Indie craft baker takes home five Great Taste Awards after only 16 months in business
Posted on in Business News
A start-up craft baker from south-east London who sells his produce at local food markets has taken home five Great Taste Awards after only 16 months in business.
Pic from instagram.com/lewishamfoodmarket
Eddy Sleiman, owner of artisan bakery business Ed Baker, told local newspaper the News Shopper that he was “completely in shock” after discovering that he had been awarded five Great Taste awards. Ed received three stars for his White Sourdough Bread, a mark which is “rarely awarded” according to the business owner. He received four more awards, including two stars for his Handmade Rum Baba and Wholemeal Sourdough, and one-star awards for his Mushroom Quiche with White Wine and Cheddar and the Onion Quiche with Lancashire Cheese and Jalapeno.
Ed began baking in 2019 to combat the anxiety he was facing from the stresses of working in a fast-paced corporate job. He had already been exploring a possible career change, but when Covid hit and lockdown restrictions took effect, Ed began to work on perfecting his craft to eventually start up his own business.
Ed said: “I was stuck in my flat alone, I repurposed my living room into a small training space and stocked up with flour and things. I went through a six to seven months trial and error process, until I nailed down my own recipes, and emerged as an artisan baker.
“My specialty is more heritage food, bringing back to life the ways and methods and processes that used to be made by our ancestors and our grandparents.”
Following on from his success, Ed started selling to shops and bars across the area, before securing a spot to sell at Blackheath Farmers Market after his baked goods were named as “premium.”
Ed began to receive many positive Google reviews, and as his popularity grew, he was appointed a Real Bread Campaign ambassador, raising awareness of the issues surrounding additives used in mass produced breads and the benefits of using alternatives from them.
Ed said: “At the time I started in Catford Food Market, I started with 10 loaves in the first couple of markets. I'm now taking around 70 to 80 loaves with me. So it's on the increase, people are loving the products.
Ed’s baked goods can be bought at his bakery at 38-40 Campshill Road in Hither Green by pre-order or for walk-in customers on Fridays and Saturdays. He also sells at Catford Food Market on the last Sunday of each month and will be offering a delivery service in the future.
Useful links
If you have any other queries please contact us.
