The birth of a bakery?

I spent last Saturday evening running a cake stall at Central Baptist Church in Leicester, the venue for The Clean (As Possible) Comedy Show, part of the Leicester Comedy Festival.

CBC founded the Centre Project, where I work as a cook three days a week, and the idea was to use the evening as a way of piloting the possibility of developing a bakery project as part of the Centre's provision for vulnerable adults. On reflection I think the evening was largely successful, but preparing for it highlighted the kind of challenges that are inherent in starting a new initiative, predominantly a lack of clarity of expectation around money and time.

But you have to start somewhere, and nothing is ever plain sailing from start to finish. Onwards and upwards!

Birmingham, Brick Lane, Brighton

It's six weeks since I last blogged. On the one hand, not a lot has happened in that time; on the other, I've had some interesting conversations, discovered some new organisations and initiatives and even had a meeting at the seaside!

Not a lot has happened in the sense that my circumstances remain as they were six weeks ago - still working five days a fortnight, still living on the generosity of friends and family. But on the back of that last blog post I emailed a whole list of people who I know to be interesting and who have fingers in interesting pies and asked them to tell me about the interesting things that they know about. This was largely in an attempt to put into action point 6 of my options list from last time:

Seeing if there are any community initiatives / churches who are looking to develop projects around baking - a café, community bakery etc - who I could team up with to shape some kind of social enterprise.

The result was as interesting as I'd hoped. I discovered Devenishgirl Bakery, a baking social enterprise in Birmingham; I visited Kahaila, café church in the middle of east London's Brick Lane; I found out more about Florence Road Market, hosted by One Church Brighton in, er, Brighton; I met up with sourdough baker Jessica Edmonds of Leicester Born and Bread who has, rather marvellously, offered to give me some of her sourdough starter free and gratis; I heard about London Reclaimed, a recycled furniture social enterprise in Peckham; I was introduced to Flavour Gateway in Tower Hamlets. I've heard about churches being challenged about social enterprise as a way of responding to changes in the way they're funded and how they serve their communities, about the importance of sharing food together as the people of God. And I've discovered a whole load of new blogs and small businesses doing lovely things in lovely ways with lovely people.

And in amongst those new encounters I got to exchange emails and share coffee with affirming and encouraging people, the value of which really can't be over-estimated. But the reality is that none of this has offered any kind of solution to the very practical challenges of earning a living, which brings me to option 5 from last time:

Starting my own business. I've been doing a lot of baking recently and have realised that I really enjoy it and, it appears, I'm moderately good at it. However, this requires a kitchen which I don't have.

The more I explore this, the more hoops I become aware of. But now's a good time to start thinking about Christmas (wait, come back, let me finish!!) and given that I've already tested the market for fair trade mince pies I'm giving serious thought to finding some kitchen space to rent one day a week in September, October and November, focusing on Christmas cakes and mince pies and seeing what transpires. I've been in touch with a few local churches to find out about renting kitchen space, and on Thursday I'll get my Christmas baking thinking cap on and wait for inspiration to strike.

I'll be honest - I'm at the point at the moment where it doesn't take much for any crumb of enthusiasm I have for, well, quite a lot of things to dissolve into the ether but then I read articles like this, tell myself to get a grip and try really hard to count my blessings, of which there are many. But if you are of a praying disposition I'd appreciate you chucking a couple up for me. When I was on my year out, my insightful but not entirely pastorally sensitive church leaders regularly told me when faced with challenging circumstances that I'd look back and realise what I'd learnt. They were, of course, absolutely right.

Only fair

I didn't feel I could really let the Dhaka factory collapse pass without a blog post. I don't really want to focus on the horrific event itself as there are plenty of places you can read about it - pick the news outlet of your choice. I'm not even that concerned about raising the issue of how our own - my own - shopping habits have, directly or indirectly, contributed to this disaster. Again, there are plenty of places reporting on how British retailers are implicated in the systemic failings of the Bangladeshi garment industry.

