The Cottage Loaf, Eccleston

Watching Wimbledon?
We have Wimbledon scones in the bakery
Large scone ,jam ,loads of cream and strawberries around the sides
Get yours now
Will you be sharing it ?

Easter is not far away, which means Hot Cross Buns.
Leave the small flat supermarket buns on the shelf and visit us for proper hot cross buns or loaves made the traditional bakery way Order yours today.

Regular Hot Cross Buns
Orange, Lemon & Chocolate Chip Hot Cross Buns
Hot Cross Loaf

You have a choice at the bakery of hot cross buns.

To Christians, the cross symbolizes the crucifixion and traditionally eaten warm with butter on Good Friday.

Butter Pie.

Is this one of your favourite pies?

Stolen from elsewhere on FB

Please support our local / small businesses 💝

It really is so easy to do and it costs nothing, and times are really tough!

Light up our page today. Tag your local business below 🔗 and let's all come together to support each other 💞
local ✨
Lancashire 💕


💙🩵💙🩵💙🩵💙🩵💙🩵💙🩵💙🩵💙🩵

The unfortunate truth of owning and running a business.

💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡💛🧡

Running a business is really hard.
What they don’t tell you is that it can cause severe stress and anxiety, and drains you mentally to the point of depression in even the most laid-back people.
People will talk about you, compare you to others, use you, they will view you as a service and not a person anymore.
People will expect discounts and people will value you and your hard work less than a big chain store.
You have to worry about if you forget to email/message someone back, are they going to think it was on purpose? Did you disappoint them? Will they hold that against you? When in reality you just can’t get to everyone’s messages and emails.
Starting up and running a successful business puts incredible strain on personal lives and relationships, many of which fail because there is just often no work life balance. You need to be the director, the worker, the admin, the marketing team, the accountant, the cleaner..... All whilst being a parent, a provider, family support, friend, spouse...
There’s a reason you don’t see many people succeed in small businesses after 5-10 years. If they are successful they are overwhelmed. It takes a toll. It’s freaking exhausting. Especially the past couple of years when so much has been out of our control.
Here’s a small reminder that we are just normal people with hectic lives. Be kind, be patient, support small businesses…….and hopefully more of us will stick around!

🩷❤️🩷❤️🩷❤️🩷❤️🩷❤️🩷❤️🩷❤️🩷❤️

It's British pie week from today, the 4th until the 10th Match.
So as a celebration of the British pie, please show me yours - keep it British traditional. Go...
pork pie

Monday blues ?
Available today only in the bakery
Bisscoff cookie pie
Chilli pasty
We can make you smile 😊

Apologies for the wait.
We have a new card reader that is up and running.

🎊🍾🎊🍾🎊🍾🎊🍾🎊🍾🎊🍾🎊🍾🎊

Well that’s us all done for 2023, it’s been testing at times but we’ve had a great year
thanks to all our wonderful customers those who have supported us for the last 34 years and also our new customers who have started shopping with us in the last 12 months.

Thankyou to everyone of you we appreciate your continued support and we would like to wish you all a very HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Last week we closed so we could have a rest and enjoy a bit of family time.

Back to it on Tuesday 2nd January at
6am - 2pm

Happy New Year

#2024

Handy to know.

This is good to know because I’ve always get confused too 🥭🍒🍌🥭 🥭🍒🍌🥭

If you love the flavours of a mince pie and want to create a homemade twist on this classic Christmas bake, you'll love this quick microwaveable cake version, ready in just six minutes.

A fairy-light sponge, spiced with festive flavours and filled with gooey mincemeat – all it's missing is the stodgy pastry. And there's even enough for two.

Ingredients
60g unsalted butter, softened
30g soft light brown sugar
60g self-raising flour
1 tsp mixed spice
10ml semi-skimmed milk
1 egg
100g shop-bought mincemeat
icing sugar, for dusting

You will need: a microwave and two chunky, microwave-proof mugs (approx. 300ml each).

Method
Prep: Grease the insides of two chunky, microwave-proof mugs (approx. 300ml each), with a little butter.

Cream together the butter and sugar, before adding the flour and mixed spice.

Mix in the milk and the egg, stirring until you have a smooth, pale-coloured batter.

Put a quarter of the batter into each mug. Top with half the mincemeat and then the remainder of the batter.

Microwave them together on high for 3 minutes You'll know the cakes are ready when the sponges rise to the top of the mugs and your kitchen is filled with the lovely smell of hot mince pies.

Dust the cakes with icing sugar before tucking in. Be careful – just like in a regular mince pie, the mincemeat in the middle gets veeeeeery hot!

We have been baking all night and morning. We have loved making all of the festive treats for the bakery and customers.

