Finally, do take time to read Alison Boulton’s article “Using Your Loaf” on bread making workshops. I can personally vouch for the quality (and variety) of the bread made at the tiny Love Loaves bakery, as I have just finished a tasty sandwich made from one of their loaves.
Tim Metcalfe Editor of Oxfordshire magazine

A big thank you for last weekend’s course. Your enthusiasm and hospitality were amazing. I’ve been thinking about baking for a living for a long time and at last I can see a way of making a go of this at the micro level without excessive risk. Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge and experience so generously!
John Chettoe

Thank you so much for the wonderful blueprint day yesterday! I had such a good day and have come home raring to go! I just have to get my kitchen sorted (an oven that cooks on the left as well as the right, another sink…) Most of the bread has been eaten already!
Rose Davis

Penny and Dragan take the mystery out of bread-making, but leave all the magic.
Alex McCafferty

Thank you once again for a great day yesterday, I learnt a lot, enjoyed myself and felt inspired!
Mary Ashdown

Just a note to thank you very much for an excellent workshop last Wednesday. It was great fun and I was so inspired that by the time I got home I’d thought of a name and logo for my potential business … It was great to meet you both; I am full of admiration for your neat little business.
Penny Isaac

Thank you so much for the new blue print – it’s awesome indeed – you guys are stars!
I am looking at ways to construct our own timber building for the bakery as we have issues with access. The link you sent was most useful for inspiration.
Tony Humphries

Thank you so much for  a really worthwhile and very enjoyable day yesterday,  learning the finer points of beautiful bread making. We must eat some first.   On tasting the Rye loaf ,  I have to say “I have never tasted a better rye loaf than this” it was truly exotic and my all round favourite, but  now I have tasted all of the bread and every loaf is  pretty special.
Peter

Thank you so much for such an inspirational two days. I could hardly sleep last night with all of it going round in my head! I’m going to start with putting an oven in my shed and giving bread to friends and colleagues to gauge reaction and get some practice in then hopefully onwards and upwards! My husband Peter and daughter Hayley were completely bowled over by the bread!
Jean

Thanks guys- we have just eaten a very light supper having tried all of our loaves when we got home! Each one tasted and felt different- and all were delicious! Caroline then took us off to the supermarket to buy bread flour and intends to not buy bread again.
Mel

Great to hear from you so much has happened since our fantastic day with you.  Came home full of enthusiasm and had meetings with farm shop down road where we will be having a product launch on 11th June for open farm Sunday.  In the meantime a friend happened to mention us to a couple setting up a new deli/cafe 4 miles down the road, we went to meet them and not only do they want us to stock the deli but also the cafe!!!  Village social evening planned for 1st June so hopefully that will be a success and we can generate some more orders in the village.
Can I just say that we both enjoyed the day with you immensely you were both so friendly and helpful and full of inspiration that we both hope we can do as well as you two have.
Alison and Karen

This is Sarah from Lincolnshire (I came on your course just before Easter. Things are good at this end. I have been developing recipes based on some of the things I saw or tried at yours and am very happy with the results. I took a large basket of bread rolls around the village to sell a few weeks ago and they all sold – am now waiting for feedback! I have attached a photo of this morning’s baking, so that you can see that my slashing technique has improved massively thanks to your hands on guidance.
Sarah Bridge

Well we bought a thermometer and followed your instructions in the folder and look what we made !”Great course, great company and a lovely lunch with wine – altogether would highly recommended this day for beginners and improvers alike.”
PS Penny’s soda bread is terrific with roughly chopped sundried tomatoes and chopped olives as well as the feta cheese (no salt required).
Julie and Peter Drake

Just to say thanks  for an interesting day yesterday, enjoyed it very much-it will definitely help me to start my own bakery business!
Karen

I came on one of your bakery blueprint courses earlier this year – seems a lifetime ago – you may remember, I was the one who wanted to start a bakery but had never actually baked a loaf before and didn’t have a kitchen!!  but your inspirational course definitely worked for me and I’m still determined to get a bakery up and going. Finally my house renovations are finished and I’m getting to grips with using my new oven – though all the instructions are in ikea-speak…
With happy memories of a lovely day, Mary Morrison

I am building a small bakehouse at he back of the cottage – we are sourcing the materials now and might go for a logbuilding similar to yours. Also I have decided to build a brick wood fired oven…
Tony & Jenny

I’ve been very busy since I got back from your place- made 14 sourdough loaves on Friday for a friend to sell for charity event, everybody loved them! Hoping for more orders from that…
Also got myself a Kenwood Chef mixer to help with the dough kneading, etc-it will do until I need/can afford a Hobart or Buffalo one! Will send you a loaf soon so you can give me your professional opinion.
Karen Maxted

I just wanted to say thanks for the very helpful course. I had a very good day and learned a lot about bread making. I have made quite a few attempts since then and my girlfriend says they are very tasty! (I still think I need to improve!)
Kevin Howard

Thank you all for a really enjoyable day. Did think I was going to get mugged by the swans and the cygnets on the way back to the car, somehow I think they knew what was in the brown bags!! But I was being too precious about giving any away even to them. The drive home was completely overpowered with the smell of the bread that I had to stop and buy flour and yeast on the way home.
Carolyn

I got accosted by a woman with 2 children before I’d even got into the car.  She could smell the bread and stopped to ask where I’d bought it from.  She was well impressed when I said I’d made it and I told them about your courses and gave her your web address.
Cheers, Claire.x

