Slow Rise Bakery

Vouchers are now back from the printer and out on the shelves. Tell your loved ones they are everything (in a denomination of your choosing) cos let’s face it, they really are.

Also vintage Mary J Blige for ya Tuesday morning 🥰

We have some bloody talented alumni of Slow Rise Bakery and we love the creativity that flows from our team past and present. Which is why I’m so very excited to stock these STUN-NING prints from former Slow Rise STUN-NA

Having ditched us to jolly off to Glasgow School of Art, she returned from her first year with these beauties which just make my heart sing. A limited run is available and Rom joins the hallowed walls of the shop, alongside contributions from .the.show_ (who did the amazing mushroom pics above our coffee machine) to (who did our beautiful window) and maybe one day soon… .pots

Mood board for the final weekend of June specials =

Blackcurrant and Violet Buns
Mango Lime and Yogurt Loaf
Strawberry and Cream Cake with Lemon Verbena

Plus the usual suspects and of course… bagels

As always we’re here for ya

Tues - Fri: 09:00 - 15:00
Sat - Sun: 09:30 - 15:00

Shout out for Mark of who turns up every week to collect our food waste from Slow Rise so he can turn it into black gold for use in your gardens🌱🌱🌱

Last year Mark collected over 2 tonnes of food waste from us and saved it from the general waste bin (and therefore landfill). This included coffee grounds , avocado husks and smoked salmon skins along with veg cuttings and the remnants from our homemade chai syrup! Very little bagel bread though, unless we accidentally overbaked them (swears it doesn’t happen often )🔥

Anyway, Mark has no time to waste (✌️✌️✌️)as he’s looking for a new spot to compost on. The current arrangement runs out soon and he has to find another decent sized parcel of land to work on, ideally away from houses. If you know of anywhere or know of anyone with such a location that might work then please contact Mark and put him in touch as it would be great for him to start making plans and keep that compost coming!

Cream bun of the month: Homemade Lemon & Elderflower Curd. No word of a lie, I could swim in this curd if it were possible.

Plus! We have a new cake for the month - Banana, Pecan and Caramel. And! We’ve got raspberry pistachio mini loaves. Furthermore! We have hazelnut chocolate cookies. Also! Flourless Burnt Basque Cheesecake.

May your May be merry and bright and may all your late spring treats taste as bloody good as these beauts

Garry Biggin with the expert carpentry jobs at Slow Rise 🙌
He’s based in Nottingham so if you need any bespoke display units, tables or seating doing, we can’t recommend him highly enough… every job he’s done for us has been fantastic

The penultimate weekend of March means the penultimate weekend of our forced wakey rhubarb and rose cardamom cream buns. Which is basically a ticklist of my favourite things mashed together into a joyously zingy delight aka a rhubarb and rose compote splashed into a soft sweet brioche bun and filled with a ton of cardamom cream. Yum yum bun bun.

Next weekend we’ll have some Easter specials on including the joy that is our egg custard tart and the egg cinnamon sugar bagel and of course there will be hot cross buns.

But for now I’ll just leave this here as even with Easter around the corner, this little nugget is still one of the stars of the show.

4 YEARS OF SLOW RISE!!!

It’s our official opening birthday today! 4 years ago, there were the first bagels Nick made, a week before we originally wanted to open and days before the first lockdown. It was a mad rush and when I see the picture of the shop set up, it’s so weird how empty it all looks. How this rack of bagels was a huge achievement when we now make this amount so many times over on a daily basis.

Without descending into gloom, it feels fair to acknowledge that these bagels have caused us at times immense strain and pain and insecurity of “is it all worth it” and “why has the dishwasher broken at the same time the coffee machine needs fixing” (fyi we’re still waiting today for the dishwasher to be fixed) and “how did we end up employing so many people without any experience of being an employer” and “how the hell did we end up not only as a couple but working together all the time”. Four years on there are still times that bewilderment and overwhelm and imposter syndrome feels so so real, especially in the current climate we are in but let’s keep politics out of the party.

