A former primary school teacher has opened a new family-run bakery in Altrincham, taking over the old Warrens Bakery space.
Building on the success of his lockdown bread delivery business initially launched from a home-based micro bakery, ex-teacher Matt Townley and his partner Suze, herself a former solicitor, have just made the full-time move into hospitality.
Called MOST, the new bakery is very much a family affair – with their eight-year-old daughter even heading up the gingerbread section (when she’s not in school, that is).
It opened this weekend in the heart of the Trafford market town, celebrating by giving away 100 free brownies, free gingerbreads for the kids and £1 cupcakes to locals.
At MOST, customers can get their hands on eight different types of slow-fermented bread, classic and savoury croissants, pain au chocolat, cruffins, a selection of cakes, tarts, cookies, choux pastries and brownies.
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And that’s not all.
Alongside the sweet treats will be brews from Kickback Coffee, wines from Reserve Wines, as well as deli items like cheese, butter, smoked salmon and kimchi, all sourced from local suppliers.
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Playing into the family angle, they’ll also be hosting breadmaking classes for children and adults to take together over the coming months.
Classes will launch with ‘Bread & Beer’, teaching guests to make bread using spent grains from a nearby brewery.
MOST Bakery in Altrincham / Credit: The Manc Group
MOST Bakery in Altrincham / Credit: The Manc Group
Speaking on the new opening, Matt Townley said: “There’s often a local bakery at the heart of every town and we want to create a warm and friendly community hub for the people of Altrincham, while serving amazing freshly baked bread, pastries and other treats.”
Greater Manchester public urged to help get people ‘off the streets and on their feet’ before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
Locals are being urged to help get hundreds of people “off the streets and back on their feet” this festive season.
As the temperatures told colder by the day, and Christmas creeps closer and closer, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity is bringing back ‘1000 Beds for Christmas’, and the massively-important initiative is aiming to provide 1,000 nights of accommodation to people at risk of homelessness before the big day arrives.
Forming part of the ongoing ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme, this festive fundraising mission is designed to provide food, shelter, warmth, and dedicated vital wrap-around support for those who need it most.
The charity says it wants to build on the “incredible success of 2023”, which raised more than £55,000 and provided 1,800 nights of accommodation.
Stockport-based property finance specialists, Together – which has supported the campaign for the last two years – has, once again, generously pledged to match every public donation for the first £20,000 raised.
Unfamiliar with the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme? Since 2017, when rough sleeping peaked, the initiative has helped ensure a significantly-higher rate of reduction in the numbers of people facing a night on streets in Greater Manchester than seen nationally.
The landmark scheme has given people the chance to rebuild their lives, while also giving them access to key services and opportunities that allows them to stay off the streets for good.
Despite the scheme’s recent success, organisations across Greater Manchester are under “a huge amount of pressure” to meet the demand for their services this winter, and given the current economic outlook, household budgets will continue to be squeezed – leaving people on the sharp end of inequality and poverty.