The bakery will close for Christmas at 1pm today. We hope you have ordered everything you needed.
🎄🌲🎄🌲🎅🎅❄❄️️⛄️☃

Thank you all for your support and loyalty to your local independent village bakery, it means so much..After a few busy full nights for our 2 master bakers and busy days for our delivery drivers and shop staff all ready to help and serve you.

All the bread and cakes and our lovely mince pies all handmade and baked fresh all night/morning for all our customers and shop have been delivered and picked up..

Wishing You All A Wonderful Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a Happy New Year and Prosperous 2024.

Thank you to each and everyone of you for your amazing support and comments on our recipes, mince pies, cake and bread it has helped us through a very difficult year.

“May you have the gladness of Christmas which is hope; The spirit of Christmas which is peace; The heart of Christmas which is love.” 🎅🏻🎄✨

Christmas Cakes

6" Round, small bars and small individual Christmas Cakes with marzipan and fully iced.

A rich moist traditional fruit cake packed with currants, raisins, sultanas, glacé cherries and almonds.

Christmas Cakes are made many different ways, but generally they are very variations on classic fruitcake. They can be light, dark, moist, dry, heavy, spongy, leavened, unleavened, etc. There are made in many different shapes, with frosting, glazing, a dusting of confectioner's sugar or plain.

Available now in the Bakery.

Boxes of 6 Festive Mince Pies

We have a selection of mince pies at the bakery all handmade.
Traditional
Almond Topped
Viennese Whirl Topped
Crumble Topped
Open Topped

Festive boxes of 6 mince pies now available. You can create a variety box of mince pies if you want to, just ask.

Which is your favourite and how do you like them? We like them warm with thick fresh cream..

Now available in the bakery.
Viennese Mince Pie, be it pastry or slathering of fondant icing, everyone has a favourite topping when it comes to the humble mince pie. These Viennese offerings have a buttery, vanilla laced swirl on top, resulting in a slightly lighter texture which means you're going to have room for seconds.

Everyone says it's a taste sensation and perfect combination..

Crumble Topped are very nice with a crunchy top with added orange cinnamon.

Go on you know you want to try one.

Very delicious and festive. 🎄



Mince pie history..
The early mince pie was known by several names, including "mutton pie", "shrid pie" and "Christmas pie". Typically its ingredients were a mixture of minced meat, suet, a range of fruits, and spices such as cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Served around Christmas, the savoury Christmas pie (as it became known) was associated with supposed Catholic "idolatry" and during the English Civil War was frowned on by the Puritan authorities. Nevertheless, the tradition of eating Christmas pie in December continued through to the Victorian era, although by then its recipe had become sweeter and its size markedly reduced from the large oblong shape once observed. Today the mince pie remains a popular seasonal treat enjoyed by many across the United Kingdom.

Farmhouse Cranberry Loaf

Something for those customers who like a sweeter bread.

An artisan loaf with a festive twist running through it to give it a festive feel.

Delicious with a cheeseboard or just toasted with butter.

Christmassy feel and taste.

Pauls Farm Shop

Mini Chocolate Truffle Puddings

A lovely indulgent mini chocolate Christmas pudding. (Made with homemade chocolate cake)
A sweet treat when doing all of the festive errands for Christmas.

Our opening times this Christmas week.

Normal 6am until 2pm.
Saturday 6am til 1pm

We are closed Christmas Eve.

We would like to wish Everyone a Very Merry Christmas and many thanks for everyone's support and custom throughout this very difficult and stressful year.

Please note the bakery will remain closed inbetween Christmas and New Year and Reopens Tuesday 2nd January 2024 at 6am.

Bread will still be available from
Pauls Farm Shop
Mawdesley Spar & Post Office

All of the staff at the bakery wish all of our Wonderful Customers and Suppliers a lovely Christmas and Prosperous New Year. 🎄🎅☃️

Sweet Chestnut Cob

Sweet Chestnuts in their raw state taste bitter but when roasted and cooked they turn into soft, floury, tasty, mellow sweet balls of nuttiness.

This festive and winter inspired bread has chestnuts in it.

We love roasting chestnuts on an open fire and eating them. My family asked can we have a bread with our Christmas treat in it. So this is how we came to make this loaf in the bakery.

It is a nice crusty loaf with roasted chestnuts and a dash of honey running through it. It's lovely with butter or honey on it. Our boys like it with lashings of chocolate spread.

Hope you all enjoy it..
This loaf will be available to buy in the bakery. You can always place an order to ensure you get yours.

Walnut Bloomer

A versatile, nutty, hearty loaf, perfect for a sandwich or an accompaniment to a nice cheese with a ploughmans lunch or for toast for breakfast.

This bloomer is with wholemeal flour and has walnut oil and honey drizzled into the dough.

