Archive for the ‘News’ Category
Wednesday, December 12th, 2012
On the 1st of December, Brick House turned 6 months old. It’s one of those peculiar instances where the time has gone by in the blink of an eye, and yet it seems like we’ve been up and running for ages.
It’s been a while since I put finger to keyboard about the business, so I thought now would be a good time to update you and remind myself of all the stuff that’s been going on behind the shutters of our little bakery since I did the last Brick House diary post a few months back.
So, since June it seems like it’s been getting busier week on week. We’ve been steadily picking up new business, and our existing clients are ordering more bread. We’re still supplying Franklin’s Farm Shop, Anderson & Co, The Rye and Cannon & Cannon, but we’ve also picked up some great new clients including Green & Blue, Bambuni, Aga’s Little Deli, Fleischmob, Salon, and more recently a couple of places in central London, La Fromagerie and Duck Soup. We also had a great summer supplying the bread for Frank’s bar in Peckham. We’re no longer at The Great Exhibition on a Saturday, and are doing the new Herne Hill market every Sunday instead, which has been fantastic because we’ve met so many lovely people, many of whom we now count as regulars. It’s really become one of the highlights of our week. Oh, and while we’re blowing our own trumpet, we also managed to win The Real Bread Campaign and Jellied Eel Magazine’s London Loaf competition. Still can’t quite believe that one.
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Tags: Bakery, Bread, Brick House, business, Christmas, Dough, East Dulwich, London, Mother, New, Peckham Rye, Sourdough, South East
Posted in News, Opinion | 5 Comments »
Tuesday, December 4th, 2012
So it’s that time of year again, and whilst I’ve got a million other things I should probably be getting on with, this post always seems popular, so for those of you out there still reading this blog, I thought I better not leave you hanging.
So in no particular order, here are my top 10 gift ideas for the food lover in your life.
1. The Big Green Egg
You’re going to need to find a rich relative for this one. The Big Green Egg is barbecue / smoker / pizza oven / outdoor cooking wet dream that not only looks like a bomb, it is the bomb. More controllable and efficient than a barbecue, it seals in moisture and flavour, which can only be a good thing. I want one so bad it hurts. Someone make it happen. Pretty please.
2. A Girl & Her Pig
April Bloomfield is an ex-pat British chef who’s been killing the New York restaurant scene for almost a decade. In this, her first book, she lays out the food that has made her a star. Simple, unpretentious recipes using great ingredients. Along with Margot Henderson’s ‘You’re All Invited‘, the ladies have the Christmas cook books all wrapped up this year.
3. Falcon Prep Set
By this time next year, I’m pretty sure affordable enamel-ware will have had it’s day, so snap up this rather attractive prep set including an array of bowls and a colander before it’s all over.
4. Ice Cream Ball
The Ice Cream ball uses the oldest of the old school ice cream making methodologies, freezing point depression. Just add your ingredients in to one side of the ball, and ice and salt into the other, roll it around a bit, and you’ve got yourself some ice cream. Just. Like. That.
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Tags: 2012, A Girl & her Pig, April Bloomfiled, Big Green Egg, Blog, Christmas, DVD, Edible Selby, Enamel, Falcon, Falcon Prep Set, Fungi Futures, Handtomouth, Ice Cream Ball, jiro Dreams Of Sushi, Labour & Wait, Mushroom, Pappy Van Winkle, Patum Peperium, Shot Measure, The Gentleman's Relish, Wish List, XMas
Posted in News, Opinion | No Comments »
Friday, November 23rd, 2012
…to all the Americans out there.
May your turkeys be plump, and your pumpkin pies sweet.
Hopefully see you soon.
HTM x
Tags: 2012, America, Pumpkin Pie, Thanksgiving, Turkey, USA
Posted in News, Travel | No Comments »
Tuesday, July 24th, 2012
Hello peoples.
Jellied Eel and The Real Bread Campaign have teamed up to run a competition for London’s favourite loaf, and we’re very pleased to say that Brick House’s Peckham Rye is in the running.
So if you like what we do, and want to support us you can vote for our lovely loaf here.
