You can’t keep a good starter down!

The website is back and so am I! I have teased a couple of times on Instagram that maybe there is something in the offing, and I can now confirm that there is indeed. A couple of promising sites in the wider Putney area have been found and offers have been placed with agents. This is by no means a fait accompli, as the London commercial property market is a mysterious and confusing place, but there is traction. I have also wooed another like-minded bread-head, who is willing to take the reins as head baker. I know that they will bring enormous drive and energy to the project. This addition may come as a surprise, but some time away has shown me that trying to drive a project like this forward, while also attempting to be the creative force in the kitchen, is a tough ask. Plus, they are a far better baker than me!

I hope that once terms are agreed on the real estate side of the equation, I will be able to pick up the pace with the project and shower you with updates, but until then I do not want to overpromise. However, here is a small morsel: the plan has not just been restarted, but revamped. We will rename and rebrand, what will be the beautiful sourdough bakery and café that we always wanted, but with the addition of a wine bar. It will start small, but hopefully grow into something similar to the wonderful offerings of places like Cadet in Stoke Newington or Lulu’s in Herne Hill.

There are two other things that I think are worth saying now. I WILL be doing some crowd-funding for this project. At this stage I would like to try to raise £20k … some will say this is way too high … some too low, but I think it’s achievable, and would mean getting lots of community, family and friends involved which I only see as an upside. There will be the option to buy credit for the bakery, merchandise, and bread courses. Secondly, I am looking for some larger scale investment, to compliment what I already have in the offing. If this is something that interests you, please drop me an email, a text or give me a call. Even if it’s just a piece of advice, I would like to engage as many people as possible.

More details to come in due course, so keep your eyes peeled!

Harry