Something for those customers who like a nutty bread.



Haydock Farm, Preston Rd, Coppull

Giant Mince Pie

Christmas is very nearly upon us and we thought we would make one of our Yuletide favourites into a giant pie.

A mince pie is a sweet pie of British origin, filled with a mixture of dried fruits and spices called "mincemeat", that is traditionally served during the Christmas season in the English-speaking world.Its ingredients are traceable to the 13th century, when returning European crusaders brought with them Middle Eastern recipes containing meats, fruits and spices.

Yule Logs

A traditional festive cake.
Chocolate Swiss roll covered in chocolate cream.

Made this morning in the bakery.


❤️ 🥰

Iced Cranberry & Orange Plait.
Topped with flaked almonds

Something for those customers who like a sweeter bread.

An artisan plait with a festive twist running through it to give it a Christmassy feel.

Delicious on its own or with lashings of butter or nutella.

Christmassy feel and taste.



Haydock Farm, Preston Rd, Coppull

Traditional Mince Pies
Viennese Mince Pies
Almond Topped Mince Pies

Be it pastry or slathering of fondant icing, everyone has a favourite topping when it comes to the humble mince pie. These Viennese offerings have a buttery, vanilla laced swirl on top, resulting in a slightly lighter texture which means you're going to have room for seconds.

Almond Topped - An infusion of a traditional Mince pie and the filling of a traditional Bakewell tart, they compliment each other perfectly..

Everyone says it's a taste sensation and perfect combination..

Go on you know you want to try one.

Very delicious and festive. 🎄

#

Box of 6 Christmas cupcake's
Viennese mince pies
And yule logs are now available at the bakery to buy or order
Why not treat your office or work place to a mince pie or cake 😊
Also orders now being taken for Christmas

Christmas Orders are now being taken.
🎁🎁🎄☃❄🎅️🎄☃❄🎅️🎁🎁

Order your Festive Breads, pies, quiche, Christmas Cake, Yuletide Log, Mince Pies, Cakes and Biscuits ready for the Christmas period.

Order forms available in the shop, or ask a member of staff.

Orders need to be in by Monday the 18th December at the latest to be guaranteed that your order will be fulfilled.

Many thanks for your support and custom.

Watch out for the Lunch Festive Specials

Chocolate Gingerbread Cake

This wonderfully moist gingerbread cake comes with a luxuriously chocolatey twist.
Preparation Time: 15 minute
Cooking Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients
50g 70% Dark Chocolate
200g Light Brown Soft Sugar
225g Plain Flour
2 heaped tsp Baking Powder
75g Salted Butter
200g Low Fat Natural Yogurt
4 Medium Eggs
25g Cocoa Powder
2 heaped tsp Ground Ginger
1 level tsp Cinnamon
Touch of Black Pepper
1 x 20cm /8" square cake tin

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
Line the base of the baking tin with some non-stick paper and lightly grease the sides.
Break up the chocolate and cut up the butter.
Put in a heatproof bowl and place over a pan of boiling water – make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water – until they are both melted.
Add the yogurt to the mixture and allow to cool a little.
Put the flour, baking powder, spices and the cocoa powder in a bowl, add a few grindings of black pepper and mix well.
Whisk the eggs with the brown sugar until frothy.
Add the eggs and the chocolate mixture to the dry ingredients and fold together.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for about 45 minutes, until firm to the touch.
Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
Cut into chunks and serve.

Delicious on a cold dark afternoon or night with mulled wine or hot chocolate.

Bonfire night treats
Parkin or ginger
Slab cakes
Available in the shop today 😊

Fruit Cake (3 Ingredients)

Ingredients
2.2lbs (1 kg) mixed dried fruit
625ml orange fruit juice
9ozs self-raising flour

Method
Place mixed dried fruit in a medium saucepan and pour over most of fruit juice.
Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove from heat and leave to cool for 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 150°C fan oven or 170°C conventional.
Line a 20cm round spring form tin with baking paper and set aside
Sift the self-raising flour over the soaked fruit and stir well until completely combined.
Use the remaining half cup of juice if needed to make a moist mixture.
Pour into cake tin and bake for 2 hours on the lowest shelf.
Remove from oven and leave cake to cool entirely in the tin.
Wrap in foil and keep in an airtight container for 2-3 days before slicing

This morning I had the great delight of making a bread wheatsheaf for a Harvest Festival for the Ribbleton Parish.

Took me way back to my training days and being taught by a baker with Victorian methods.

I hope that the Sunday Service goes well tomorrow and it looks well on the altar.

Oat and Barley Bloomer Bread

This bread incorporates the goodness of oat and barley flakes, malted barley, malted wheat flakes and wheat fibre.
A great tasting bread.