A big thanks to everyone who has voted so far.
Fingers crossed.
Cheers
F
Posted in News | No Comments »
Wednesday, July 4th, 2012
Brick House has been keeping me busy, so have little time to blog, but just wanted to wish my American readers a very happy 4th of July. We still miss San Francisco and the States like crazy. Eat some ribs for us.
Tags: 4th July, America, Brick House, Independence Day, Ribs, San Francisco
Posted in News | No Comments »
Thursday, June 14th, 2012
The last couple of weeks have gone by in a bit of a blur. In fact it was only yesterday afternoon that I realised that I hadn’t done a post for last week or the week before. So like it or not, you’re getting a 2 for 1 today.
After all the oven nightmares and testing, the past fortnight has been all about getting out there, meeting people, and peddling our wares, and it’s been great. We’ve been keeping it pretty focused and local, and it’s been really encouraging to meet so many cafe / deli / shop / restaurant owners who are passionate about not only great food, but also the area.
The bread we make isn’t for everyone, and the fact that we’re small means that it’s hard to compete on price with the bigger bakeries in the area, but we’ve picked up some great clients already, and am hoping this will grow over the coming weeks. So far we’re being stocked at Anderson & Co, a lovely cafe / deli on the Bellenden Road, the rather awesome Jack’s, current holders of East Dulwich’s best sausage roll, the newly refurbished Rye pub, Lordship Lane stalwarts Franklin’s Farm Shop, and the brand spanking new Cannon & Cannon ‘meatery’ in Brixton Village. We’re also in discussions with a few other people who we’d love to supply, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed and our powder dry.
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Tags: Anderson & Co, Artisan, Bakery, Brick House, Brixton Village, Cannon & Cannon, Country White, East Dulwich, Facebook, Frankilns, Jack's, London, Market, POeckham Rye, SE22, Sourdough, The Great Exhibition, The Rye, Twitter, Website
Posted in News, Opinion | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, May 29th, 2012
Last week was a MUCH better week, thank f**k. For one thing I finally got to do some proper baking again, which I’ve not really done since I left E5, and secondly I got some pretty awesome news, on which more later.
It was a really important week for me as it enabled me to actually use the bakery and see if everything was in the right place and was working how I wanted it to. Oven issues aside, I was really please with how the week went, and the bakes got progressively better over time as I tweaked formulas and techniques, worked around the oven’s foibles, and jiggled around a few bits of furniture to get the place flowing better.
There’s still plenty to do, but I’m already feeling pretty comfortable, and am hoping that the more into it I get, the better the product will become. Of everything thus far, the Country White and Peckham Rye are coming out the best, both in terms of taste and look. The raisin and walnut and multigrain breads still need some tweaking, and I’m finding it really hard to get the pop and ears on the Peckham Rye rounds that I’ve been able to pull off to great effect in my Dutch oven at home. Saying that, from a purely functional point of view, I have a feeling that the Rye actually works better as a batard shape as it’s more practical for toast, sandwiches etc.
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Tags: Bakery, Bar, Bread, Brick House, Chocolate, Country White, East Dulwich, London, Multigrain, Paul A Young, Peckham Rye, Raisin & walnut, SE22, Sourdough
Posted in News | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012
Not a great week last week. As I’m sure anyone who’s started a business will tell you, there are ups and downs. I’d not given it much thought, but they’re right. And whilst I’m conscious of the fact that I don’t want to moan, no one’s forcing me to open a bakery, this is a diary of sorts so I guess I should present the rough as well as the smooth.
Things started going awry when I was giving the oven a clean down. I noticed that two of the baking stones had smashed during transit. Not a huge issue, I’ve got a warranty so I contacted the seller and am being sent replacements. But then I started setting the clocks, checking the timers on each of the decks and found that three of them were running slow, two seriously so and the other enough to not be acceptable. I also had a suspicion that the decks weren’t getting up to the right temperature. I was beginning to get that sinking feeling.
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Tags: Artisan, Bakery, Brick House, East Dulwich, London, Mono, Oven, Peckham Rye, repairs, Sourdough, Warranty
Posted in News | 1 Comment »
