Baking bread in lockdown London

A lockdown act of kindness has spawned a whole new enterprise for Londoner Sophia Sutton-Jones.

Soon after baker's daughter Sophia delivered a freshly made loaf of bread to a neighbour sheltering during lockdown, the whole street was knocking on her door.

Sophia: I've always baked bread and it's part of my childhood, part of my life. And so, I just baked a bread for a neighbour and saw what, what was going to happen. And that neighbour then recommended me to other neighbours and very quickly within a couple of weeks, we had a queue in front of our house for bread."

Owing to a scarcity of yeast, Sophia specialised in baking sourdough loaves, the oldest way of making bread.

Sourdough has grown increasingly trendy in recent years with enthusiasts claiming it to be more beneficial than ordinary bread. The appetite for Sophia's sourdough saw her operation quickly outgrow her home kitchen.

Sophia: "There was definitely a need locally for good sourdough bread and we very quickly jumped into buying a mixer and a fridge and a table and kitted out the entire dining room, our bedroom, our guest room was the storage for flour. And only a few months later did we say we need a proper space."

In dire need of a more suitable environment in which to bake and sell their goods, Sophia and her husband, former kitchenware salespeople, crowdfunded the capital to open their ice cream pink bakery 'Sourdough Sophia', turning their Instagram followers into business investors.

Customers are lining up for a bite of Sophia's sourdough, croissants, pain au chocolat, muffins and cruffins, all freshly baked on site.

Despite the 14 hour days, Sophia wouldn't change a thing.

Sophia: "I don't mind it because it's worth it. It, you can, when you see that customer coming in with that smile on her face telling me how amazing it was what I've made, I just, it, it makes it all worth it. It doesn't matter how long I've worked and how much I've done."

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