Easter feasting - the bakery

The Authentic Bread Company
Easter is always a hectic time for the Authentic Bread Company up on Strawberry Hill in Gloucestershire. Sisters Emily and Sophie, along with their brother Alex are busy around the clock, hand-making buns, breads and other brilliant bakes for you to enjoy. 

It’s demanding work, but there’s a passion for baking in the Davis family blood. It’s been passed down from their dad Alan, who started the company in earnest back in the ‘90s. 

Having grown tired of the mass-produced, stodgy loaves that took the supermarkets by storm around this time, Alan was inspired by his French holidays to bring a bit of continental class back to baking again. He took to his garage, and took matters (and lots of dough we imagine) into his own hands. 

The Authentic Bread Company might have grown a little over the years, but they remain committed to the core values that set Alan on this journey back then. They’re fanatical about sustainable ingredients, traditional methods and putting real satisfaction over artificial shelf-life every step of the way. 
  
Of course, it’s not really Easter without the smell of toasting hot cross buns wafting in from the kitchen. And when you settle down to your own (cup of tea in hand, of course), you’ll know that you’ve stumbled onto something special. Every one has been hand-kneaded, hand-shaped and packed with natural flavours. Chocolate orange anyone?!

Beside the buns, they’re busy baking biscuits by the barrelful, and their traditional frangipane tarts are a treat that only come round once a year. Whatever your taste, you’ll find something to love from our friends on Strawberry Hill.

Famous Hedgehog Bakery
In 1995, Jamie and Rose Campbell left the hustle and bustle of the city in favour of a quiet life in the wilds of Dorset. According to them, the peace was perfect, but the lack of a decent loaf for miles around drove them to take some rather drastic action. 

They upped-sticks again, this time heading across the channel. Together they spent five years in France studying baking alongside master boulangers. With this wealth of experience, they returned to Devon in 2000 and the Famous Hedgehog Bakery was born. 

At Eastertime, they’re responsible for the some of our most popular bakes. While their tarts are show stoppers in their own right, traditionalists at heart will find their classic Simnel cake a sweet centrepiece to remember.