NEW TO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
A fledgling business
Little Nest Bakery Brockley, southeast London
Every neighbourhood deserves good bread. Oh, and good babka, buns and scones. Thanks to Little Nest Bakery, the lucky residents of Brockley get exactly that, right on their doorstep. The women behind it, Simrat (Sim) and Ayla, met on the school run and decided to team up when lockdown hit and both households found themselves without additional support – Sim’s wider family being based in India; Ayla’s in Turkey. Then there was Sim’s new extension, originally intended for an Airbnb, and Ayla’s passion for sourdough… Both women had taken a career break, asking “How do we do something creative around family life?” explains Sim. The answer proved to be a micro-bakery, where they could set their own hours, focusing on two busy bake days each week. Launched in July 2020, it works for them, and for their satisfied customers who rave about their bakes. In fact, Little Nest now know everyone who buys from them, through doing drop-offs, or when they come to pick up orders. “We get to know all their dogs, too!”
When it comes to their neighbourhood, “We try to get involved where we can,” says Sim. That could be taking a batch of scones to the local church’s food bank, or dropping off a bag of buns to someone struggling during the lockdown.
What started out as a challenge, has been unexpectedly rewarding. “At the moment, we’re ‘just mummies’ – this has meant we’ve really got to know people of all different walks of life,” says Sim. “We’ve made proper friends from it. We’re really plugged in locally.” littlenestbakery.com
Nominated by Susan Hancock WE ALSO LOVED Bear Bookshop, Bearwood, West Midlands
When Jenny McCann opened her bookshop in November 2020, she was adamant that she “wanted to offer an experience rather than a retail transaction.” So this former teacher offers a personal recommendation to her range of titles, as well as events – from daily story time to arts and crafts activities, all intended to immerse children and families in the wonder that reading can bring.
Her willingness to go that extra mile is appreciated by the community – our reader nominator appreciated how Jenny “handdelivered a book to our house while I was in the postnatal ward for me to come home to.”
The community have reciprocated that support: “So many people say they’re avoiding Amazon altogether now,” says Jenny. “I love it when they tell me how much a child enjoyed a book that I recommended.” » bearbookshop.co.uk
Nominated by Heather Youngson