An artisan bread delivery service and baking school is to launch in Hale, its first operation in the North.
Founded six years ago by Guardian journalist turned baker Elisabeth Mahoney, One Mile Bakery’s innovative concept has proved a hit in its first two locations, Cardiff and Exeter, and has been featured as one of the UK’s best bakeries by The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph and Observer Food Monthly.
One Mile Bakery Hale will be run by teacher-turned-baker Matt Townley, who will not only bake the bread but deliver it by bike to within a mile radius of his home.
On top of that, he’ll be teaching bakery classes at home and, from September, his own Bread & Beer class.
“When I was younger I was told by a very wise person ‘if you want to show somebody that you really love them, cook them a good meal’. I have always lived by this mantra,” he said.
“I set up One Mile Bakery specifically for hard-working people who would enjoy having a homemade meal delivered to their door once a week. The baking classes are a really fun, inspirational day away from the stresses of busy lives, and I’ll be uniting some of my passions in classes unique to OMB Hale, starting with Bread & Beer.”
The father of one, who grew up in Wiltshire and hails from a big farming family of passionate home cooks, moved to Hale two years ago with wife Suze and young daughter Olivia and also plays rugby for Bowdon.
He added: “I find cooking my favourite way to relax, and for me there is nothing better than serving something up for friends and family. I love taking my daughter to our allotment, and watching her enjoy how vegetables grow ready for the table. I find myself most at peace when I am cooking and preparing food; I love looking after people and enjoy watching others enjoying themselves.”
One Mile Bakery Hale offers one and three-month subscriptions of bread, soup and jam. Subscriptions must include bread, with prices starting from £14 a month for four loaves of bread delivered to your door.
Bread-making classes, with a two-course lunch and wine, are priced at £125. Gift vouchers are available, as are private group bookings for friends or corporate groups. Classes include Introduction to Baking; French Baking; Introduction to Sourdough; Breads of the World; Italian Baking and – unique to Hale – Bread & Beer.
Find out more about One Mile Bakery Hale here.
