Every loaf Mike bakes is already spoken for. Nothing goes in the oven unless it's ordered. Ivy Cottage Baker is his microbakery in the Upper Eden Valley, Cumbria and there's never a shelf of yesterday's bread to mark down. He taught himself the lot, the slow way, with natural yeast and time. White sourdough, malted multiseed, pumpernickel rye, a rich milk fruit loaf, a blue cheese and walnut sourdough. The beetroot and thyme is the one people come back for. There's an Italian streak as well: biscotti, cantucci, panforte, some of it out of a wood-fired oven. His recipe book, My Taste of Tuscany, is in the bookshop in Kirkby Stephen. He delivers door to door on a Friday, across the Eden Valley and Westmorland, orders in by the Wednesday. Plan a few days ahead and a proper loaf arrives at the end of the week. Which is, when you think about it, how bread used to work for everyone.

Social Media

Instagram: https://instagram.com/ivycottagebaker Facebook: https://facebook.com/ivycottagebaker

Can people visit or buy direct?

Yes, by order and delivery. Bread is baked to order each week, so contact them directly via their website or by Instagram or Facebook to ask what's available. Door-to-door delivery runs on Fridays across the Upper Eden Valley and Westmorland, with orders in by 5pm the Wednesday before. They also run bread-making courses, so ask for dates.

Website

https://ivycottagebaker.wordpress.com

Address Summary

Upper Eden Valley, Cumbria