Ever walked into a supermarket and wondered how we’re eating ‘British’ strawberries in March? How every apple is perfectly round without imperfection? Or how the shelves are stacked to the ceiling with loaves of bread that all look identical?
Stepping back 15 years I always remember as a child being fascinated at the shapes and sizes of the carrots we grew in the garden - some with two stems, some fat, some long and some just with a mind of their own. I think I thought my mum had magical powers to grow these weirdly shaped and wonderful vegetables. Somewhere along the line it clicked that this was natural and what we got from the shops had quite a bit of manufactured help along the way. Isn’t it just mad that we now live in a world where “wonky veg” has a brand of its own, when really it should be called “normal veg.”
Mass production has revolutionised our lives without a doubt but at The Loaf Tin we want to go back to basics and celebrate the natural look of properly handcrafted products. Many of our evenings are spent studying the traditional methods and principles of baking - you see we’re not about every biscuit looking identical, instead we’re about products that are packed full of flavour and have their own homemade uniqueness.
With properly handmade products you often get imperfections, one biscotti longer than the other, one loaf more risen than it’s friend next door or what we like to call the “handcrafted” look. We’re determined to celebrate this, to encourage our customers to know that every product they buy from The Loaf Tin is made solely by our own two hands and not in a 1000 square ft factory. We’re not about using preservatives to prolong shelf life, or using machines to make everything look uniform. Don’t worry we are still aiming to make everything look delicious and irresistible but it’s more than just the way it looks, the taste & texture has to be the number one for us.
We feel that the age of perfectionism has led us to do everything with our eyes first and seek things that have been made to satisfy the perfect nature of society. But has the flavour been compromised, has our health or our environment been negotiated as a result? These are not questions I feel qualified to answer but one thing I do know is that we will always stand to feel connected to every individual loaf we make and feel proud to see it leave the door.
I have to admit sometimes I worry, is this just us who want to celebrate this handcrafted look? Are our customers wondering why their loaf’s crust is thicker than last week or why one of their cinnamon buns is swirled to the left and one to right? Then I remember this is what the Loaf Tin is all about and if its uniformity that people are after then there’s 101 supermarkets with their doors open wide.
“Perfectionism is the enemy of progress,” said Winston Churchill and I think this is a good way to end this blog, let us show you the taste of properly handcrafted bread, biscuits and more. With the promise that each gram of flour weighed out at The Loaf Tin is done with the intention of being turned into something truly delicious celebrating homemade dedication.
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