American chef and food writer James Beard famously said: ‘Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts’.
Few would agree more with his sentiment than Yorkshire baker Heather Fuller. The humble loaf is at the heart of Heather’s recent appointment as the first woman in Yorkshire – and only the third woman in the UK - to be appointed National President of the British Craft Bakers Association since it was formed in 1887.
Her new role will not only mark a significant first for the country’s artisan bakers, but also help to raise the profile of her industry and the challenges it faces as one of the oldest trades in the world.
The origins of breadmaking date back tens of thousands of years, yet its future is in the balance as small craft bakeries compete against much larger rivals and a significant shift in opportunities for the next generation of bakers.
‘The next generation could make or break the future of the craft baking industry,’ says Heather. ‘There are many young people out there who are not necessarily cut out for an academic career path but who would excel at something more hands-on and creative, if only they were given the chance. Unfortunately, there are now only a handful of traditional baking colleges left in the country.’
That certainly wasn’t the case when Heather, with her husband George, took over a small bakery in Goole more than 20 years ago.
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