Where have you worked before ?
We both met at a coffee shop in Maidstone when we were 17 and 18 . I would open the kitchen , serve breakfasts and prepare lunches and Lucia would start work next on the baking shift . It was very basic and a lot of responsibility for people our age , but it was fun . Now , we actually work with Ruth and Hannah again who also worked with us back then . We all went on our separate journeys and worked many jobs in between , but we quite literally got the band back together 10 years later ! Shout out to Pops ’ Cafe in Maidstone , which doesn ’ t exist anymore , but deserves a mention as it ’ s where we all came together , and Average Doughs wouldn ’ t be what it is today without that initial introduction .
Why Average Doughs Bakery ?
It ’ s a play on words inspired by the phrase ‘ average Joes ’ and we thought it fitting because , even though it ’ s getting better , my bread started off looking less like something you ’ d consume and more like something you ’ d prop a door open with . We didn ’ t , and still don ’ t , take it all overly seriously and we ’ re aware there ’ s better places out there because they ’ re who we take inspiration from , but we wanted somewhere for the people local to us to be able to enjoy what we enjoy , which is good coffee , tea , bread , bakes and sandwiches , and we are committed to doing that with passion and love . We ’ ve only been open six months , but the response has been pretty promising so far ; we seem to be building a lovely community of loyal customers and if you ’ re one of them reading this , we appreciate you and your dogs very much .
What is Average Doughs Bakery ’ s concept ?
We wanted to share products we enjoy and are passionate about with other people in a place that was comfortable to spend time in and welcoming for everybody . We spend most hours of the day baking everything in-house , but all other products are carefully selected by us . The majority of our additional products come from other independent businesses that we feel are just as passionate about their products as we are about ours .
One thing that ’ s very important to us is our team . Of course , the customers come first , but if the staff aren ’ t happy then it ’ s all downhill from there . We wanted to create a supportive space for us all to work happily together and we feel that transfers into it being a better atmosphere for everybody .
Tell us about the dishes and menu you have created .
Currently we offer three different types of sourdough : house , wholemeal and seeded . Our house is our most popular and is made from a blend of organic white , wholemeal and rye flour . It ’ s the loaf we use for our lunches and also the one we wholesale out to local businesses nearby .
Another staple is our cinnamon buns – we offer a vegan alternative too . These will always be on the counter as they are most definitely our best seller – and we don ’ t think anybody would allow us to get rid of them .
Another thing that is pretty popular are our bacon baps , which we serve on weekends until 10:30am . We always try to encourage customers to get to us early as they ’ re limited and we sell out most weekends .
We try to change the rest of our bakes and lunch choices on a monthly basis . We have a small menu that differs slightly on weekdays to weekends , but generally consists of breakfast options , toasties , sandwiches , soups or salads . It ’ s not much for now , but we ’ re in this for the long haul and have big plans for what we want to produce and where we want Average Doughs to go . All in good time .
What is your guilty pleasure ?
Nando ’ s . Running the business takes up a lot of our time and often during the week we choose to sleep over eating hot meals , but it ’ s becoming a running joke amongst the team that our one cooked meal of the week is a Nando ’ s after we shut on Sunday . Everybody has been quizzed over what their order is and it ’ s surprising how passionate everybody feels about their own .
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