Ian became a permanent member of the Loaf team last month so we asked him to write a bit about his experience.
For the last nine-and-a-half years, I’ve been working as a software engineer in the visual effects industry. This journey has taken me from London to Vancouver and now to a remote working arrangement in Birmingham. While in Canada, I started baking bread at home as a creative pursuit to improve my mental health.
Three months ago (with lots of encouragement from my partner), I approached Loaf to see if they would be interested in taking me on as a trainee, part-time. Since then, I have been fortunate enough to train with their experienced team of bakers – getting to grips with bakery schedules and larger-scale baking processes and techniques.
The bake shifts remind me of a long day on the ski slopes – fun, exhausting and the first après beer is pure bliss. There was a chance this journey could take the joy out of baking, but it has been just the opposite. I’m excited to bake for a wider audience and hope to continue to spread the love for real bread.
It’s also been a real breath of fresh air to be part of the Loaf co-operative. Having an equal voice in the bakery and company decisions, self-responsibility, and a focus on serving the local community is what gets me out of bed for those 5am starts!
When I’m not baking, I love to run, play board games, build LEGO and discover local craft beer.
My favourite loaf is a tie between the seeded spelt sourdough and the white tin.
You can look back on Ian’s baking journey and follow his progress at @ianbakesbread.