Because I guess we realise after 4 years that we can feel all the above and still feel immensely happy and proud these bagels have made this place the dominant force in our lives. These bagels continuously break and remake us and each time they do, we learn more and grow more and we keep growing in the sheer volume of people and connections we make. The friends we’ve found, the team(s) that we’ve nurtured and have nurtured us back, the partnerships, the pride when you know someone gets what we we’re about and enjoys and feels these bagels are worth their time and money - it’s an incredible sustenance that keeps us going and our gratitude for that seems to grow with each year as more people come into our world.

And this world, our small corner of Horsforth, this place and these bagels that we’ve poured our lives into, we thank you truly for being part of it and allowing us to continue. Because while I know Its basically all about the bagels, for at least myself and Nick it’s so much more than that and today we celebrate that and all who make Slow Rise Bakery what it is.

International Women’s Day means a lot to us at Slow Rise Bakery. We proudly have (having done the maths) an 88.235% woman workforce and obvs we’re indebted to Nick and Joe for making up that crucial 11.765% as well because they really do have to be allies with those numbers.

It’s never been intentional to have that many women working in one place, we’ve always recruited on the best person for the job. Although I say without arrogance, I do believe that having half the management team exist as a woman (and stubborn and passionate at that) has obviously played it’s part.

At close today, Nick gathered the women on shift together and took several shots. What amazed me looking through those pictures was my initial thought of “do we all look alright”. For a split second I thought “oh s**t I look like I’ve done a s**t in this photo” and then had to stop myself and take a step back. Because we’re not here to look pretty (although beautiful is one word I’d describe every single member of the team because they are frigging beautiful). We’re here to make the best products and serve you in the best way we can. And this team of women (and Joe and Nick I guess but it’s not their day) do that in an exceptionally special way. We don’t do that as pretty girls or as cute people, we do that as accomplished individuals that have taken the parts we deem useful from the sum total of our lives and brought those into a workplace setting. And I really hope this place gives people that work in it the chance to bring that, because that’s a small nod of empowerment and I know that makes us special. Which in a way is bloody sad, because that recognition isn’t always given without the caveats/spikes of insecurity that patriarchy has bestowed upon us but I’ll save that for another day.

So I’ll just say that a day where we go “you know what congratulations on being a frigging woman” and celebrate those past, present and future women that make us better just by being there (let alone as formidable as this lot) is still more vital than ever. So, here’s to you, women of Slow Rise and those beyond. We salute and celebrate all you are.

🚨DOUBLE JOB POSTING ALERRRRT🚨

We have good news/bad news. The total Slow Rise Legend and cake foster mother that is Bet “Best” “Simply the Bet” has finally put her PhD to good use and is on the fast track to career woman mode. Although we are still reeling, we wipe the tears from our eyes and know we must continue on. The Guinness Cake needs us to do so.

And so the time has come to commence the search for a weekend Front of House Assistant. It’ll be 6/12 hours and weekends mainly (if you have some weekday flexibility this will be a bonus). You’ll be helping us serve our signature bagels and bakes and if you’ve got the skills our coffee as well. A keen interest in those three things is the starting point, and if you’ve got customer facing written all over your… face, then we want to hear from you. Working in a fast paced environment, team work is absolutely essential and a love of people a must. Previous experience welcomed, esp in coffee.

BUT WAIT WHATS THAT?! We’re also looking for an assistant baker to help out back! We are currently a small team of three that are looking for a pair of helping hands to keep up with demand! This is weekdays only, across 3/4 days with around 16-24 hrs. You’ll be helping out making our bagel dough and signature bakes and keeping our space in tip top shape. This is a perfect role for someone starting out in baking or who wants to develop their home-acquired skills as we’ll be providing full training.

In both cases you’ll be part of a team that really gives a crap about the people that make this place so blooming brilliant.

We offer pay above minimum wage, paid breaks and lunch on us plus discount on our products and of course the occasional spare bake(s). We’ll also make sure you get your Level 2 Food Hygiene as part of your training and have the support you need to get the very best out of you.

If you’re interested please send cover letters (SO BLOOMING ESSENTIAL) and your CV to slowrisebagels (@) gmail (dot) com

No DMs, no messages from helpful parents or friends, just a bit of you in our inbox please 🙏

We can’t wait to hear from you!!

