Tadcaster baker keeps on peddling wares through crisis

Phil Gosling is a familiar sight cycling around Tadcaster on his three-wheeler making his weekly bread deliveries every Thursday morning, in a manner reminiscent of the famous Hovis advert.
Phil Gostling from the One Mile Bakery, pictured on his bike in Tadcaster..23rd April 2019 ..Picture by Simon HulmePhil Gostling from the One Mile Bakery, pictured on his bike in Tadcaster..23rd April 2019 ..Picture by Simon Hulme
Phil Gostling from the One Mile Bakery, pictured on his bike in Tadcaster..23rd April 2019 ..Picture by Simon Hulme

In December, the rugby-mad PE teacher went part-time at big Leeds secondary school, where he had been head of rugby and netball, to launch One Mile Bakery from the home he shares with wife Emily and two young children Monty, three, and one-year-old Evie.

“Teaching has always been my passion, but so has cooking,” explained Phil, who decided the perfect solution would be to combine his two passions by running courses, teaching people to bake.

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“I used to just bake at weekends, and then it grew into baking a few times a week,” he explains.

Phil Gostling from the One Mile Bakery, pictured on his bike in Tadcaster..23rd April 2019 ..Picture by Simon HulmePhil Gostling from the One Mile Bakery, pictured on his bike in Tadcaster..23rd April 2019 ..Picture by Simon Hulme
Phil Gostling from the One Mile Bakery, pictured on his bike in Tadcaster..23rd April 2019 ..Picture by Simon Hulme

“I think I knew I had to turn this into part of my working life. I love teaching people this fantastic skill. Then my sister saw an article in a newspaper about Elisabeth Mahoney who had launched the first One Mile Bakery in Cardiff in 2012 and it sounded perfect for what I wanted to do.”

Journalist turned baker Mahoney came up with the idea of baking and delivering artisan bread, seasonal soups and preserves to subscribers by bike within a mile of her domestic kitchen, and teaching inspirational baking classes to more than 2,000 people.

It proved so successful that she decided to franchise her business and there are now One Mile Bakers in Paulton, Pontardawe, Hale, Exeter, Cardiff and Tadcaster – Phil is the first in Yorkshire.

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“It just sounded perfect for me because unlike some franchises you are allowed to pretty much do what you like so long as you run it past Elizabeth first.

“I wanted to bake and deliver sweet bakes as well and she was more than happy. She is really supportive especially when it comes to the website and publicity – which I know nothing about.”

It also meant that rather than giving up his job and investing in premises and other overheads, he could split his time between school, baking, deliveries, his classes and squeeze in some family time.

“I’d had a great response to my classes, which are all held in our kitchen at home and had around 30 subscribers for my deliveries, word was just getting out there and was going really well.

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“I was really getting to know more people in and around Tadcaster which was fantastic.”

That was in December. Three months later coronavirus hit and lockdown happened, bringing to an immediate halt to Phil’s baking classes.

“I was really lucky that I hadn’t decided to give up teaching altogether, but I did have to have an immediate rethink,” he says. “I had to cancel all the classes with immediate effect, but due to lockdown people were wanting more deliveries and so I quickly expanded to cover a wider area.”

He now has 50 subscribers and includes areas such as Clifford, Bramham and Thorp Arch and having enlisted the help of a local lad to help with his bike deliveries, he uses a less romantic van to deliver further afield.

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Everything is pre-ordered so there’s no waste and normally delivered by bike in 100 per cent plastic-free, compostable packaging. Where he can, Phil uses homegrown produce, and before coronavirus he exchanged bread for fruit and vegetables locally, plus the very best seasonal produce from local suppliers.

What makes Phil’s life even more complicated now is that his wife Emily is a consultant anaesthetist at York Hospital, and when we speak was due to start a stint at the Nightingale Hospital in Harrogate.

“It has been a worrying time and some of Emily’s colleagues have stayed in hotels rather than at home, but we discussed it and we felt it was better for the family if she stayed at home and went to work from here. Keeping her well is our priority,” says Phil.

“She is fastidious about hygiene in any case. She bags all her clothes outside the front door, has another shower as soon as she gets in just to make sure. She’s working very long shifts normally 8am to 10pm.”

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Phil still has to go into school every few weeks to help look after the children of key workers and as both he and his wife are themselves key workers their children still go to nursery two days a week.

“Nursery has been a godsend,” says Phil, who bakes overnight on Wednesday so that his bakes are fresh to deliver on Thursday morning. He then delivers to his customers bearing in mind social distancing measures and then goes home in the afternoon for a well-earned rest. Before coronavirus he would then hold his classes at the weekends before going back to school on Monday morning.

It was pretty hectic, but it was working and I loved it, I really loved the teaching part of it and once this is all over the classes will be restarted and hopefully we will try to get things back to normal. There are so many people baking now that maybe even more people will want to learn new skills.”

He has done a couple of classes using Zoom, although he says he has to make sure that everyone has the right ingredients. Normally all classes and baking is done in Phil’s family kitchen.

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“Our kitchen is pretty well designed and I think if you came in on a normal day you would have no idea that when the children have gone to bed on Wednesday night it transforms into a bakery,” he says.

Behind sliding cupboard doors are a row of discreet proving shelves. He has a large Rofco oven and the central kitchen table converts into a prep, kneading and baking station with the addition of a metal table top which can easily be transformed back into the family kitchen table. This is where he would hold his courses for up top nine people.

“I suppose it is a bit strange inviting someone that you don’t know into your home, but that is part of the appeal for a lot of people.” His demographic tends to be women over 40 but he has had some men and mothers and daughters.

Unlike most of the nation right now, Phil has had no problem sourcing flour. “I get flour direct from Yorkshire Organic Mills in Spaunton. They have been amazing, in fact I have started getting flour for other people, bagging it up and delivering it. I try to use Yorkshire produce as much as I can and keep it as local as possible.”

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It is actually getting hold of yeast that has been more of a headache for Phil. “I can get lots of fresh yeast but I struggle to get the dry stuff which is better for my bread making.”

Although life may not be as Phil had planned it, is clear that his passion for baking and for passing on his knowledge will ensure that in whatever form, One Mile Bakery Tadcaster will be a success.

www.onemilebakery.com/tadcaster/