Bread of Heaven

I blogged the other day about that moment in the year when trousers oust shorts.

But I’ve now noted another sign of the changing seasons.

For months, our bread-maker has lain dormant. Now Nicky’s pulled it out and begun the home-baking again. A warm aroma of freshly-baked bread is wafting upstairs.

And it’s not just bread. There’s her Pecan, Raisin and Date Crunch. And Bread with Dorset Rarebit with Cider.

These gems are recent additions to her recipe list, following our visit to

The Town Mill Bakery in Lyme Regis last year.

This fabulous bakery has to be seen to be believed. Nestling inside a watermill, it’s an open working space stuffed with freshly baked produce, with the bakers visible at work.

Just the kind of business we love and which inspires us.

It goes like this. You collect what you fancy from the scones, heavenly loaves and other organic delights on offer. You join fellow-diners on trestle tables laden with massive jugs of fresh apple juice, bowls of butter and jam. You natter away, more like you’re in someone’s home than any cafe or restaurant. And you pay at the end by simply telling the woman at the till what you’ve eaten. Magic. Tell that to Tesco.

The hum of conversation, not deep freezes.
Loaves homebaked, not processed packed.
And they close when the pizzas run out. Or there’s something good on TV.

Will they make a fortune? Maybe not.
Will they contribute to the life of Lyme Regis. Absolutely.

Even the owners’ plans to consider franchises come in home-baked fashion. They’d like to train up interested fellow-bakers - but for distinctive outlets, tailored to the needs of other towns.

We like it.
Stay close to your roots.
Stay sustainable.
And enjoy the crack with your customers.

Hurrah for The Town Mill Bakery.