Hare & Hounds Bakery nears completion
By Ellyn Wright
26th Feb 2021 | Local News
There's no doubting that the pandemic has put a strain on local businesses, so seeing something new is an exciting prospect.
One of the latest additions to Cowbridge town centre will be the Hare & Hounds Bakery, which looks set to open its doors in early March.
Co-owner Sarah Watts-Jones says the team is looking at an opening date of 10 March for takeaway coffees, sandwiches, pastries and bread.
"We'll only be able to open as a takeaway but it will still be lovely," said Sarah.
"We've also got a log burner and some lovely sofas. At some point when people are allowed to sit in it will be a lovely space for lunch.
"We've applied for an alcohol license so eventually in the evening people can come down for some charcuterie and cheese, and a nice glass of wine."
Sarah and her husband Tom also own the Hare and Hounds pub in Aberthin – but Tom has always wanted this space on North Road, just behind the High Street.
"He's always had his eye on this building, since before we had the Hare Tom has said we'll have a restaurant in there one day," said Sarah.
"We'd been selling our bread and pastries from a food trailer lent to us by a friend during the first lockdown.
"It was in the first lockdown and people would queue for bread in the village.
"The building came up over the summer. It had been empty for a while and the pricing was right.
"We've been able to muddle together to money to get it done.
"It's really exciting in a year that has been so stressful for our pubs we've something positive to focus on," she said. Having to close their pubs in Aberthin and Cardiff due to the restrictions has given the team, which includes Hare & Hounds restaurant manager Rowan Larcher and pastry chef Gareth Crimmins, the time to concentrate on the new bakery. Although the rules have meant only one tradesperson at a time could be working at the site, causing some delays, overall, the progress has been smooth. "Things have turned up at the right time," said Sarah."We were getting very stressed before Christmas because things kept getting delayed and we were pushing to open before Christmas.
"But now I'm really glad we didn't because then we would have been open for a week and then closed again.
"We ended up with that three-week period when we were told we couldn't sell alcohol at the pub. We got to spend three weeks with Gareth testing recipes, seeing what people would want for brunch and what went down well.
"It's all slotted into place quite nicely," she said.
The bakery will also provide another layer of job security for the company's employees.
"When we do open the pub again, we're not sure how many people we'll be allowed to have in at once. But with the extra space, it just gives us more opportunities for work," said Sarah.
Lockdown has been hard on the team, who are used to spending over 70 hours a week together. But their hard work was rewarded when the Hare and Hounds achieved the Bib Gourmand from the Michelin Guide for the fourth year in a row.
"We spent the whole of last year cooking fish and chips and Sunday lunches, so it's great to be recognised for what we do at our best when we're open normally," said Sarah.
"It's rewarding for our team who work hard and late at night and motivating for when we do get back in the kitchen.
"It brings the team together." The Aberthin pub is currently closed while a roof leak is repaired – but Sarah says that they're looking to start selling 'cook at home pies' once the kitchen is up and running.
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