My day in cups of tea

We take a snoop around microbaker Annabel Carter’s kitchen and find out how she spends her day in loaves and cuppas

Morning! Where do you enjoy your first cuppa?

I wake early and have my first mug of tea in the kitchen while the family sleeps – it's what gets me out of bed! You’ve made that big step. What’s next?

I start mixing my dough – I run my microbakery from home and enjoy the silence before the family wakes. I'll have another cup, and a sit down after the school run, while the dough is rising.

How did you start your bakery? After having kids, I couldn’t get excited about going back to my old job. I was baking a lot and my six year old asked, “Why don’t we open a bakery?” I began baking for free, then in 2018, I started to sell my bread. Using your loaf! Your favourite part? My family know our customers; we know their kids' names, their pets, and what they’re having for tea. We feel a proper part of our local community.

Ooh, elevenses time – what do you fancy?

I’ll have a strong loose-leaf Assam please, brewed for at least five minutes, and served with hot buttered toast. Save us some. What does your afternoon look like?

I start packing up orders to deliver. I now have taxi driver-level knowledge of the local streets. Then I'll pick up the children – with warm buns if they’re lucky. Where do you get your inspiration for your bakes?

I love reading recipe books. As well as my bestsellers – sourdoughs and honey wholemeals – I like to include more unusual offerings, like roast potato sourdough. Sign us up! What are your hopes for this year?

I worked through the pandemic – it was great to cheer people up with a bag of buns. I’ve missed my customers, though – hopefully this year will be more sociable.

Time for one last cuppa. How do you switch off? Chatting to my husband, a peppermint tea and Netflix.