Festive Break
Doughies is now closed for the festive break. The oven door is shut, the aprons hung up, and the starters are in the fridge. In the new year, we’ll get everything going again – including our open food network order cycle which will re-open with regular weekly bakes (individuals and to the Deli) resuming on Saturday 13th Jan 2017.
This year (2016)
The Christmas lull is always a good time to reflect and spend a bit of time at 10,000 ft planning (imagining you are in a plane at 10,000ft looking down at your project). Here’s doughies 2016 in brief:-
- Doughies went from nothing to something – launching mid May at a Made in Lochaber trade show.
- We’ve baked 463 loaves of sourdough in the form of 27 weekly bakes for Delicraft.
- We probably baked the same again at various food festivals and markets, and met many of the people eating our sourdough.
- Early in December we started taking individual orders via the openfoodnetwork.
- We’ve been part of the Nourish new farmer programme, learning about our place in Scotland’s food system and being encouraged with the peer support of other like minded individuals & businesses.
Next Year (2017)
So what will doughies be doing next year? We don’t have a fixed plan, but we do have four areas we are really excited about, all revolving around closing the loop. We want to CLOSE THE LOOP with the people who eat our sourdough (1), with the grain that goes into our sourdough (2), with any waste sourdough we produce (3), and the way doughies fits in with other local micro food producers (4). Here’s what we have in mind….
- ONE – We want to expand the openfoodnetwork shop with a way for individuals to subscribe regularly for a fixed length of time. So in 2017 we will start offering a 16 week Sourdough Subscription of 2.5kg monster sourdoughs (or equivalent) to get you/your family through the week, for £150 (under a tenner per week). We’ll have two 16 week slots during 2017 – a spring sourdough subscription (you get sourdough during Feb, Mar, April and May 2017) and an autumn sourdough subscription (you get sourdough July, Aug, Sept and Oct). There’ll be some options for sourdough and delivery preference; and it’ll be flexible enough that you can take a holiday break and/or order extra if you have guests etc. We’ll advertise these Sourdough subscriptions properly in the new year, in the meantime if you want in to the spring 2017 subscription, just drop us an email doughies [at] me.com.
- TWO – We want to start growing rye. We had good fun this year with a wee dabble in growing oats, and helped harvest some heritage wheat down at bread matters. We’re quite taken with the idea of trying our hand at growing rye on the croft – its well suited to the highlands of Scotland (liking the wet and cold) and we know people like our rye sourdoughs.
- THREE – We want to start brewing beer with waste bread. We’re visiting the Isle of Bute brewery in January to turn this years waste bread into beer, thru an open source waste bread/beer recipe called toast ale. If this goes to plan, then we’ll be looking to do the same with waste bread during 2017, perhaps a few more batches including an unusual fermented rye drink called Kvass.
- FOUR – We want to work with other local food producers and establish/setup a local food club (for lack of a better word!). Not just bread. Think beer, beef, potatoes, vegetables – working with other micro-food producers in the area to really rethink the way we grow, rear, bake and locally distribute food here in Fort William.
Thanks to all our followers, near and far, those who yearn after good food, made slowly; those making their own sourdough, those eating ours. Looking forward to sharing 2017 with you.
doughies 