😭

Update to let you know the posh cheese and pickle for the month is Brie, baby leaf and a judicious dollop of homemade Wakey forced rhubarb and ginger chutney. It’s buttery, zingy and tastes bloody delicious on an everything or onion bagel.

We’re also welcoming the following bakes to the daily line up:

* Drømmekage aka Danish dream cake = super light sponge with a hefty topping of dark brown sugar, butter and coconut baked in just at the end
* Flourless Orange, Saffron, Honey and Pistachio cake = the most delicious citrus cake with a baklava inspired twist

PLUS we have a couple of weekend specials alongside the epic Pandoro tiramisu AND there’s still date and peanut cookies AND orange and blueberry teacakes PLUS our regular line up of bakes AND because it’s March we’ll also have some Easter specials AND for one St Patrick’s Day only, at least one bloody Guinness cake you’ll probably have to fight Bet for.

So there you go. Lots on the counter, lots of reasons to love our baking team. Get stuck in:

Tuesday - Friday 9:00 - 15:00
Saturday - Sunday 09:30 - 15:00

Oh sweet child of mine this is the first appearance on the counter for our Pandoro Tiramisu. Layers of Pandoro soaked in Marsala wine and coffee, mascarpone and cream and cocoa and something that you shouldn’t be ashamed to just eat freely and with abandon this weekend.

Further delights launching but it’s also the last weekend for blood orange bostocks and our posh cheese and pickle of the month, cheddar and night Ryder dark ipa and root vegetable chutney.

We’re here for you:

Saturday - Sunday 9:30am - 3:00pm

Not ashamed to say these guys are the best. Thank you and for allowing us to crash your space and being such amazing hosts for our traditional not at Christmas Christmas Party.

We got our 1920s on for a murder mystery, we all were completely fooled as to who the killer was, we feasted on pizzas and Nick even managed to crack out his Elvis for karaoke, singing through the pleurisy

Normal service resumes this week and our bakers are starting to test out March’s specials today. All we can say, most sincerely and full of love and gratitude (and in the words of our beloved Tet)

WHATTATEAM

PSA - although we live for being a part of your Sunday plans, we are going to be CLOSED this Sunday 25th February for our belated staff Christmas do and to lie in for once.

We’re sorry for any inconvenience caused.

At the same time, in feels appropriate to mention we’re in wonder of our team, who work their behinds off day after day and do everything to make your moments in the shop as special as possible. Behind the scenes I’ve never worked with a bunch that have our backs and each others so very much, so I have to say, taking some time to celebrate them is most definitely the order of the day tomorrow and always overdue.

Thanks team slow rise, you really are bloody brilliant

☀️BRING ME SUNSHINE ☀️

Awaiting you this weekend - our weekend specials! Available only on the traditional days of rest (not ours, it’s our busiest time!) are these delectable delights:

Blood Orange Bostocks - more than a gobful of homemade brioche, homemade blood orange marmalade and homemade frangipane = the boujee toast for boujee people
Semlor Buns - homemade brioche, toasted salt and sweet almonds, almond paste and a beautiful cardamon cream (yeh we know they are meant to be done by now as a traditional treat in the run up to Lent but they get a free pass for February in our eyes)

Plus the insanely gorgeous toasted walnut, coffee and cardamon loaf that has just enough wholesomeness to give the pretence of acceptability (and just enough caramel drizzle to reassure you it’s deffos not)

We also have some cheese, leek and smoked paprika scones for the savoury minded among you and of course our usual daily fodder aka bagels, bakes and beautiful coffee from AND ALL OF THIS IS AVAILABLE FOR YOU Saturday and Sunday 9:30am - 3:00pm

We can’t wait to see ya

We said there were gonna be some changes and boy oh boy there have been some changes to our menu. So, on this dreary old Tuesday, let’s walk through some of the new bakes and bagels to our brighten our daily line up this February!

