News

Cookery School news

Bread: Back to Basics

There are spaces available on our 29th September Bread course, it’s a week on Saturday and will take place in the new cookery school adjacent to Stirchley Stores:

Bread: Back to Basics is a day-long course. Loaf Director Tom will equip you with the skills to make consistently good, wholesome bread at home. This experience takes bread back to its essential ingredients – flour, water, salt and yeast – and teaches you a great repertoire of beautiful breads based on these basic building blocks. You’ll learn how to make rustic white loaves, wholemeal seeded rolls, ciabatta, fougasse and pizza, which you’ll eat for your lunch. You’ll also make an enriched brioche dough for you to take home and bake the next day.

 

New butchery courses

1st November – Perfect Poultry & 21st November – Nose to Tail Lamb

These are run in partnership with Steve Rossiter, who runs Birmingham’s only certified organic butchers in Bournville.

To book a place on any of our courses, or for more information see our shop. 

 

Updates from Twitter and Facebook

Tomorrow marks the first week of Loaf HQ and Stirchley Stores being open to the public, and we’ve had a great response so far. There are some photos up on our facebook showing Stirchley Stores/the Loaf HQ opening, as well some of the daily loaves available, and Tom regularly puts a few photos up on his twitter, here’s Dom’s special Mustard and Chedder Boulé:

 

Loaf HQ in the news

Just thought we’d write a quick post to say that you can catch Tom being interviewed by Tim Aviss on BBC Midlands Today (BBC1) at 6.30pm! He’ll be chatting about the new community bakery and cookery school in Stirchley, as well as setting up his own business.

We’d also like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came down on Saturday to our grand opening. It was a great party! It was fantastic to see so many people – both new, and familiar faces. We really appreciate your continued support. Fiona Cullinan wrote a full blog post about the opening ‘A baker named Tom Baker’ and it’s complete with photos of the shop. Thanks!

We’re pleased to say that Stirchley Stores opens it’s doors for the first time (asides from our parties!) today 2–7pm, and will be open Tuesday–Saturday.

“@domjclarke This dough will be on midlands today at 1.30″

Loaf HQ in the news

Just thought we’d write a quick post to say that you can catch Tom being interviewed by Tim Aviss on BBC Midlands Today (BBC1) at 6.30pm! He’ll be chatting about the new community bakery and cookery school in Stirchley, as well as setting up his own business.

We’d also like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came down on Saturday to our grand opening. It was a great party! It was fantastic to see so many people – both new, and familiar faces. We really appreciate your continued support. Fiona Cullinan wrote a full blog post about the opening ‘A baker named Tom Baker’ and it’s complete with photos of the shop. Thanks!

We’re pleased to say that Stirchley Stores opens it’s doors for the first time (asides from our parties!) today 2–7pm, and will be open Tuesday–Saturday.

“@domjclarke This dough will be on midlands today at 1.30″

Loaf HQ in the news

Just thought we’d write a quick post to say that you can catch Tom being interviewed by Tim Aviss on BBC Midlands Today (BBC1) at 6.30pm! He’ll be chatting about the new community bakery and cookery school in Stirchley, as well as setting up his own business.

We’d also like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came down on Saturday to our grand opening. It was a great party! It was fantastic to see so many people – both new, and familiar faces. We really appreciate your continued support. Fiona Cullinan wrote a full blog post about the opening ‘A baker named Tom Baker’ and it’s complete with photos of the shop. Thanks!

We’re pleased to say that Stirchley Stores opens it’s doors for the first time (asides from our parties!) today 2–7pm, and will be open Tuesday–Saturday.

“@domjclarke This dough will be on midlands today at 1.30″

The Starter

I thought this was an apt time for a re-post of Paul McHale‘s amazing film about what we do. We’re currently moving into the new premises and are set to open it up from 3pm this Saturday the 8th September. More about that later in the week, but for now, time to reflect on what has been…

[vimeo clip_id=”41644972″ width=”700″ height=”393″]

 

 

Last chance to forage!

