Images: Daisy Dickinson
Café expands with next-door opening
Stir café was welcomed with open arms by the community in CB4 when it opened its doors around a year and a half ago, and it’s continued to go from strength to strength, recently expanding to the building next door to open its very own bakery. The Stir Bakery, which opened on Good Friday, will take all of the baking for the café in-house, as well as offering its own delicious range of artisan breads, cakes and other treats.
Everything will be handmade on-site, led by Stir’s new artisan head baker, Mahala Le May, who’ll be supported by a specialist team to create freshly-baked breads, bagels, croissants, plus sweet tarts and savoury pastries – all available fresh six days a week.
The bread range, consisting of sourdoughs and other slow fermented breads, will be made with organic milled flour from Shipton Mill, while those with a sweet tooth can indulge in treats like crème brulee tarts, almond blondies and fruit scones.
“Our philosophy from day one was for Stir to be at the heart of the local community, making CB4 a better place to live,” explains Stir owner Judith Harrison. “We have focused on providing fresh, high-quality, ethically-sourced food and drink in the coffee shop and we’re delighted people have responded so positively. Opening a bakery feels like a natural extension to the business and we hope it will make CB4 even more special.
“We want Stir Bakery to be famous for some signature menu items but also to be a place to discover new products and tastes. Our head baker will regularly be creating her own new recipes for our customers to try. The quality of the ingredients used and the incredible care and time that goes into each individual item will ensure that everything we make has a unique taste and character – we can’t wait to share these products with everyone!”