Bagel wise we have said goodbye to the chicken and avo but fear not poultry lovers, subbing off the bench is the mighty mighty Chicken Caesar aka the Hail Caesar for those who remember it. Feast upon:

-Homemade Caesar Dressed Chicken (contains anchovy and mustard)
-Garlic, Rosemary and Pretzel Salt Bagel Croutons
-Shaved Parmesan
-Shredded Romaine

We also have added another bagel to our line up - the Posh Cheese and Pickle. Every month we’ll have a different combo of cheese and homemade chutney/pickle/preserved goodness. This month you can sink your chops into:

-Fountains Gold Cheddar
-Winter Roots and Ale Chutney (contains ale and mustard)
-Little Gem Lettuce

Not stopping there, we’re also saying HELLO to no less than FOUR new daily bakes:

• Orange & Blueberry Teacakes with blueberry icing (vegan)
• Medjool Date & Peanut Cookies
• Flourless Coconut Macaroons
• Toasted Walnut, Coffee and Caramel Loaf with Cardamon Coffee Icing

And come the weekend we’ve got a few more tricks up our sleeve. All we can say is yum yum yum in my late winter tum.

Come one come all, we’re here for you as always

Tues - Fri 09:00 - 15:00
Sat - Sun 09:30 - 15:30

We’re bad news first people so I’ll cut to the chase - we’re upping our prices tomorrow. Having done the maths we cannot sustain our business at our current prices and like so many others it’s for the very same simple reasoning - our costs have increased and we can’t absorb them without impacting on the business in a very unsustainable way.

I get such fear every time we do this but more than ever I’m bolstered by the fact I know we give a really humungous crap about what we do, what we use and the people that help us along the way. And really there is no reason more than necessity. I sincerely hope that makes sense but if you need to know more about why then please let me or Nick know and we can explain further!

In other “changes afoot” news we are changing our menu tomorrow, to offer you more choice but also cut down on the food miles. And so please (and this hurts us as well believe me) join me in saying a fond farewell to our chicken and avo bagel. You’ve been a faithful companion to many (and may return as a special when the time is right) but the time is right to say an interim farewell.

Yes it’s change, but we’re ready to embrace change because if we don’t we just end up like someone still wearing shorts and no shoes when it’s -10 outside just to prove a point. So instead of doing that, I’ll say there will be more news on menu changes tomorrow which are very exciting and we’re really giddy to share!!

And if you make it this far, I just want to reiterate that we’re always appreciative of your support and please know we’re ALWAYS doing everything we can as a team and as individuals to give you the very best (aka handmade, carefully made and the tastiest, freshest bagels and bakes) we can. And know this: that’s not ever gonna change. Ever.

Bloody hell I nearly forgot it’s the 29th January which means it’s Nick appreciation day 2024.

The original agent of chaos and founder of Slow Rise Bagels and therefore Slow Rise Bakery. He is the sun we revolve around without us ever really feeling we have to acknowledge that, because if I’m honest, Nick doesn’t seek validation in the same way some of us do. He putters on, chelping away, making things he wants, sometimes not always fully grasping he runs a business with so many bloody strong minded women in it, but there he is, always riding the waves. And in the midst of that, sometimes it’s easy to forget that there’s no one in the world that cares more about our products and this place and will literally spend far too much of his time doing whatever he can to keep it going. But he does and I really think it’s an incredible feat and testament to the brilliant man he is. Because Nick is the backbone of Slow Rise Bakery and we’d be lost without him.

So today, let us celebrate Nick because ultimately, without his fervent belief to make the bagels nice and toasty, there’d be no reason to read this post and or come visit us and for that I’m so so grateful.

P.s. we’ve got some big news about specials soon 👀

It’s our 4th Christmas in the shop and would you believe it, this year was the weirdest by far. We learnt all the lessons from the previous three years and the certainties - something will break, something will go wrong, someone will shed tears (aka me). And yet it felt so different.

It felt different to last year and the year before and the year before. And among the many reasons why, the one that has occupied my mind the most this year is that in the last three days I’ve hugged more people than ever in the shop. Probs because of when we opened and what felt “usual” for us during that time compared to now. Probs cos you come in with babies, dogs, good news or travel updates (hello Mike) and it makes our day. But definitely because it’s amazing to show people how much their custom, their hard work (hello Team Slow Rise) and their appreciation of our products means by just giving them a frigging hug.

