Bread on the table

Graham Meldrum has been running businesses for 41 years and the enjoyment he gets from baking is palpable.

THE enjoyment Graham Meldrum gets from baking is palpable.

The 66-year-old baker has been running businesses for 41 years and is currently at the back of Meldrum’s on Grafton St, turning out an array of delicious creations.

“I started this when I was 15,” Mr Meldrum said.

“My father was a chef and one day he had to write on a cake or something and I saw him start doing it and I asked him, ‘How did you learn to do that?’ From then, I just wanted to be a baker.

“Bakeries in those days were very interesting. There was more hands-on work instead of using machinery like we do now.

“You would ride your bike to school and the smell of bread would be over the whole town – that is gone now.”

Mr Meldrum said while baking cakes and slices was part of his daily repertoire, he much preferred turning out gourmet pies and pastry rolls.

“The best flavour pie we do I think is cheese and bacon. It is a pretty basic pie, nothing exotic, but everyone loves them. I am still creating mixes to go in the middle of rolls and pies. I am not bored of it yet.”

While Mr Meldrum said the job wasn’t popular among many young people, if it was something they enjoyed, they “should get in there and do it”.

“I work 12 hours a day, but I really enjoy it,” he said.

“If I was doing anything else I’d get bored. Just to have a bag of flour and then create something, it is a good feeling.”

But he said, a good baker had to be content with early nights, early rises – Mr Meldrum starts at 4.30am – and a limited social life.

“Your mind has to be on the job all the time,” he said.