stirchley community market

Baking surgery at Stirchley Market

Way back in 2010, before we had a shop on the high street, Loaf was a founding smallholder at Stirchley Community Market. The market had a pandemic hiatus but is returning on Saturday 3rd December from 10am-3pm, and we’ll be there!

We’ll have a selection of baked goods for sale and Neil, one of our baking tutors, will be on hand to answer any questions you have about your home bread-making. Whether you’ve done a class with us or not, we’ll be happy to help for no charge — though we will be taking donations for the food bank, hint hint!

As promoters of real bread we’re always happy to give help and advice, but a busy shop is not always the best place. So come along to our first ‘bread surgery’ where there’ll be plenty of time to get some tips.

If you’re not familiar with Stirchley Market, it’s a non-profit project completely run by volunteers and is one of the seeds of Stirchley’s current blossoming, with many independents finding their feet there. We’re delighted to see it back and hope you’ll go check it out.

Stirchley Market Tomorrow

It’s the wonderful Stirchley Market tomorrow, and we’re going to be down there again selling fresh bread. There’s going to be a slight change to our stall from now on though as we’re doubling the size of it, and sharing it with South Birmingham Food Co-operative. As some of you may know we are moving Loaf into a new HQ later in the year (hopefully in December). In this large premises there will be room for a cookery school, bakery, and a nice little shop. We’re hoping that the shop will not only sell products from Loaf (i.e. bread), but also general grocery items and wholefoods from South Birmingham Food Co-op as well. Therefore it makes sense to start trading as one on the market stall aswell so shoppers can get used to the idea. So from tomorrow as well as coming down for fresh bread, we’ll be stocking lentils, rice, oats, sugar and other general provisions – come down and check it out and if you want to earn extra hippy-points, bring your own tupperware to fill up (although free paper bags are available too!). The bread on sale will be:

Cotteridge Sourdough

Borodinsky Rye sourdough (with caraway, malt, molasses)

Ciabtatta

Stirchley Potato bread

White split tin

Bournville Babka (chocolate swirl bread)

Stirchley Community Market Today

Today see’s the fifth Stirchley Community Market since its inauguration in July. We’ve moved the market indoors for the winter, although there is still some hot food happening outdoors, and it’s at the same venue, the Stirchley United Working Mens Club on Hazelwell Street, from 4-7.30pm. We’re doing bread at this months market and will be taking down about 75 loaves of various kinds. You can find details of the loaves and prices below:

White Tin – small £0.80

Malthouse Granary – small £1.10

Cotteridge Sourdough – large (800g) £3, small (400g) £1.80

Revolution Rye (100% rye topped with Pumpkin and Sunflower seeds) – small £1.80

Borodinsky Rye (100% rye with molasses, malt extract and caraway) – small £2

Ciabatta – small £1.50

‘The Stirchley’ (Crusty part-wholemeal potato loaf) – small £1

We normally sell out before the end so head down early to grab some!

Loaf in the Guardian!

Loaf had the privilege in helping launch and take part in Birmingham’s newest market last week at Stirchley Community Market. The market was a huge success with hundreds of people coming down to check out what was happening and support the fantastic stall holders that were there. Loaf took down 36 loaves of bread which sold out in the first half an hour, but fortunately we were also making wood-fired pizza’s which we sold out of a bit nearer to the end (though I promise we’ll make more next time!!). The place was teeming with journalists too, and the market has had lots of coverage this week, with the Birmingham Press featuring us last Friday, the Birmingham Post today, and the Birmingham Mail tomorrow. Amazingly the first market also made the national newspapers, with freelance journalist Chris Arnot writing a feature in Wednesday 4th August’s Guardian Society. You can read the full article by clicking here. There’ll be more to come hopefully, with a potential feature on BBC WM early next week – we’ll keep you posted!