We spoke to a new “incidentally vegan” bakery for St James Big Local By Victoria Munro
Owner Laura Almond
Laura Almond’s baking career began with an honesty box selling cakes outside her home and, nine years later, has produced Walthamstow’s newest bakery.
Beaten By A Whisker, which she describes as “incidentally vegan”, opened in Brunner Road on 22nd February, after she was tipped off about the empty unit by the owner of Curious Goat.
The 31-year-old owner is in charge of bread, cakes and pastries, while chef-in-training Juliette Hirt, her “boyfriend’s colleague’s housemate”, makes sandwiches and tarts for lunch.
Laura told the Echo: “We bake bread 12 loaves at a time so it’s always really fresh and often warm because we’re just baking through the day. I turn the ovens on at 6am so I leave the house at 5.30am but honestly, for a baker, I’m making it very easy for myself.
“Bread is actually my second skill, I am more of a pastry chef. I started selling cakes when I first moved to London and then worked part-time in a bakery and then a restaurant in Hackney.
“Business has been so good, much better than I expected. I only knew Walthamstow as an outsider before so it’s been great being here and getting to know the local people, they’ve been so welcoming.”
Current breakfast options include cinnamon buns, cardamom buns and banana bread, using fruit too old to sell gifted by nearby Expa Planet, where they also buy their vegetables.
Laura is keen to expand this range into croissants, while Juliette is considering a supper club, but for now the day-to-day bustle keeps them busy enough.
Laura added: “The lay-out is open so people can see our processes as part of their visit and we thought we could split our time between baking and serving coffee as people come in.
“Actually we ended up with a stream of people needing coffee and no time to bake but we’re getting a full-time barista soon, who will be more experienced making it to the standard [our supplier] Curious Roo expects.”
Decorating the unfurnished unit was Laura’s lockdown project, which included making the light features out of yarn and sanding down second-hand furniture until it matched.
The plates, mugs and even the bathroom sink were all made for them by a potter in Hackney.
Visit them behind Unit 2 Hops House, E17 7FJ from 8.30-3.30 Tuesday to Friday or 9-4 on weekends
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