It’s a connection which however small and fleeting, gives me comfort and joy at a time when it’s all bit bonkers and nonsensical. It’s a moment of stability. And I cannot tell you enough on behalf of myself and Nick how much that means to us. It means so much we have a beautiful team out front that care so much about this place and do their absolute best to give you a warm welcome and experience in store. It means so much that for a week or so, our bakers step up more than ever to make their very best for your table. And of course, it means so so much that you, our dear customers, support this mad little thing that’s been created here and let us share tiny moments of your worlds too… not just at Christmas but obvs its more noticeable at the moment.

And then in the middle of it all is Nick and I cannot tell you how happy I am to have a break with this person and rest and recharge and come back next year even more wiser and ready to go again, because there’s nothing else we’d rather do.

Had you asked five years ago if an everything bagel would be a symbol of the season to me I’d have told you to c**k off. But guess what. Its bloody everything to me now. We wish you thanks, love and an amazing festive period! See you 5/1/24 # #

GETTING UNFILLED BAGELS THIS WEEK?

Oof we were not expecting that ! We completely sold out of bagels before 1pm this Tuesday. So for the rest of the week we’re gonna be baking more than usual so that we try and keep you all stocked up ready for the festive season.

In return, if you’re hoping to stock up before we close on Friday 22nd at 1pm, please let us know (with 24 hrs notice) if you’re after more than 12 bagels as we won’t be able to accommodate larger orders on the day. While I hate putting limits on things, we are a small kitchen and team and our bagels need more time than usual bread to be made. We’ll make as much as we can but your help is also greatly appreciated in this!!

If you want to stock up, remember our bagels have no preservatives in them and are baked fresh every day, so they don’t last more than a couple of days - BUT - if you slice them and bag them and freeze them, they last beautifully in the freezer and can go straight in the toaster.

We are doing collections on Saturday and Sunday but these have been filled. We’re open from 10-12 on Saturday but there won’t be that many spares so we can’t guarantee what you’ll be able to pick up if you’re not collecting!

Know we’re all gonna be working out socks off this week to stock as many of you as possible with what we can rustle up and it means the absolute world to us to have so many of you come out. Bear with us, we’re almost there!

We know there’s a few of you who missed our initial round of webslots and thankfully, having tallied up the er… tally, we are delighted to say we have a few very very very final slots left! They’ve been added to the website www.slowrisebakery.my shopify.com and then that’s a wrap on orders for collection on the 23rd and 24th! Thanks so much to those who have ordered and this is really your final chance now so get ya skates on and get yer bagels and bakes ordered for the holidays!

As we turn to this coming week, for those of you wanting to know, our opening hours in the run up to Christmas look like the following:

Tuesday 19th Dec 9:00 - 15:00 (sit in/takeaway)
Wednesday 20th Dec 9:00 - 15:00 (sit in/takeaway)
Thursday 21st Dec 9:00 - 15:00 (sit in/takeaway)
Friday 22nd Dec 9:00 - 13:00 (sit in/takeaway)
Saturday 23rd Dec 10:00 - 12:00 (takeaway only, no filled bagels) with collections running from 10:00-15:00
Sunday 24th Dec 10:00 - 15:00 for collections only

We’ll be running the normal menu next week with our festive filled bagels now safely tucked away for the year - and we’ll be ready for you in our final few days before taking a lovely little rest over the festive period, ready to greet you all (and 2024) on Friday 5th January.

Christmas countdown mode is well and truly activated and we for one are absolutely here for it and you. Let’s go !

FINAL PRE-ORDER SLOTS!!

Thank you so much to all who came to our late night openings, who have purchased a festive bagel and partaken in any of the banging bakes our team have lovingly crafted. But it’s countdown time people!!

Our final few orders are being taken this weekend (online only, link in bio) to get your bakes and bagels for collection only on the 23rd and 24th December. We’ll be closing orders on Sunday 17th so if you haven’t already (and we’re already VERY excited to be baking so much for you and your loved ones) then head over now!!