Instead, I thought I'd plug a few of the fair trade clothing suppliers that we stock at Just Fair Trade since most of them are not companies I'd heard of before I started working in the shop. I'd like to think that even those of us that have a tendency to be a bit head-in-the-sand over where our clothes come from have been prompted (forced?) to engage with the issue in the last week, and it can be tricky to know where to start with looking for other options. But places like Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury's have fair trade cotton t-shirts - I'd suggest they'd be easy wins if you want somewhere to get started. 

Braintree...

...have supplied Just for the last few years. They're all about ethical and sustainable fashion and their bamboo socks are one of Just's biggest and most consistent sellers! Unusually, Braintree have a men's clothing range alongside their women's range, and they also sell a whole variety of accessories including hats, scarves and bags.

Nomads...

...have recently made a return to Just after a few years in the, er, 'festival wear' wilderness! They've been producing fairly traded clothing for over twenty years and they have a great range of summer dresses in a variety of styles, from boho to vintage to more contemporary shapes, along with accessories - they even sell tights!






Trusty Traidcraft are one of our biggest suppliers - we rely on them for items as diverse as chocolate, terracotta garden planters and children's toys! They also sell a small but very popular range of women's tunic tops as well as scarves and jewellery. One of the great things about the Traidcraft catalogue is that it contains producer stories which give a great insight into the very real difference your shopping makes to the life of someone you'll never meet.





There are three important things to remember when you're searching out fair trade clothes. The first is that like with any other clothes shop there will be some 'labels' you like and others that you don't - just because the first place you look doesn't take your fancy don't write off the whole industry! These are just three suppliers I know about - there are loads more out there.

The second is that with the exception of fair trade cotton you won't find fair trade clothes marked with the fair trade logo - there's a perfectly sensible reason for this but I'll be honest, I can never remember what it is! So keep your eyes open for BAFTS (the British Association for Fair Trade Shops) or Ethical Fashion Forum affiliation instead.

And the final thing is price. The first time you pick up a fairly traded item of clothing the price can be a bit of a shock. But you need to bear in mind that the producers are being paid what they deserve, their communities are benefiting from significant infrastructure investment and they have secure trading relationships. Plus, most fair trade clothing suppliers don't have the economy of scale of the big supermarkets and department stores. But let's face it - we all have more clothes than we need. Why not choose to spend a bit more on one item of really well-made clothing that will last instead of spending the same amount on several poorly-made items, some of which you'll never wear?

I'll be honest - I don't have this one sorted. But it's time we realised that the clothing industry as we know it is exploitative and unsustainable, and that we have the power to make a difference.

Pulling focus

I realise I'm at least ten years behind the curve on this, but I've just recently got into reading a few blogs in an intentional way, bookmarking them and having a look every couple of days. It's been fun - they're mainly around sewing, baking and ethical fashion, but there's a couple of more theological ones in there too.

But I've been struck by the fact that all of these blogs have something mine doesn't seem to have - a particular focus, whether it's turning charity shop clothes into new outfits, making cakes and taking beautiful pictures of them, or writing about church from a different perspective to my own. 

But then the more I thought about it, the more I wondered whether actually there might be some themes that run through my blog. So I did a little research - entirely subjective and non-scientific, I should point out. I had a look at the labels I've given my blog posts to see which ones crop up the most - the top five are future (15), work (15), fair trade (11), church (10) and creativity (9) with baking, community, money, ethical and potential close behind.

Now I suppose some would argue that this is a fairly random, incohesive list, but I see some interesting connections (although I would - it's my blog, after all!!).

Eight years ago, this blog started essentially because EVERYONE had a blog (well, at least that was the impression I'd got) but I had no real sense of purpose or direction for it. Now I'm enjoying blogging and I'm finding the stuff that I'm genuinely passionate about, rather than stuff I think I should have an opinion on. So the question I'm starting to ask myself is whether to continue with this blog but narrow its focus slightly, or start a parallel blog which explores some of these ideas (probably the ones around fair trade and creativity) in more depth. Or do I not worry too much because come Easter I'll run out of steam and go another year without writing anything?!

