The Daily Bread Co-operative is based in Kings Hedges, Cambridge and was introduced to me by the lovely Marcia who I used to work with in my old day job. She highly rated this Aladdin's cave of good food and ingredients as the place to go for my own baking supplies and I drove straight down there to check it out.
Since last year, I have been back several times, as now I am working on the doorstep again, there is absolutely no excuse to drop in and stock up when supplies are low. It truly does not disappoint.
The Daily Bread Co-operative was originally set up in Northamptonshire, and we now have our own Co-operative which is based in a large Cambridge warehouse, home to a large supply of healthy & world foods, with their message being "Healthy Living - Wholesome Food" as well as being a company with a strong Mental Health Policy. All of their members have the same rights & benefits and are encouraged to take on as many tasks & as much responsibility as they can and wish to take on.
This Co-operative does have a very strong Christian belief and this shows through their website, but as somebody has no strong feelings when it comes to faith personally, I enjoy coming here purely from a food loving point of view. It's floor to ceiling of flours, sugars, lentils, herbs, spices, sauces, breads, chocolate, tea, coffee, drinks, toiletries, eco-laundry products, garden seeds, cakes, butters, ice creams, oats and granola mixes... the list goes on and on.
They even had an entire shelf dedicated to so many types of Peanut Butter, I was genuinely in awe of just how many there actually are!... I couldn't even tell you what half of them were, but wow!
You can buy Baking powder in the masses and fantastic quality chocolate drops and chips, which have just been perfect for my dabble into the world of cake pops this weekend... I added some of their chocolate chips to my cake pop mix and they were gorgeous, melt in the mouth and like nothing I would have bought from my local supermarket.
They also have a very impressive range of Gluten free Goodies, including the most amazing Chocolate Brownie I have ever tasted (With wheat or without!) and I had such a great time indulging in this little *Me-Sized* treat prior to joining Weightwatchers out of cake guilt later that day hehe.
The staff are also very knowledgeable, I asked if they had certain random and obscure ingredients and the very kind gentleman behind the counter came over to me and led me around the store to collect every single one of the items I had asked him for. Nothing was too much effort and he did it with a smile, no pointing and telling me where to go. Now that is service!
There is a real emphasis on recycling, with facilities in their car park to recycle paper, steel, aluminum & glass and customers are asked to use a cardboard box from the shop to carry their shopping home, or to bring their own shopping bags to use for their purchases. If you need shopping bags, you can buy their own cloth bags there, to be re-used of course.
They also sell washable nappies, should you have kids and be in need of these. They always make me chuckle as a kid-free baker... I can't imagine having to clean these bad boys, but I like the fact they are eco-friendly and I LOVE to imagine the poor cleaner of said product once used. Haha... Evil I know!
The Daily Bread Co-operative also has a small cafe should you wish to stay and have a brew, of which I was almost tempted myself, as I had spent so long browsing, I was parched, but my lunch hour was restricting me. Next time, I will stop, I have promised myself : )
You can admire the local artwork adorning the cafe walls, one piece in particular this week that had caught every eye in the shop as we passed it at the counter, in the form of a large peacock sculpted form metal. The gent behind the counter proudly advised (As he caught me gazing in wonderment) that this was sculpted by one of their own employees in the shop and very impressive it is too!
Anybody is welcome in this fabulous food haven, so if you love food and drink, or if you are a bit of a saver of the environment, then get down there and support this fabulous business.
Miss Sue Flay
x
One of the only places in Cambridge I know of you can get fresh yeast. I love the smell as you walk through the door :)
ReplyDeleteIt's a great place for ingredients like this, I love it : )
ReplyDelete