Friends in Knead, a small artisan bakery tucked away in the heart of Roath, is making business in lockdown look like a piece of cake.
Run by Ceri Johnston Bower and her team of crafty bakers, Friends in Knead has flourished since the re-opening of its front shop in May this year on Moy Road, with lockdown bringing in more customers than ever.
Initially starting as a wholesale venture and bakery for the sister business, The Early Bird Café, the decision was made to start up a front shop with a deli, selling sweet treats and fresh bread. There has been a queue outside ever since, with some of their signature bakes, the fluffy brioche doughnuts and sourdough, long-gone before midday.
Surprisingly, the bakery shop was not in the original plan. “We’d originally opened up there to bake for wholesale, but once the pandemic hit, we practically lost all our wholesale clients overnight,” said business owner Ceri, “It was really scary.”
“I had to put a plan together and so I decided to open up a deli.” “On the first day, we opened the shutters to a queue of people all the way down to Albany Road. We didn’t have enough cake!”
The bakery’s unusual location, previously used as a car garage, has made it somewhat of a hidden gem. It appears however to have returned to its rightful state, having been the spot for the local bakery around 100 years ago. Like back then, locals over the last few months have shown to be big supporters of small and independent businesses.
“The support has been phenomenal,” Ceri said, “Everyone’s been sad, so they want to eat cake.”
Despite having to stop their highly praised cookery classes during the pandemic, the business hopes to restart these next summer. Some of these include doughnut making and “sourdough for lazy people.”
With Christmas fast approaching, be sure to get your hands on some of their festive treats. The smell of fresh bread and pastries wafting down the street will be hard to miss.