US supermarket bread with the boulangeries of Paris. An unfair comparison, you might say, but in doing so he tells the story of how bread in the States got to be so bad and why that matters. He also has the most enjoyable one-minute explanation of How Bread Works starting at 4:24
While Harris is talking about the US, he could easily be talking about the UK and our cursed Chorleywood system. His talking points are essentially those of the Real Bread Campaign, of which we are enthusiastic supporters, so seeing them in this style was somewhat jarring, but not in a bad way. Maybe the campaign could take some notes!
Co-operation Calderdale is a survey of the businesses and organisations in the borough of Calderdale, West Yorkshire, that run as co-operatives. Their video couldn’t be more different in its style, but also not in a bad way, just different.
Of particular note is a visit to the Suma warehouse, from where our wholesale orders are dispatched every fortnight.
The focus on the history of co-operatives in 19th-century Calderdale reflecting on the surprising number of them in operation today reminded us of Stirchley. As you may know, Stirchley has a long history of co-operative societies starting with TASCOS in 1875, and we’re delighted to be continuing that tradition. Maybe we’ll make a video like this one day.
Lunches this week
Wednesday
- Curry: Tarka daal with sourdough (Ve)
Thursday
- Focaccia sandwich: Olive tapenade, heritage tomatoes, toasted pine nuts and rocket (Ve) optional feta (V)
Friday
- Curry: Roasted aubergine, chickpea, spinach, coconut and coriander curry (Ve) w/ sourdough
- Salt beef on challah
Wed — Fri
- Sourdough pizza: Artichoke, olive, caper, chilli, basil, tomato and mozzarella. (V)
- Ham and cheese croissant
- Pine nut pesto and cheese croissant (V)
Wed — 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
All our classes are fully booked through the summer. Thanks for all your interest!
Dates for classes in the autumn will be released very soon. You can sign up to alert lists for specific classes here.
Thanks for all your continued support. See you next week!
Team Loaf: Martha, Pete, Sarah, Nancy, Molly, Rach, Neil, Ian & Dorit