Just a quick blog to tell you about the last forage and cook course that we’re running in 2012. Next Thursday evening 6th September will be our last outing into the wilds of Stirchley to check out what wild plants are around at this time of year and what tasty treats we might be able to cook up using wild ingredients. Also for the first time we’ll be starting and finishing the course at our brand new cookery school on Stirchley High Street which is very nearly finished! You can check out the course details and reserve your place using our new online shop. There’s loads of other courses now advertised in the shop and I’ll tell you all about those in another post very soon.

Loaf HQ progress part 4

Sorry it’s been a while since the last update and LOADS has happened. We’re very close to getting the shop keys now (this Thursday), and then it will be full speed ahead getting our equipment in and shelves and units up to start taking customers as soon as possible (give us a shout if you can help!!!). We’ve pencilled in an open day for the 8th september – stay peeled to the blog for updates. Also, we’re hoping they’ll be a sneak-preview pop-up a bit sooner than that too. Nod nod wink wink.

Well all the plastering’s finished, it’s been painted and most of the electrics and plumbing is complete. Flooring goes down this week and a bit of tidying up and touching up paintwork etc then it’s ours! I’ve taken loads of photos but here’s three views below. First up this is the rear corridor looking towards the cookery school dining room and cookery school at the front. This isn’t really a public area apart from if you’re looking for the loo, but it’s nice and bright and Jane has been busy potting up plants to green it up a bit!

Next this is the Stirchley Stores shop looking from the back wall towards the shop front. You can just see the bottom of some new light fittings. These will soon be adorned with gorgeous green enamel shades from our pal Harry Starling who also supplied the retro wires and ceiling roses etc.

 

Finally here’s the new shop front for Stirchley Stores and the bakery. Actually this was taken a few days ago and the glass is now complete and it’s been nicely varnished. Smart!

Loaf HQ progress part 3

The cookery school has now been plastered, but we’re waiting for the acoustic solution on the ceiling to be sorted so there’s no ceiling yet – should be starting to go up next week. Here’s 4 pics from the four corners of the main cookery school room, it’s quite hard to photograph.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here’s the original tiled floor from when this shop was a butchers (40+ years ago). I think it will scrub up nice:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They’ve also made the opening to the new accesible loo this week. Its the opening to the left of this pic, with the one straight on heading into the dining room and then the cookery school.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loaf HQ Progress – Part 2

So it’s definitely still a building site, but I thought i’d share a couple more photos of the new shop. It’s really hard to photograph, I need a wide angle lens I think. Anyway, here’s a shot from the front of the Stirchley Stores shop with the hole through to the Loaf bakery at the back:

As you can see it’s going to be quite narrow at the front (the blue boarding on the left is due to the new stairs that service the upstairs flats), but opens up towards the back. Here’s a view from the bakery opening looking back towards the front:

The new shop front should be going on in about 3 weeks I think, towards the end of the build.

Here’s the bakery plastered (the hole being drilled is for the extraction above the oven):

And here’s the proof it’s all getting real:

CoCoMAD going ahead tomorrow – get down and support it!

This just in from the from the Friends of Cotteridge Park about Birmingham’s best little festival, CoCoMAD:

CoCoMAD is going ahead tomorrow regardless – can’t cancel, won’t cancel…
Music, stalls, procession, lovely, lovely hot food and drinks all going ahead.
Wear your wellies & waterproofs and bring something plastic to sit on for the true festival experience – it there’s no Glastonbury, come to Cotteridge Park for your mud.
Bring your Dunkirk spirit and support all the traders, performers, trolley builders and volunteers who have worked so hard all year.
And not wanting to tempt fate the weather is looking better for tomorrow…
Join the trolley procession, leaving from the Friends’ Meeting House Watford Rd in Cotteridge at 12noon – on foot or on your bicycle.
The first band goes on stage and the stalls & activities start at 12.30
Hooray for CoCoMAD and the lovely waterproof people of Cotteridge

 

CoCoMAD going ahead tomorrow – get down and support it!