No this is not a slow rise bakery bagel. This is the everything breakfast roll from , down the road from where we live in Bramley.

Number one, it’s bloody delicious. You really must try it. Number two, we realised how connected we are to this place - living on the same street as some of their team (we even share the same previous owners of our house with one of them 😂😂😂) and plenty of them coming into our shop on the regular.

Running your own place is so much fun but at times it’s so consuming with “are we doing enough”, “will people like us”, “what if this amazing little thing goes off the rails”, “will this year be as good as last year” that you wind up sometimes feeling like a massive imposter, especially compared to your perception of “everyone else seems to have a better plan than us”.

Today, Silvers reminded me totally why we do what we do - because there’s something about being a part of a neighbourhood, welcoming people in to serve them food you truly believe to be delicious and hoping some people will have enough of a connection with what you’re doing to come back again. It’s the best feeling in the world, I was sharply reminded of it today and boy oh boy it feels a real privilege to have it.

So I’m putting this pic of my sandwich here as a reminder that hospitality - and shopping local with an independent that really does give a crap about what they are doing and not just for the bottom line - does so much more than impress you with food, it really does feed your soul. Thanks so much Silvers for not only a banging sandwich, but for opening near us, we’re bloody lucky to have you.

Festive spirit levels = high. Belly = full. Career as a food blogger = unlikely

LATE NIGHT OPENING 7th DECEMBER!

Alongside our usual opening hours, We’ll be opening our doors from 4pm-8pm tomorrow for late night shopping of our amazing selection of stocking fillers. We’ve got you covered with foodie gifts (panforte and panettone, Tony’s chocolonely bags and boxes, Third Wave roast coffee bags and even some homemade chai syrup and chutney from ourselves), gorgeous prints and goodies from the most amazing independent makers, a fine selection of Christmas cards, stationary, plants, seeds, ceramics and the 2023 drop of our Slow Rise Bagel Cutter™️- it’s a veritable smorgasbord of little pops of joy for under the tree with more space to browse at your leisure.

We’ll be bringing the festive cheer with some cheeky samples and just in time, the mince pies will be coming out the oven. The shop will be decorated, the wine will be a mulling and we promise plenty of twinkling lights to get you into the festive spirit.

Join us for browsing, nibbling (no filled bagels though people!) and drinking in all the seasonal feels - we’re so excited to see you there and help get your festive on.

(P.s. don’t forget, our beautiful neighbours will also be running late night shopping tomorrow with charity gift wrapping - giving you more than one good reason to wrap up and shop local in our little corner of Horsforth this Thursday 7th December)

(P.p.s if you miss out tomorrow don’t worry we’ll be doing it all again 14th December)

We are FULLY open for festive preorders for collection on either the 23rd and 24th, and we are so excited to bake our socks off for you!

TO ORDER:
•Head to our website (Please note we can’t take orders in person, via DM or email - only via our online shop)
•Pick your items
•Select your collection day and time
•Pay and then let us do all the work so you can come in at your allocated time on either the 23rd or 24th

To ensure that we can spread as much festive joy as poss, we do ask you order no more than 12 bagels for collections. After all it is the season of sharing.

You can browse online the full festive selection - all details on our website! We can’t wait to get started

ALL THE CHRISTMAS INFO

I don’t actually like talking and getting into Christmas too early cos I just have the strongest urge to preserve the surge of christmas spirit to coincide with the 25th, and not just end up on Christmas Day with nothing left in the tank.

So we’ve sat on our hands until the 1st, to start chatting Christmas proper. And so first up, our festive preorder menu, all raring to go for collections on the 23rd and 24th December. You can view what we’re peddling on our website (link in bio) but be aware dear reader, you can ONLY preorder online from Monday 4th December.

Next week also sees the launch of our festive filled bagels (yes they are coming), the launch of two late night openings to showcase the stunning array of stocking fillers we’ve got in the bakery and dare I say it but the christmas playlist is starting to be compiled too. Christmas. It’s (nearly) coming. Check out all the info - including opening hours - on our website and we look forward to welcoming you soon 👋