Just a little note to thank you very much for a fantastic day today, I enjoyed every second of it and I am still re-living every moment in my head. I cannot tell you how excited I am about starting off on my own, I’d bake all tonight if I knew I had customers already lined up for the morning!
Jo

Thank you so much for such a fantastic day yesterday. It was thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. I learnt so much from your careful teaching and hands on instruction and words of wisdom about process and what works for you, and the information book you have made is excellent and I’m going to study it carefully. I’m full of admiration at the amazing things you have achieved in your home – indeed the world’s smallest bakery!
Miriam

Thank you so very much for a fantastic day with you both learning to make Sourdough breads. I haven’t bought bread since, and am still loving making my own bread so many thanks. I also just had a really great day. I felt relaxed, comfortable and immersed in what you were teaching me. And lunch and a glass of wine at lunchtime also felt very civilised! I have recommended your days to many people, and hope to return for another lesson on yeasted breads some time before you act on your plans to relocate far away from Oxford.
Kate Wareing

Dear Penny and Dragan
How lovely of you to have remembered to get me Supergloves! Your wonderful bread making vison is inspirational – and you make it so realisable with expert guidance and such a pleasant atmosphere to work with you in – fabulous! I have been recommending your courses for birthday presents – especially for men who don’t usually cook – or alternatively are madly keen. I still want my three children (12, 14 and 16) to experience a morning of bread-making magic with you…
Alison

Firstly, could l thank you again for great day yesterday on your Mini-Bakery Blueprint course at you house. It was very interesting / tasty and l just need to go away and practice some more. You mentioned about the Excel spread sheets that you run with, in particular the one that allows you calculate batch / ingredient weights, could you please send me a copy.
Could l also book myself and wife onto the Sourdough course on the 04/04/11? I think my wife would love this.
Keith Bigsby

Thank you so very much for a really super day! I am so full of confidence that I really can make fantastic bread. You made me believe that it is not as hard as I imagined. You are both very ‘people persons’ – you made us feel very comfortable, and the bread is DELICIOUS !!!
Sue Jacques

I sold my first twenty loaves before the event (church Christmas fair) even opened! I am of course besides myself that the comments and feedback were good and must say thanks to you for the encouragement up to now.
Albert Smith

Thank you so much for a fab day yesterday. We really enjoyed it….the whole day. And it really helped to be learning in a happy, relaxed environment. Early evening was spent going to neighbours and sharing the loaves – everyone was very appreciative. They taste absolutely superb!
We did follow through on the idea of a “Bake & Donate” day for Comic Relief Red Nose Day. Last Saturday we started at 5am, finished at 17:45 in the afternoon having baked & sold 17 loaves of bread & 44 rolls. Plus we sold homemade cupcakes & Banana Bread. Making a grand total of £175 in donations!
Thanks again – I don’t think we would have had the confidence to do it if we hadn’t spent the day with yourselves & been so inspired.
Zoe & Darren

I just wanted to say thank you very much for an excellent class – I had a great time and have already sent off two of my loaves to good (and appreciative!) homes so I’m baking again this weekend.
Heidi Kurtz

I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated being part of the LoveLoaves experience. Much better than going to some purpose-built, celebrity bread course, because baking is a part of your lives, not the whole deal. Makes it much more real, accessible and approachable for ordinary folk like me.
I happily distributed the fruits of our labours through London on my way back to Luxembourg, but not to worry as I have been baking steadily since then.
Alex McCafferty

Under the tutelage mostly of Penny I mixed and kneaded a variety of doughs to come up with some stunning sourdough loaves which we were still eating days afterwards. I would strongly recommend booking a day with Love Loaves if you want practice or you’re in need of a little confidence like me.
Pete Walmsley

Hi, I am 17 years of age and I have set up my own bread business following what you have done. I am selling my bread at farmers markets using my mum’s single convection oven.
James Walton

Thank you so much for the lovely day, the warm atmosphere and the very good bread. All the family loved it and the first loaf did not last more than an hour! Thanks again
Sabine Martinez

Thanks so much for the workshop, it was such a good experience and enormously helpful. Thanks again to both of you for your gracious hospitality and generously sharing your experience and insights.
Tony Humphries

Thank you both so much for such a fantastic day on Friday. I really enjoyed it and it was so nice to be made so welcome in your home. Of course, I am enjoying my bread as well- that goes without saying!!
Katie Taylor

“We lost the Post Office a year ago so I’ve been looking for things to do just to replace the lack of salary there. It’s one of the things that’s keeping us going, it’s absolutely brilliant.”
The warm loaves, served fresh every morning, mean that there are customers queuing in the shop before they arrive and it is not just the residents of Wolvercote that are keen on the bread. “We get people coming from all over Oxford for them.”
Carl Keeble, the shopkeeper

“Dear Love Loaves, We truly love your loaves. Your home-made, organic loaf went all the way to north Devon and after being admired, it was sliced up and devoured by a table of twenty hungry people who dunked it in their home-made organic pumpkin soup with a bit of butter and a few nice bottles of red. Delicious. Thank you very much. Yours, a very satisfied customer.”
Sara

Maarten Meerman is a rocket scientist who lives with wife Kathrin and daughter Jana in Vancouver. They are very old friends of ours, and all very creative. When he’s not building rockets, Maarten carves things – like this exquisite little bakery which is Even Smaller Than Ours!   We promise that as soon as time travel becomes available, we will deliver fresh Love Loaves to their door on a daily basis…