This just in from the from the Friends of Cotteridge Park about Birmingham’s best little festival, CoCoMAD:

CoCoMAD is going ahead tomorrow regardless – can’t cancel, won’t cancel…
Music, stalls, procession, lovely, lovely hot food and drinks all going ahead.
Wear your wellies & waterproofs and bring something plastic to sit on for the true festival experience – it there’s no Glastonbury, come to Cotteridge Park for your mud.
Bring your Dunkirk spirit and support all the traders, performers, trolley builders and volunteers who have worked so hard all year.
And not wanting to tempt fate the weather is looking better for tomorrow…
Join the trolley procession, leaving from the Friends’ Meeting House Watford Rd in Cotteridge at 12noon – on foot or on your bicycle.
The first band goes on stage and the stalls & activities start at 12.30
Hooray for CoCoMAD and the lovely waterproof people of Cotteridge

 

Stirchley Stores Volunteer Coordinator job advert

As I mentioned in the last blog, the retail space of the new Loaf HQ will be run as ‘Stirchley Stores‘ by South Birmingham Food Coop. They will be selling our bread of course, but also loads of other great ethical and good value food for your store cupboards. They are recruiting a volunteer coordinator on a sessional basis. Below is the full text of the advert together with links to the job description and person specification.

 

Stirchley Stores is a cooperative enterprise, with the aim of supplying ethical, affordable, and local food. Sustainability and community are at the heart of Stirchley Stores, empowering people to contribute to the rejuvenation of their High Street.

An exciting new position is opening in August, working for the cooperative shop as part of the South Birmingham Food Cooperative.  We are currently looking a freelance sessional worker Volunteer Coordinator.  The successful person will be responsible for all aspects of volunteering in the store including; the coordination, recruitment, induction, support and training of volunteers.  In addition you would be responsible for managing the budget, helping with bid tendering and organising promotional events.

This position will be key to coordinating and motivating the volunteers so an active interest in ethical food and living is essential to the position.  We are looking for an individual who is enthusiastic and can demonstrate excellent interpersonal and organisational skills.   And previous experience of recruiting and coordinating a team of volunteers is desirable.

The role will be based in Stirchley for 8 hours per week over 2/3 shifts and is paying £15 per hour on a self employed basis.

If you are interested in applying, please clink on the links below for full details.   The deadline for applications is 6th July 2012.

http://www.scribd.com/doc/97779845 job description

http://www.scribd.com/doc/97779623 person specification

To apply, please send your CV with a supporting statement to southbrumfoodcoop@aktivix.org

In the supporting statement please address the points outlined in the job description and include why you want to apply for this post.  Also detail how your skills and experience match the requirements of the position, and include details about your interests or voluntary work you’ve carried out that is relevant to the post.  Please write a maximum length of two sheets A4 paper.

 

Loaf HQ progress – part 1

Well, after a very long wait, building work has finally started at the new Loaf HQ on Stirchley High Street in Birmingham. Everything is going to schedule so far, which means we should be up and running in August, fingers well and truly crossed. I visited the site last Monday and took a few pics, and as you’d expect it’s a proper building site at this stage as they are stripping out the old snooker shop. Anyways, here’s a pic of what will be the shop (which will be run by Stirchley Stores Food Coop):

Here’s right at the back of the shop looking into what will be the bakery:

Looking back the other direction from the bakery into the shop:

And finally the old snooker shop that will become the cookery school space, right on the street front:

There’s more to the building too – office, storage, old butchers cold room (complete with hooks), toilets etc, which i’ll show you as it goes on. The photos will get more interesting as the build progresses and I’ll try and put a few up weekly so you can see what’s happening.