Incidentally, if there are blogs you think I should be reading, please let me know - I have bookmarks and I'm not afraid to use them! Equally, if you have friends who you think would enjoy reading about ethical baking in church, you should absolutely share a link to here!!

Through the window

So the big idea is this...

This summer I will serve you and your friends afternoon tea in the comfort of your own home.

That it's really!

Need convincing? Picture the scene. It's summer. The sun's shining (no, really - use your imagination). You've got a few friends round and you're peckish. But what's this? Your very own dining table laid with glassware and china, plates of sandwiches made from local ingredients, savoury snacks, cake stands with an array of homemade goodies and unlimited fair trade tea and coffee!

All this, in your own home?! But that must cost a fortune! But no, this is the genius bit - your guests get to decide what they'd like to pay, and you not only get your tea for free but there's a gift to say thank you for hosting!

To be honest, I've been pondering this idea in various forms for a while, as a few blog posts from this time last year testify. But with my newly-free Fridays (well, from April), and a slightly pressing need to start saving for college in the autumn (all things being equal) I think it's an idea whose time has come.

I want to do it properly and register for tax and sort out food hygiene stuff which is a bit daunting but, as I said yesterday, it feels like a window's opened and I should do my best to clamber through it.

It's always a bit nerve-wracking asking for feedback on an idea - the risk is that either people won't care enough to respond or they'll pick holes in your idea and it'll all get a bit discouraging! But I'm going to take the risk - I'd love to hear what you think, regardless of whether you think I'm onto the Next Big Thing or I need my head examining.

Not so spontaneous?

I had a moment of clarity yesterday when I realised that in my head there's a very fine line between being spontaneous and not procrastinating. Maybe that ties in with my analysis paralysis. So I'll let you decide how to categorise yesterday's achievement.

I've wanted to make a patchwork quilt for a long time (don't judge me). Last month I found a simple pattern and it's always been my intention to use Fair Trade Fabric so what was keeping me? In my defence, I have been watching the pennies this month - why is it that significant car expenditure all comes at once? - but there's a limit.

So yesterday afternoon I had a hunt for fabric and opted for some fairly random collections of small squares. I'm hoping that piecing them together will be simple and effective - with any luck they'll arrive in the next few days and I can get cracking. Or I can think about getting cracking...

Learn With Mother (and Grandma and Great Grandmother)

I had an interesting moment of clarity last week. I suddenly realised that in trying to find ways of occupying my time and possibly earning some money I'd turned not to the skills I've gained as an adult, but those I was taught as a child.

One of my earliest memories is of baking cakes with Mum. Always fairy cakes and always with water icing and sparkly sprinkles. I was probably a little older (but not by much) when I was introduced to needlework, embroidery, knitting and crochet by a combination of Mum, Grandma and my great grandma.

Don't misunderstand me - I'm not claiming to be a master craftswoman! My baking and needlework skills haven't really progressed beyond the basic principles I learnt as a child, but knowing the basics was enough to enable me to create little projects for myself, vital for keeping myself occupied as the oldest child in a large(ish) family with no TV.

Was mine a typical experience of childhood? I've no idea! But it does make me wonder how different life might have been if I hadn't been surrounded by adults who not only possessed useful and creative skills but had the time, energy and inclination to pass them on to me.

The business of celebration

So, we've finally made it to 2012, year of the London Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. I realise that there will be as many opinions about the validity of both those events as there are people in Britain but I think it's fair to say that whatever your perspective it's going to be pretty tough to avoid either!

In fact, I've found myself thinking about the Jubilee in particular quite a lot over the last couple of weeks and I'm wondering whether HMQ has given me a rather unique launch pad for a business idea.

A couple of weekends ago I finally got round to making some bunting from material I'd been hoarding for a while. It was really straightforward and as I cut and stitched I realised that 2012 is the perfect year for bunting - what June street party will be complete without the obligatory string of red, white and blue triangles hung jauntily from trees and lamp posts?! A kernel of an idea began to form...

