Friends in knead... Mates with Meghan. Meet the Luminaries
Starting out with just a few like-minded volunteers, limited resources and a borrowed kitchen space, when Alice Williams founded Luminary Bakery she had a simple goal in mind – to help disadvantaged women from all walks of life, bringing them together to learn, heal and grow through baking.
In this safe space, the women – many of whom have experienced homelessness, prison sentences or violence at home – were able to find support and guidance, as well as the necessary experience to forge a new career.
With each loaf of bread, slice of cake and sticky bun, the innovative social enterprise grew alongside the women’s skills, and soon the bakery found its own permanent home in north-east London, before a second shopfront followed a few years later.
Today, the project has aided nearly 100 women, built a loyal customer base, and even baked treats for the Duchess of Sussex, who included the Luminary team in her guest-edited September issue of Vogue.
But, no matter how much the project grows, the power of baking remains at its heart – something which is evident in the pages of Luminary’s first cookbook, Rising Hope, which was published this month.
“Sharing food has a beautiful way of creating community – it forms bonds between strangers, generates shared memories and demonstrates care to those we love,” explained Rachel Stonehouse, Luminary’s head bakery trainer, who works alongside the trainees as part of the enterprise’s two-year programme.
“We see this taking place on our baking training programmes. Women meet each other and grow together as they learn baking and life skills. They then proudly share the bakes they produce on the programme with their friends and family.” Alongside each recipe, the cookbook, co-written by Rachel and her colleague, Kaila H Johnson, details the experiences of the women, who have sought refuge in Luminary’s sweet-smelling kitchen, showing readers how the simple act of baking can change lives. Rachel continued: “Trainees eat lunch together on these programmes, too, and we have witnessed friendships forming in this time eating together and sharing life experiences – the meal table is a great leveller and unifier. This is what inspired the cookbook and why we included stories throughout – to bring people into the community and family of Luminary Bakery.”
From cinnamon buns to soda bread, the lovingly chosen recipes have been
tried, tested and developed as Luminary Bakery moved from a tiny church kitchen to its current modern home.
And whether the reader is a cake aficionado or just starting out, Rachel admits each beautiful bake needs only two ingredients – being bold and brave.
She explained:“to someone who is new to the kitchen, and perhaps lacking confidence, I would say,‘be bold and never give up’. Dive in and give a recipe a go, making sure to follow the instructions and measurements as accurately as you can – if you make a mistake, try again and keep trying until you’re happy with the result. Practice – and perseverance – really does make perfect!”