Dough fails to rise for new owners of the Bedwyn Village Bakery

They are no longer baking at the Bedwyn Village Bakery – instead the owners are buying in bread from an organic baker in Lambourn.

In February Jackie and David Snell bought the Bedwyn Bakery and had ‘ambitious’ plans for its future – including a move to a bigger unit in Marlborough.  The previous owners, Lesley and Gordon Merritt, retired after more than 30 years running the village bakery.

As from Monday (July 28) the new owners are no longer baking bread or making the bakery’s popular lardy cake.

Writing on Facebook, the Snells say: “Everything was moving in the right direction. However, recently a number of factors combined to make us realise how vulnerable a small, one-man bakery is.”

“Not only that but some of the costs are proving unfeasible – not least the £8,000 quote we had for merely removing the old oven.  The time had come to make some hard decisions.”

To maintain the supply to Bedwyn of “delicious, healthy and interesting bread, cakes, filled rolls and snacks for all our lovely, local, loyal customers”, they have gone to Syd Aston of Astons Organic Bakery.

Syd Aston is one of Rick Stein’s ‘Food Heroes’ – he made bread in Wales and London, and six months ago came with his wife and their ‘little team’ to Sheepdrove Organic Farm near Lambourn.  He now has organic wheat that he can mill on site and turn into bread.

The Snells explain what he will be supplying to Bedwyn: “Syd’s bread ranges from delicious levains (sourdoughs) to hand-shaped spelts, ryes, multi-seeds, foccacias and even quiches.”

“No lardy yet, but Syd has promised to look into this for us as a matter of urgency, as we told him that Bedwyn can’t survive without its lardy cake!”

All this seems to have happened in rather a rush: on June 12 the Snells welcomed their new head baker, George Walton.  On July 12 they were advertising for an assistant baker and an apprentice baker for their “rapidly growing rural artisan bakery.”  

Last Friday (July 25), the Snells posted “huge thanks and best wishes” to Gordon Walton who was leaving the next day.

Today (Monday, July 28), the owners announced: “Slightly nervous as prices slightly higher and bread looks different, but lots of positive reaction to it & lots of sampling going on in the shop – which is good”

By lunchtime they were “almost sold out.”