But then I started thinking about the idea of Jubilee. It's not a concept dreamed up by Queen Victoria's advisers to demonstrate to a slightly disgruntled Empire that actually they were more important to her than her dead husband. The idea of jubilee is a Biblical one which stood at the heart of the kind of community God was calling his people to build way back during their hike through the wilderness. It's about fairness and justice that is deeply practical, and it stands at the core of Jesus' own ministry.

So I'm thinking about bunting and about jubilees and that gets me to thinking (again) about fair trade. The end result is entirely logical - what about fair trade Jubilee bunting?

After conversations with a few people over the course of the last weekend, I've decided to bite the bullet and this morning ordered several metres of fair trade fabric (which is expensive and not particularly easy to get hold of). Over the course of the next couple of weeks I plan to turn it into many, many metres of bunting and sell it! We're running a fair trade shop at church over Fairtrade Fortnight (27 Feb - 11 March) and I'm running a fair trade evening on 6 March so we'll see what people think. If you'd like some bunting or you have any thoughts on how a embryonic fair trade textiles business could develop, get in touch!!

Let them eat cake!

It's been a while since I wrote about the process of trying to work out what to do with my life. That's largely because in the weeks leading up to Christmas I was a bit too preoccupied with packing up my flat and organising presents and festive food to have the energy or inclination to think about anything else!

While it's fair to say that on the face of things very little has changed on the job front, I do feel like there's been some progression in the last couple of weeks. Moving out of my flat will have a significant impact on the pressure on my finances as I've moved in with a friend who's a vicar and therefore isn't allowed to charge me rent! I knew having so many clerical friends would pay off in the end! While this is only intended as a short-term arrangement it means I can take a few months to genuinely explore what my options might be, which is an amazing blessing really.

So how am I spending my time? I still have a job one day a week in a small home and garden shop although a job that started off being five minutes walk round the corner from my flat has become a 30 minute car journey. It'll do for now...

I've also started teaching the piano again for the first time in a few years which I'm really enjoying. My pupil is the ten-year-old daughter of the pastor at church - she's good fun and a fast learner! I think there's potential to find two or three more pupils, so one of my goals is to find out about becoming self-employed, just so that income is all above board and proper.

I've also decided to invest some time and energy in baking. I've realised that not only is it something I enjoy, that I find creative and productive, but it appears I might also be quite good at it! Feedback from my little Christmas mince pie production line has been incredibly positive and encouraging so it seems a good use of my time to take the basic skills I learnt baking fairy cakes with Mum when I was four and up my game a bit.

I think one of the other reasons that baking feels like a significant thing for now is that there's a tangible connection between it and some of the other things I'm keen to explore over the next few months, including things like how to effectively build community, and developing a better understanding issues around fair trade. If I can do that whilst feeding people cake, so much the better!

I've written before about the possibility of developing some kind of small business and it feels like a very scary thing to do. But recently I've been aware of more and more people I know developing side projects or just going public with ideas in ways that have made me think that I really just need to get on and do something! Over the last couple of months I've spent some time with my cousin, Ben, who's working towards becoming a credentialed coach. The speed at which he's clarified and articulated what he wants to achieve and then taken tangible, creative steps to make that happen has been pretty awe-inspiring. You can have a look at what he's doing here.

The one slight fly in the ointment is that so far the redundancy coaching I started at the end of November doesn't seem to be working out in quite the way I'd hoped, and one of the challenges of the next few weeks will be working out how to respond to that. But all things considered, things seem pretty positive at the moment...

Risk-taking behaviour

There's one really important thing you should know about me - I don't do vulnerable. By this I mean that I really struggle to share the deeply personal stuff about myself with others, even those I've known for a long time and would trust with my life. It drives my sisters mental.

