GAIL's

This week's soup is made with rich Delica pumpkins from Mantua, Italian tomatoes and Farro. It's made by our friends Natoora who seek out the most flavourful produce which each micro-season has to offer. These pumpkins are skilfully grown by Oscar Zerbinati, who withholds irrigation from his clay-rich soils to avoid diluting their flavour. The fruits are then cured in a warm barn for 30 days to concentrate the sugars in the flesh. This traditional ageing process is fast disappearing due to the time, space and management it requires. It's also an additional gamble: if the cure goes wrong, the farmer risks losing the whole crop.

"Bread is the greatest symbol of community and has been for thousands of years", says John Lister, founder of Shipton Mill. Through our conversations, an idea emerged, to support more farmers doing good things with their soil. As the resulting grain makes its way from fields to bakeries, we’re telling the stories of the people who touch it along the way. Read John's chapter of this unfolding story on our Journal: https://lnkd.in/eFxJWnSw

We've fired up the ovens on Shaftesbury Avenue, one of London's most dynamic streets. To limit our impact, we've retained existing brickwork, and used hard-wearing materials like concrete and stainless steel. We've used sustainable paints from Graphenstone and terrazzo tiling to add some colour. The tables are made by our friends at RAW. They give a new lease of life to existing furniture, whilst also providing training and employment opportunities for people facing adversity. We'll share any bakes left at the end of the day with One Roof Festival of Homeless Arts, a wonderful initiative supporting artists with experience of homelessness. 65-73 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 6EX

When we thought about the interior for our new bakery in Watford, we wanted to pay homage to the town's history. Its wood pulp-pink interior is a nod to Watford's printing heritage and the natural process of producing paper. The tabletops are made from recycled materials including cocoa husk, referencing the town's past as a centre of cocoa processing. We have retained and restored the original timber-framed windows and structural features. We bake to feed our communities, so anything left at the end of the day will be shared with New Hope Watford, My Yard Bushey and Dream Earth Project. Pop in and say hello to bakery manager Jakub and his team. 70 High Street, Watford, WD17 2BS

The best bread is a culmination of a farmer, a miller, and a baker working together. Our Wheat Project began as a conversation with our friend John Lister from Shipton Mill and has evolved into a collaboration with 10 nature-led farmers to grow heritage grains in soil-friendly ways. With the project's first harvest now done, we look forward to baking with the flour next spring. Until then, we'll be sharing stories and updates along the way. Read more on our Journal: https://lnkd.in/dW8qBfEs

Our new bakery in Cheshire Oaks blends the warm tones found in the local architecture with the practicalities of a busy kitchen. The burnt orange vinyl flooring echoes the local red brick, offset with a pop of yellow and stainless steel accents. Mindful of our impact, we've retained the exposed ceiling, softened with white ash joinery, and used sustainable materials like cork and recycled plastic. To make sure none of our bakes go to waste, we've partnered with The Elton Larder CIC to share them with the community. Unit 5F, Cheshire Oaks Designer Outlet Village, Wirral, CH65 9JJ

We're proud to share that our Head of Coffee Jessica Worden will be serving on the Specialty Coffee Association's 2024 Board of Directors. Jessica's journey in coffee began 15 years ago in our Hampstead bakery. Since then, she has become an authorised SCA Trainer and Q Grader. She believes specialty coffee has the power to transform lives and especially loves a good cup of filter.

An afternoon cup of tea is a ritual worth savouring, and a good pot is as crucial as the tea you fill it with. When it came to creating a teapot that would capture and express all the goodness of our directly-sourced, loose leaf JING Tea we headed to our friends Surrey Ceramics Read more about our recent visit on our Journal: https://lnkd.in/eCFXe-q3

We're thrilled to have been nominated for Best Bakery at the European Coffee & Hospitality awards. If you would like to, you can vote for GAIL's here: https://lnkd.in/e96PNHDQ Over the past two decades, we’ve been baking and brewing nourishing food and drink which we share with 150 neighbourhoods – not only via our bakeries, but also through Waitrose, Ocado, Deliveroo, GAILs.com and through charity partnerships which have seen us donate over a million meals to date. Cast your vote before Friday 25th October: https://lnkd.in/eA5H3eVi

This week is all about celebrating our two loves: baking and coffee. We started brewing in 2005 when we realised that the coffee industry shared the ethos of the craft baker: sourcing the best ingredients from people you trust, and applying your experience and knowledge to turn them into something beautiful to share with your neighbour. #NationalBakingWeek #UKCoffeeWeek