Stoke-on-Trent's real bread bakery
Date: 21/08/14
Location: Stoke
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”.
I never really tried making bread, I had a bread machine when they first came out but it didn't taste the same.
When the bread strike was on that time I got a recipe for oatcakes but that didn't work very well, you need to have the right environment.
Date: 21/08/14
Location: Stoke
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”.
When I first met my mother-in-law (over 45 years ago) I was suprised she was making her own bread and tea cakes. She did this quite often, she put the dough in the airing cupboard for quite a few hours to rise. The bread and tea cakes were very nice and she enjoyed baking.
< Back to the Baking History page
Date: 21/08/14
Location: Stoke
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”.
I can remember going to th shop across the road to get bread for my mother, it was wrapped up then. You use to get free daffodils with the loaves. That was from Lathems, City Road, Stoke. They did 'Mothers Pride' I think.
Date:21/08/14
Location: Stoke
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”.
When I was a kid I lived in Jamaica, there use to be a bread van that came through every Tuesday. In those days things was hard, you just got and eat it.
When I came to England in 1962 bread was outside the shop which was surprising to me, bread without paper.
Date: 21/08/14
Location: Stoke
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”.
My mother use to buy bread from the bread shop on London Road until she died 3 years ago, she always had her bread from there. It use to belong to the Marsh family. We had a shop on the terrace along from us and Mrs Marsh would come along and deliver the bread to the shop. She used a bike with a basket on the front. If I was ever sent for the bread it didn't come back whole 'cause I use to like pulling the crust off it. It was nice, just like the homemade bread now. I don't think it's as nice as I remember it as a child from the same shop. It probably is but you know what it's like, you get older and your tastes change.
Date: 21/08/14
Location: Stoke
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”.
My mother made her own bread, she never bought bread, she did all her own baking. I remember the smell of it, it was lovely. We had an old range and she would put it on the hearth to rise. The smell was all through the house. It was just part of my mother because she made everything that we ate.
In 1963 I had a spasm of doing it myself when I was married. I did quite well with it but then I started work and hadn't got the time.
< Back to the Baking History page
Date: 21/08/14
Location: Stoke
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”.
I've never made bread, well I have once it was more like rock cakes.
< Back to the Baking History page
Date: 21/08/14
Location: Stoke
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”.
I started making bread in 1953 at high school when I lived in Cambridge. I would make bread at home for my parents. I love making bread, it's got a lovely feel to it.
Every Saturday morning I made bread, it fitted in-between doing other things. It doesn't take much time as it's spread over a long while. then they discovered at my husbands school that I could make bread so they said could I do some rolls for the end of school party. I made 6 dozen little rolls and I made them all different shapes and sizes, like sea shells, little cottage buns, long ones. Once I did that it got that I had to do them every single term, so I got lumbered with that. With the bread mixture you can turn it into all sorts of things, current buns, Chelsea buns, lardy cakes.
When you go to church they give you these little wafers and they called bread. I've never tried those flat breads but I've made Brioche and that comes out rather nicely.
Date:21/08/14
Location: Stoke
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”.
There were 2 bake shops on London Road, Beardmores and Marsh's. Marsh's still bake their own bread. I do love fresh crusty bread, it's the companion of your life. As you get older you don't need as much bread, my husband did though.
All my 3 grandchildren make bread. They'll say 'ooh, I'll just go and make a loaf'. I made one once, took a photograph of it, you could of built a house with it I think. It was only recently. They have parties and my grandson will make all sorts of bread and shapes. I'll think 'a bloke did these', it's amazing. I can only do bricks.
Date:21/08/14
Location: Stoke
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”.
I remember going to Maggies shop. The bread didn't come wrapped up or anything like that, it use to come on trays and she would just tip it into a big box that she had in the shop. I use to go in and say 'can I have a loaf Mrs Bolton?' and she would reply 'yes alright, help yourself'. Well, I was only small and I had to scrawl up the box and try and get in, I did it and I didn't fall in.
Interview with: Elain Hughes & Karen Beardmore (sisters)
Date: 21/08/14
Location: Stoke
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”.
EH
I was a good cook at school and when my sister was a baby my mother was poorly so every lesson that didn't matter like cookery and P.E. I had to be at home. So it's my sisters fault I can't make bread.
KB
We were brought up in Penkhull and at that time there was a little bakery up London Road. Marsh's it was called and they use to deliver up to the shops in Penkhull. The bread was wrapped up in tissue paper.
EH
Our dad worked at a bakery for 30 years, that's why we're fat 'cause we ate all the cake. It was 'Champion' when he first went, then it was 'Mr Kipling'. He hurt his back there pushing a barrel to the mixer. He was off for a while and when he went back he worked in 'hygiene', it was posh for a cleaner.