There is one week left to apply to join us here at Loaf! For those curious about what the job might entail, Nancy tells us what happened on her Thursday shift working in the shop.

I start my shift at 9am and, first things first, have a coffee. Today I had a lovely cold one that Phil had prepared in the bakery, early doors. It does get warm in here in the summer but caffeine is still a priority for me. Next I prep the shop area, making sure everything is clean and tidy and all the equipment and utensils we’ll need are ready. We have a few hours before we open to our customers — time to make lunches, prepare our filled croissants and get any pre-orders ready. Today we are serving mushroom and aubergine curry and a summer squash pizza. Yum! 

I’m also on hand to help the baker should they need it. When it’s so warm, sometimes all the doughs and pastries are ready at once and an extra pair of hands helps to keep everything in check. 

I pack away any deliveries which have arrived and check we have everything we will need for tomorrow either available or on order. I have a look at the email and social media to deal with any queries and post some pictures of today’s offerings from the bakery. Then I grab a bite to eat and a bit of a sit before it’s ‘go time’.

At 12 o’clock, we open the doors and usually have a good couple of hours of steady visits from our friendly customers. We are lucky to have lots of long-term customers who we have got to know over the years; it’s nice to see familiar as well as new faces when you’re working. By two o’clock the rush has died down. It’s now time to start cleaning and thinking about what needs doing for the next day, alongside serving customers. At this point in the day we also check in with each other, making a round of tea or, in this weather, reminding each other to drink water.

The rest of the day is taken up by prepping lunch and sweets for the next day, cleaning and doing hygiene admin tasks. I also add some products that need re-stocking to our order list and put a couple of points on the agenda for the next team meeting before it’s time to close the shop. I pack up a loaf of bread or two to take home – one of the perks of the job!