We knew we had to find a baker who could provide us with exactly what we needed: high quality soft white rolls which would absorb soup when dunked, wouldn’t fall apart [back into the soup] and yet be soft enough to eat easily.

Yes, we know, brown bread is good for you, keeps you ‘regular’ and makes you ‘go’. But very often brown bread isn’t as soft as it could be and has a crust. [The people we meet on our Soup Runs often don’t have visiting the dentist as a high priority.]

It took visits to five bakeries before we found what we wanted. And The Village Bakery, Highgate, Heaton, Bradford have been supplying us for nearly 30 years.

Owned by Ian and Sandra Robertshaw, over the years they have pulled out all the stops to ensure our needs are met [even baking specially for us when their shop and bakery has been closed to others]. Much of the baking is now done by Ian Vitty [pictured] and he has carried on the tradition started by the Robertshaws.

Pictures above show the dough being worked, cut, ‘proving’ and placed into the oven.