One of the unhelpful by-products of this trait (and I'm aware there are many) is the fact that I'm not very good at telling others about the interesting or creative ideas I have from time to time. Because I don't tell anyone else about what I'm working on it means that when I get bored, or decide an idea wouldn't work anyway, it's very easy to give up because no-one's in a position to hold me accountable. It makes for quite an easy life really - very few risks are taken and the failure rate stays assuringly low.

But my current state of underemployment has moved the goal posts a bit. I'm very quickly realising that I'm going to find it tricky to get anyone else to pay me to do a fulfilling job which leaves me with two basic options. The first is to get an unfulfilling job. The second is to create for myself the kind of employment I'd actually enjoy.

Not only is the second of those two options by far the riskier economically, it would also require me to face my struggle with vulnerability head on. It means risking people thinking I'm not operating in the real world, that I'm not being responsible. It means having to tell people my thoughts and ideas. It means risking the possibility that people think my ideas have merit, that I should pursue them. It means that people might ask me how I'm getting on and wondering why I haven't achieved what I set out to do. And who knows where it could end?

Money-making Opportunity 1: Mince Pies

Anyone who's read any of my Facebook statuses this week will know that there has been much talk of mince pies. I've always enjoyed baking - one of my earliest memories is being up to my elbow in eggs, sugar, butter and flour, making fairy cakes with Mum. In fact, my kitchen experience was so dominated by sponge cakes that I got to university and suddenly realised I couldn't actually cook anything useful. Like dinner. (It's tempting to digress here and tell you a story about the day I made a lasagne with red wine vinegar instead of red wine, but that can wait.)

A few years ago, back from uni (having mastered the art of the lasagne) and living at home, I decided I would attempt to master Christmas baking. Mince pies seemed a fairly obvious place to start, and Mum had a recipe so on I cracked. From that first batch I was hooked.

Last year saw another breakthrough as I embraced homemade mincemeat. I had always assumed that mincemeat must be really hard to make or why would you buy it? Mum dug me out another recipe and I was staggered to discover that essentially you stick a load of dried fruit, sugar, suet and fruit juice in a bowl and...er, well, that's about it! Give it a mix, cook it on a low heat, add some brandy and job's a good'un.

So that means that my homemade mince pies are now 100% homemade. Which is nice.

It also means that, provided you shop around, you can essentially have a fair trade option, something you'd be hard pushed to find in a supermarket. In fact, I've discovered it's actually pretty tricky to find fair trade dried fruit in supermarkets, but fortunately Leicester has a great little fair trade shop, Just, in the city centre which stocks a basic range of food products. I know thinking ethically about food almost inevitably costs more, but I find it difficult to justify not paying a little extra when the impact on the life of someone else could be so profound as a result. And, if I'm honest, not to take the ethical option at Christmas seems to me to undermine the whole reason Jesus came in the first place.

Last Tuesday I left my job and we decided to have afternoon tea in the office to say goodbye. I thought I'd make my first batch of mince pies for the occasion and was absolutely blown away by the reception they got. The next day on Facebook an innocent request for suggestions of things I could do with my new-found spare time led to a series of requests - some serious, some not so - for me to make mince pies for people and today I've had my first firm order!

Now, let's be honest. It would be almost impossible to actually make money from what is essentially a luxury product with a very small seasonal window. But I'm thinking that even if they just keep my hand in and give me something productive to focus on, and I don't end up out of pocket, there's nothing to lose!

When watching Jeremy Kyle is not an option

So, unemployment has finally hit. Well, not total unemployment, in fairness - I still have a one-day-a-week job in a local shop but seven hours a week at £6.08 an hour isn't going to pay the rent.

I'm obviously doing proper job-hunting - seems only right. I'm also just about to start a six-session course of redundancy coaching which I'm hoping is going to change my life and set me off in a new and inspiring direction.

But I'm also thinking about whether there's any scope to earn money through some of the skills and experience I have in other areas. So I thought I'd share some ideas and see what people think. Some have more merit than others, some would be far too much like hard work. But one or two might have potential. Possibly. Who knows?!