Date: 20/08/14
Location: Tunstall
Interviewer: Steve Cooling
Permission given to use interview for website, exhibition and Staffordshire archive: YES
Question asked “What do you remember about bread or bread baking”.
During the bread strike in the 70's I was living in Longport and the gentleman at the chip shop use to get me fresh yeast. I think a lot of people must of tried this at home when the bread strike was on. I did use to make it but it never use to taste the same as bought bread, but it had to surfice.
My husband worked in Glasgow at the time and they haden't got a bread strike on in Glasgow so he use to come home every Friday loaded up with bread.
I use to work at 'Champion" in Trent Vale, on the twilight shift. I had to work twilight because you'd got to work around your children and your husbands job. I use to get the bus to Newcastle then walk to Trent Vale. I worked at the end of a belt and off would come these sponges 12 at a time on a big baking tray, you had to wear 3 pairs of oven gloves because they were very, very hot. You had to tip them up and turn them out, you'd burn up your arms.
They'd got a shop and you'd get things at a very reduced rate.