Tunbridge Wells sourdough kings Bicycle Bakery eye up second site
The Bicycle Bakery opened in Camden Road in 2014 looking around West Kent for potential expansion
Images @saltwickmedia
“We do our own thing and if it works it works; if it doesn’t we move onto the next idea.”
It’s no secret that artisan bakeries are popping up all over Kent - cruffin, anyone? - but with Jamie Tandoh and his Bicycle Bakery team it feels like he’s well ahead of the game.
Opening in Camden Road in 2014, when the sourdough craze had not quite reached Tunbridge Wells, the pastry chef saw a gap in the market which he wanted to fill.
“At the time there was only one patisserie in the town and that was it,” he says. “There were just lots of coffee shops with a really high turnover and I thought Tunbridge Wells needed something else.
“I worked for a couple of small independents and I figured I could do it myself.”
So the Bicycle Bakery - the town’s first sourdough bakery - was born.
And what about the name? “I’m a keen cyclist, that’s literally it,” laughs Tandoh. “And alliteration always seems helpful.”
Images @saltwickmedia
Just two years later, in 2016, Tandoh was able to extend the business into the premises next door.
And five years on from there, he and his team are in the process of finding a place for a second location.
He also now has Maxwell Hadlow and Anthony Brugnon working alongside him and between them they have more than 40 years of hospitality experience.
“It ranges from Michelin star through to gastro pub and everything in between,” Tandoh explains. “So we spend a lot of time researching, eating out and making sure that we’re keeping up to date with current trends and patterns.
“You’ll probably notice that a lot of places try to emulate each other where we just do what we feel is right.
“We do our own thing and if it works it works and if it doesn’t we move onto the next idea. It’s going really well, we have a great team here.”
In addition to its range of sourdough bread, the bakery sells sweet baked goods, macaroons and macarons, savoury products such as sausage rolls and pasties, and has a rotating range of cakes and tarts.
“We do our own thing and people love it,” Tandoh says. “The next step is to continue through the turbulent events that are happening around us.
“Like everyone we’ve been hit with supply chain issues and constant price increases across the board, but we are currently looking at a second location. We’ve found a couple of potentials.”
He’s keeping his flour dry for now and isn’t able to tell us where, but he’ll be sticking to west Kent.
