Date: 22/04/14
Location: Newcastle-Under-Lyme
Interviewer: Hilary Hughes
Permission given to use interview for website, exhibition and Staffordshire archive: YES
Question asked “What do you remember about bread or bread baking”.
Stones's, do you remember? Did you know Stones's bakery, it was at the bottom of this road (Hassell St towards Lower St) on the righthand side. A little shop front with a bakery at the back used to be the best bread in Staffordshire. Home made bread, beautiful, they used to pies there, sausage rolls and everything. They used to troll round in a little van all around the pubs and everything. Oh God knows how long it's been closed now, years hasn't it. Mate of mine used to be the baker there actually. I think they pulled it down when they made the road and put up the multi-story car park, he retired Stones's did. on the opposite corner it was Burgess's, where it's all boarded up, it was Burgess's bakery there and another one in the Ironmarket, just an outlet for all the stuff they made. The main bakeries were all across the main road, Lower Street. Stones's bakery been there since I were a little kid and I'm eighty this year. Was good stuff, was a pal of mine used to be the baker down there, the stuff they made was absolutely beautiful, you could eat the bread with nothing on it, gorgeous, nothing like the crap you get today. I make me own bread, even my chickens won't eat that bread. Who do you think does my garden, I don’t pay a gardener, they eat everything then I get get eggs off them. I’d have a couple of pigs as well but I haven't got the room for them, they can't stop you as long as they are pets.
< Back to the Baking History page