Stoke-on-Trent's real bread bakery
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”.
I made bread at school, plated it, it was very nice, my dad liked it any road. We used yeast, flour, a bit of salt and kneaded it, get the air out.
< Back to the Baking History page
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”.
I can remember 2 bread strikes. There was a bakery called Smith's and people would que and que, my father-in-law would go and stand outside and get us all a loaf of bread.
The second one was in the 70's, my husband had a friend who worked at the bakery and he would get a tray of bread. He'd share this out around the street so everybody had bread.
My uncle worked for Roberts Bakery in Biddulph, he'd drop the bread off.
There was another type of bread, Almonds Bakery, that was an old one as well.
When I was at school you had cooking lessons, the whole room was like a kitchen. We all did proper baking from scratch. You had the yeast and the water and everything. We made a whole loaf on our own then took it home and ate it, it was well worth doing.
< Back to the Baking History page
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”.
I can remember Mr Crinchley would deliver bread in a van around Smallthorne. I think he got the bread from The Co Op in Newport Lane. It wasn't wrapped or nothing, it was a solid loaf.
Swetenhams use to have a bakery in Chesterton, where the library is. They use to do 'Mothers Choice' and deliver it in Commer vans. Victor Values took over Swetenhams. I use to work for them until they closed in 1967, I was 20. When Victor Values took over they stopped making bread and bought 'Wonder Loaf' in, after about 6 months they bought 'Mothers Pride' in as well.
Victor Value was taken over by Tesco, I believe they were both cousins.
I can remember Pedley's Bakery behind Pedley's Post Office in Smallthorne. people use to take meat to cook in his oven.
< Back to the Baking History page
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.
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”.
I put a piece of bread in the toaster now and when it comes out it's little. I had bread and cheese for my tea, it didn't do me any harm and I'm 93, we didn't know what cholesterol was! When i was young we use to have a piece of rolled up pudding and gravy before dinner.
Location: Tunstall
Date:20/08/14
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”.
It was beautiful bread was, it was lovely. During the war I got bread from the Co Op.
My dad was a chef and he would make his own bread, it was alright but it wasn't like bought bread. During the war he worked where they made the food, I was never hungry.
If I could get bread delivered now I'd have a loaf a day.